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South Bend Chocolate Company

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Coordinates: 41°42′27″N 86°20′48″W / 41.70750°N 86.34667°W / 41.70750; -86.34667
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South Bend Chocolate Company
Company typeDomestic For-Profit Corporation
IndustryCandy & confectionary, retail
FoundedOct 24, 1991
FounderMark Tarner
Headquarters41°42′27″N 86°20′48″W / 41.70750°N 86.34667°W / 41.70750; -86.34667 7102 Lincolnway W,
South Bend, Indiana
,
United States
Area served
United States, Midwest
Key people
Mark Tarner, Kristina Tressler
ProductsChocolate candy, bulk chocolate, seasonal items, university tie-ins
Revenue$20,312,000
Number of employees
259
Websitesbchocolate.com

The South Bend Chocolate Company was established in 1991 by Mark Tarner, a second generation chocolate maker.[1][2] Along with a chocolate factory, the company has retail stores in the South Bend, Indiana regional area as well as Indianapolis and Ohio.[3][4] The company's flagship store, the South Bend Chocolate Cafe located on 122 S. Michigan St., is billed as the "World's Largest Chocolate Store" and has been credited with contributing to South Bend's downtown revival.[5][6][7] The company expanded its operations to the west side of South Bend with a new factory that opened in 2024 at 7102 Lincolnway W.[8] The site also features the Indiana Dinosaur Museum along with other attractions.[9]

Origins & Growth

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Mark Tarner grew up in South Bend and worked in his father's sweet shop named Sugar 'N Spice.[6][10] Tarner attended Clay High School in South Bend and later played basketball for Eastern Illinois University eventually earning a Masters degree in European history.[6][11] Tarner and his wife Julie purchased their first home on South Bend's near west side near the Oliver Mansion and the Studebaker National Museum.[6][12]

The company started by producing candy under a license from the University of Notre Dame.[1] Capitalizing on the proximity of the university, three candies were produced for Notre Dame: the Domer, the Rockne, and Nuts for ND.[13][6] The company sells chocolate in around a dozen Michiana locations including the South Bend International Airport and St. Joseph Hospital in Mishawaka, Indiana.[13][3] It also owns and operates three full service restaurants named Public House the latest of which opened at their new museum complex on Lincolnway W.[14] As of 2017, the company has four shareholders, Mark Tarner, Juliet Tarner, Sam Tarner and Kristina Tressler.[13]

Mural on the back of the South Bend Chocolate Company flagship store in South Bend, IN

Opened on October 16, 1994,[15] the South Bend Chocolate Company's factory was initially located at 3300 W. Sample Street[16] in South Bend in a building that once housed the South Bend Toy Company.[17][18] The factory featured 60,000 square feet and produced 500 different varieties of chocolate and candy.[13][6] The facility also included a museum exhibiting a collection of chocolate memorabilia including a 1,300 year old Mayan chocolate pot.[19] The Sample St. factory was a regional tourist site that hosted up to 50,000 visitors per year.[20][21] Tarner moved the Sample St. operation to the 7102 Linconlway W location on South Bend's west side in June, 2024.[9][22]

According to South Bend Mayor Pete Buttegieg in 2017, Tarner is "is one of the most creative and successful people in South Bend, who believed in South Bend before many other people did".[23]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tarner was forced to lay off 200 employees and suspend operations.[6] Tarner obtained a forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loan from the federal government for $1.7 million to help maintain his employees.[24]

Despite the pandemic setback,[25] Tarner established a new 88 acre operations center just west of the South Bend International Airport close to the exit for US Highway 31.[6][10][24] The center offers attractions such as the Indiana Dinosaur Museum, hiking and skiing trails, sledding hill, bison conservatory, and restaurants.[6][26] Tarner received the undeveloped site for $1 from the city's Redevelopment Commission with the stipulation that he must invest at least $5 million in the facility, and he has stated his intention to invest up to $14 million to develop the site.[27][23] Tarner also received a grant of $500,000 from the Indiana Regional Cities Initiative.[20][28] In 2017, Tarner encouraged St. Joseph county officials to build a new South Shore train station on the museum campus.[20] A South Shore station is located at the South Bend International Airport and the tracks run just a mile south of the museum site.[20]

Indiana Dinosaur Museum

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Dinosaur exhibits, Indiana Dinosaur Museum, South Bend, IN

In 2004, Mark Tarner took up paleontology as a hobby and has spent summers excavating dinosaur fossils in Montana.[6] Tarner has accumulated many dinosaur discoveries which were once stored in his various businesses.[6] He also works with Peter Larson of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research to identify new specimens and prepare museum quality casts.[10]

In 2013, Tarner held a press conference to announce his discovery of an Edmontosaurus on a Montana ranch.[29] Tarner and his brother-in-law Steve Bodi were granted rights to excavate the fossil after the discovery of a vertebra fossil by Montana rancher Steve Curry.[30] The dinosaur skeleton, named Juliet after Tarner's wife, features much of its skin intact, a rare discovery and one of only four such found.[29]

Tarner's passion for paleontology and business skills led him to establish the Indiana Dinosaur Museum which opened on July 12, 2024.[6][31][32] Tarner is exhibiing dinosaur skin from the Edmontosaurus discovery in the new museum.[29][33]

The Dinosaur Museum shares an atrium with the adjacent chocolate museum.[9][32] Tarner had moved the South Bend Chocolate Company factory and museum from the Sample St. location to new locations within the museum complex.[9][26] Along with a host of additional attractions, the site's natural beauty is emphasized along with views of the nearby Golden Dome of the University of Notre Dame and proximity to the north-south continental divide.[9] The project also returns buffalo to South Bend with a herd established in a pasture behind the museum.[34][32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Steinweg, Carrie (November 17, 2001). "One-Tank Trip: South Bend Chocolate Factory". The Times (Munster, IN). p. 25. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "Chocolate Museum opens in South Bend". The Call-Leader (Elwood, IN). October 16, 2003. p. 5. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Locations | South Bend Chocolate Company in IN, MI & OH". South Bend Chocolate Company | Candy Store in IN, MI & OH. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Blanchard, Peter (June 9, 2023). "Made in Indiana: Chocolate by South Bend Chocolate Co". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "Chocolate Cafe - Downtown South Bend | South Bend Chocolate Company in IN, MI & OH". South Bend Chocolate Company | Candy Store in IN, MI & OH. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Dame, Marketing Communications: Web | University of Notre (July 7, 2020). "Mr. Tarner's Ultimate Candy Shop | Stories | Notre Dame Magazine | University of Notre Dame". Notre Dame Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Gwaltney, Candace (March 2009). "South Bend Chocolate Company: Sweet Taste of Success Continues" (PDF). Biz Voice/Indiana Chamber: 64–66.
  8. ^ "Factory Tour | South Bend Chocolate Company in IN, MI & OH". South Bend Chocolate Company | Candy Store in IN, MI & OH. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Mark Tarner's dinosaur and chocolate complex near the South Bend airport on target". Yahoo Finance. November 10, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Zalusky, Steve. "Good bones — Mark Tarner • Northwest Indiana Business Magazine". Northwest Indiana Business Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "EIU Alumni Spotlight - Mark Tarner". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "About The Museum". Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d "Our Story | South Bend Chocolate Company in IN, MI & OH". South Bend Chocolate Company | Candy Store in IN, MI & OH. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Public House". The Public House. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Wood, Charles (October 12, 1994). "Sweet ideas lead to new sweets shop". The South Bend Tribune. pp. 10, 23. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  16. ^ "Establishment Detail: Business Lookup Tool". www.hoosierdata.in.gov. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  17. ^ Karst, Frederick (November 17, 2007). "Trip to South Bend a chocolate lover's fantasy". The Times (Munster, IN). p. 32. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  18. ^ "South Bend Toy Company". Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Steinweg, Carrie (January 16, 2019). "Explore food options in South Bend". The Times (Munster, IN). pp. C5. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d Parrott, Jeff (December 5, 2017). "SB Chocolate founder wants South Shore station on his site". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Bertrand, Amy (February 23, 2020). "Indiana town offers art, museums, adventure and of course, Notre Dame". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. B9, B10. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  23. ^ a b St. Martin, Victoria (May 16, 2019). "Big ideas lead Tarner into the future". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A15-16. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Parrott, Jeff. "South Bend chocolatier says federal aid save him, helped give dream of dinosaur museum new life". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  25. ^ Parrott, Jeff. "Dinosaur museum dream in South Bend collapses...for now". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Indiana Dinosaur Museum | Tourist Attraction in South Bend, IN". Indiana Dinosaur Museum | Tourist Attraction in South Bend, IN. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Parrott, Jeff (April 12, 2017). "Sweet project near airport". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  28. ^ New. "Regional Cities Initiative". South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c SHECKLER, CHRISTIAN. "UPDATE: Tarner shows off rare dino section". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  30. ^ "Digging for dinosaurs". Reporter-Times. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  31. ^ Reporter, Lynnette Grant, WSBT 22 (March 6, 2024). "A look inside the Indiana Dinosaur Museum". WSBT. Retrieved April 30, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ a b c Clubb, Michael. "PHOTOS: Opening day at the Indiana Dinosaur Museum in South Bend". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  33. ^ Pete, Joseph (August 5, 2024). "Indiana Dinosaur Museum a trip back to Jurassic Era". The Times (Hammond, IN). pp. A1, A5. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  34. ^ "Buffalo released into restored prairie at Indiana Dinosaur Museum". WNDU. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
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