A Little About Romanico's Story

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A Little About Romanico's Story

Romānicos Chocolate: Behind The Scenes

Alejandra Bigai

If you get in touch with Romānicos Chocolate today, chances are you will be amazed at the quality of their products and the distinctive lines and flavors they have in the market. It is hard to think that less than a decade ago, Romānicos Chocolate was just an idea in the mind of Alejandra Bigai, a Venezuelan entrepreneur with a formal education in Graphic Design, and a strong passion for the culinary experiences introduced to her by her grandmother.

She moved to the United States in the late 90s, eager to bring her ideas to life. Initially, most of her ideas where related to her Graphic Design background, but sooner than later other projects started to shine in her imagination… Some inspired by the abundance of new products around her… Others, because of the missing elements…

As Bigai explains, “When I arrived to Miami I missed terribly a good, fine chocolate. I grew-up with the most wonderful chocolate, with the truffles made by my grandmother. So, instead of complain about it, I decided to put my whole being into a new company combining everything I know, everything I like, my passions, and my professional and personal experiences.” And Romānicos Chocolate was born on October 5th, 2001.

Romānicos first selling products were truffles in eight different and distinctive flavors: Amaretto, Hazelnut, Raspberry, Pear Liquor, Orange, Mint, Caramel, and Coffee. In just one year, production doubled and the line went from eight to 22 flavors.

A Virtual World

In 2002, as a part of the expansion plan, Romānicos opened a virtual store, giving customers all around the Continental U.S. the opportunity to buy products online

“E-commerce was part of the plan from day one,” explains Bigai. “However we didn’t want to have just a website. Every Romānicos Chocolate line offers the customer a whole experience… Fresh, high quality ingredients are essential to us. We offer not just a chocolate but a sensorial experience, and following that path, when we first thought of the website, we decided not to launch it until we could offer our clients a first class experience online.”

Making Custom Chocolates

Using that base, in 2002 Romānicos Chocolate opened a kiosk on the always popular Dadeland Mall, located in Miami, Florida, and the next year moved to International Mall.

“It was a good time,” remembers Bigai. “People gave us lots of feedback. We were able to better define our products, flavors, and lines.”

Armed with that information, and Bigai’s own ideas and creations, Romānicos Chocolate introduced a new truffle flavor, Original Sin, and the first bonbon was born, giving life to the line that will be later known as Chocolate Art.

During the next year Bigai restructured the company, closed the retail locations, redefined the image and packaging, and focused her attention into the shelf life of her products establishing the bases for further development of current and future products.

At the Kitchen

From the Virtual World, to the “Real” World

In 2005 -without giving up the creation process, Bigai started the project forRomānicos Chocolate first brick and mortar store:

“Being a Graphic Designer myself, I wanted to create a very eye catching bonbon. I love the creative process. I can put my knowledge as a Designer, my passion for cooking, my imagination, and my entrepreneurial skills, all in one new project. As a result, Chocolate Art was born with one flavor: Dulce de Leche.”

The day the first store opened –February 10th, 2006, Romānicos Chocolate offered 12 Truffle flavors, and one Chocolate Art flavor.

“It was a great year. We were able to re-establish a direct connection with the customers, a face to face relationship, and we also got a lot of fabulous reviews on the media supporting us.” In fact, National media outlets such as CNN, Fortune Magazine, Food Network, and influential local media, featured Romānicos Chocolate, exposing the products to a good number of chocolate lovers around the country and beyond the U.S. borders.

In the following two years, Romānicos Chocolate grew substantially, launching the Habana Nostalgia Collection, adding flavors to the already successful Tropical Collection and Chocolate Art lines, and introduced two new truffle flavors, Eva’s Secret and Champagne Royale.

“By then it was 2008. We had solid lines; we were well-known among our customers, and were full of ideas and projects. The moment was right and we launched our 3 oz. chocolate bars, presenting 12 flavors, plus a product that was a huge success from the day one, the Chocolate Sushi.”

What's next…

Sarah's Box

2009 has been another exciting year for Romānicos Chocolate.

“We introduced The Fix,” says Bigai. “It is a box full of small truffles, powerful and rich, made with 70% Venezuelan Chocolate and fresh cream, covered with a very thin chocolate shell, and cocoa powder dust. When you try them, there is no way back. I can guarantee that you will be hooked.”

Bigai firmly believes in giving back, and social responsibility, so this year Romānicos Chocolate presented his Foundation, Chocolates for Autism (www.chocolatesforautism.org.)

“I have received many blessing in my life, and I strongly believe that you have to give back,” says Bigai. “Chocolates for Autism, a non-profit organization is the answer to that belief. It is a cause close to my heart, a project that inspires me every day. The Foundation is aimed at helping people diagnosed with autism and their families. We recently created and launched Sarah’s box and are donating net profits derived from nationwide sales of the box to the Foundation. We have just started, and things are looking bright. We are very excited!”

The sky is the limit, and other Romānicos Chocolate projects are ready to take off.
“We have new and exciting things coming,” assures Bigai. “Creation is a way of life, and at Romānicos Chocolates we are always walking that path. We want to surprise and inspire our customers –our friends, with new products, flavors, colors… We have imagined and created a sensorial experience through a high quality product line; we put passion and love in each step of the way, and we will keep doing it… So, stay tuned! We will bring more chocolate-happiness to the world!”