Bleu Chocolát Workshop Expansion

Bleu Chocolát Workshop has outgrown its current 479-square-foot home on St. Croix. We are raising $50,000 to move into a new 1,100-square-foot chocolate atelier that will allow us to expand bean-to-bar production, grow wholesale orders, and create a true teaching space for students and the community. This expansion will help us make more Virgin Islands chocolate, serve more customers, and train the next generation of makers right here at home.

Our Story

Every morning in Christiansted, Bleu Chocolát Workshop comes to life in a small space filled with the smell of roasting cacao, cooling chocolate, and new ideas. But today, every inch of that 479-square-foot workshop is working overtime. Our production tables double as a teaching space. Storage competes with packaging. New ideas compete with wholesale orders.

This is where Bleu Chocolát has grown from a dream into a real Virgin Islands chocolate business. Now, the space is holding us back.

Founder Introduction

I’m Chef Erika Dupree Cline, chocolatier, pastry chef, mentor, and founder of Bleu Chocolát Workshop on St. Croix Virgin Islands. Trained in Detroit under the first U.S. Master Chef, I’ve spent 25+ years leading pastry programs at top hotels, developing Graycliff’s chocolate program in Nassau, and appearing on Bravo’s Top Chef: Just Desserts. I am also an alumni of the James Beard House. Now I craft bean‑to‑bar chocolate in the Virgin Islands. Bleu Chocolát is growing—what we need next is more space to keep up with demand.

What We’ve Already Built

Bleu Chocolát is not an idea on paper. It is a working business with real customer demand and growing opportunities across the Virgin Islands.

To date, Bleu Chocolát has:

• Served 3,500+ retail customers
• Hosted over 200 workshops/classes
• Taught over 350 students and participants
• 27 private events or corporate bookings completed
• Produced over 15,000 bars/bonbons/products to date
• Completed 45 custom or event orders
• Supplied or received interest from 20+ hotels, restaurants, or retail partners
• Grown social media/community support to 8,000 followers/email subscribers
• Reached customers in over 30 islands/states/countries/markets

Demand is growing, but our current space limits how much we can produce, teach, and fulfill.

• 1,565 bars sold in the last 12 months
• 20 wholesale inquiries received
• 3 of active wholesale accounts (only because we don't have the proper equipment & space)
• 300+repeat customers
• 650 units monthly production capacity now vs. 3,000 projected after expansion

The Problem: We Have Outgrown Our Space

Bleu Chocolát currently operates out of just 479 square feet. That means:

• We cannot expand production without taking away from classes
• We cannot teach comfortably while filling wholesale orders
• We do not have enough room for proper storage, packaging, and workflow
• We are turning away opportunities because the space cannot support what comes next

Demand is growing from customers, students, and wholesale partners across the Virgin Islands. Right now, the answer is too often, “not yet.”

The Vision: A 1,100-Square-Foot Chocolate Atelier on St. Croix

With your support, Bleu Chocolát will move into a larger, better-designed space that gives us room to do three things well:

1. Expand bean-to-bar production
A dedicated area for roasting, grinding, refining, tempering, and molding chocolate more efficiently.

2. Create a real teaching studio
A welcoming space where students, school groups, and aspiring pastry chefs can learn the science, history, and craft of chocolate.

3. Grow wholesale capacity
Room for packaging, storage, and order preparation so we can supply more hotels, restaurants, and shops/cafes with Virgin Islands-made chocolate.

This is not just more space. It is the next step in building a permanent home for chocolate-making in the Virgin Islands.

Why Wholesale Matters

Growing wholesale means Bleu Chocolát can become part of everyday life across the Virgin Islands. It means:

• hotels can offer locally made chocolate to guests,
• restaurants can feature island-made chocolate in desserts,
• and stores can proudly carry a product made right here in the Virgin Islands.

Wholesale growth also helps create jobs, strengthen local production, and make Bleu Chocolát a stronger part of the island economy.

What Your Support Will Fund

Your pledge will help us complete four major parts of this expansion:

1. Build out the new space
Food-safe finishes, electrical and plumbing upgrades, and climate solutions are needed for chocolate production in the Caribbean.

2. Production equipment
Larger grinders and refiners, tempering equipment, and proper cooling and storage systems.

3. Wholesale and packaging station
Dedicated worktables, shelving, labeling, boxing, and packaging support for wholesale growth.

4. Teaching studio setup
Student-friendly tools, molds, and equipment for hands-on classes and workshops.

Every dollar helps us move from a cramped workshop into a true chocolate atelier built for production, education, and growth.

How the $50,000 Will Be Used

• $8,500 – Build out and climate control
• $27,000 – Production equipment
• $4,500 – Packaging and wholesale station
• $5,000 – Teaching studio setup
• $5,000 – Contingency and installation costs

Our Lovely Chocolát 

These products reflect the quality, artistry, and Virgin Islands identity we are building through Bleu Chocolát.

Building the Next Generation of Makers 

Bleu Chocolát is not only about making beautiful chocolate. It is also about teaching. I want young people in the Virgin Islands to see that food, pastry, and chocolate can be real creative and professional paths here at home.

A larger space will allow us to welcome more students, host more classes, and give more people hands-on access to the craft of chocolate-making.

A Future Built in Chocolate

We imagine a future in which visitors discover chocolate made on St. Croix at local hotels, restaurants, and shops. We imagine students learning to temper chocolate in our workshop and seeing themselves as future chefs, makers, and business owners. This expansion helps make that future real. It gives Bleu Chocolát the space to grow from a small workshop into a lasting part of the Virgin Islands’ cultural and culinary identity.

 Project Timeline

• Month 1: Secure new space and finalize build out plans
• Month 2–3: Complete renovations, climate solutions, and utility upgrades, Order and install production equipment, Set up packaging and teaching stations
• Month 3–4: Begin reward fulfillment and prepare for expanded operations,Welcome customers, students, and wholesale partners into the new atelier

Call to Action

Bleu Chocolát has already proven that there is demand for high-quality, Virgin Islands-made chocolate. Now we are ready for the next step.

With your support, we can expand production, teach more students, grow wholesale partnerships, and build a lasting home for chocolate-making on St. Croix.

If you believe in island-made products, creative education, and building something lasting in the Virgin Islands, we invite you to back this project and help us bring this next chapter to life.