Shalini Latour, owner of
Chocolats Latour, and Samantha Gordon, owner of
Bee Haven Honey, are partnering to open a retail space and commercial kitchen in Northside.
The Chocolate Bee will open at 4037 Hamilton Ave. in November with a grand opening event planned for that month’s Northside Second Saturday.
The 800-square-foot space has a commercial kitchen, which will mainly be used by Latour to make her handcrafted chocolates. The other portion will be dedicated for retail, with both Chocolats Latour and Bee Haven Honey products for sale.
Latour started her business at home six years ago, and as her business grew she rented a kitchen one day a week. She’s been in the market for a commercial kitchen of her own, and having a storefront location made sense as well. She got to know Gordon through the
Northside Farmers Market and asked if she’d be interested in sharing a space.
“I live in the neighborhood and really love it here,” Latour says. “I like the feeling of Northside. It’s diverse and eclectic, and I wanted to be able to add to that.”
You can currently get Chocolats Latour at
Coffee Emporium in both Hyde Park and Over-the-Rhine,
College Hill Coffee Company,
Jungle Jim’s,
Melt,
Park + Vine and
Sidewinder as well as at the Northside Farmers Market on Wednesdays. Bee Haven Honey is available at
Findlay Market and
online.
“It already smells like coffee when you walk in,” Gordon says of the new storefront, which is next door to
Collective Espresso, while
Cluxton Alley Coffee Roasters operates out of the building's basement. “Add the smell of chocolate, and it will be a heavenly place to shop.”
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