Business is like a box of chocolates

Tom Forquer

If someone asked you eat their business card, would you do it?

Bob Fitzgerald’s tastes pretty good. The owner of the Chocolate

Print Connection, a franchise of the Chocolate Printing Company. is

using a system developed by FISCO to print digital images on

chocolate using FDA-approved edible ink.

“Rather than giving a cigar out that costs you five dollars, you

give out a lollipop with the kid’s picture on it and the date of

birth,” he said. That’s one of the many opportunities for chocolate

printing.

The chocolate, from Bloomer’s Chocolate Company, is molded into a

variety of shapes by the Chocolate Printing Company, including Jewish

stars of David, CDs, hearts, and business cards -- the most popular

item at the moment.

“Birthday parties, birth announcements, bat-mitzvahs,

bar-mitzvahs, weddings, the ideas are endless,” said Bob Fitzgerald,

who runs his business as a division of the Costume Connection, which

is run by his wife, Julie.

“Everything you see here is affordable,” Fitzgerald said,

referring to the equipment in the tiny room that the business is run

out of and the products.

In bulk quantities, chocolate business cards can be printed for as

little as $1.50.

Fitzgerald also offers a service where, for $1,250, he will come

to a private party for four hours and do up to 250 prints. He has

only done it once, when he did a wedding, printing up chocolates with

a portrait of the bride and groom, which were later handed out to

guests.

He found out about this new technology while at a trade show in

Las Vegas. He has been in business for about three months.

The business is advertised through his Web site, word of mouth and

the phone book, where it is listed in nine places because it’s

difficult to define.

“It’s just different,” the 61-year-old said. “I’ve done a lot of

crazy businesses before, but this one is just easy.”

He considers the Chocolate Print connection “a retirement-type

business.”

Fitzgerald believes that in entrepreneurship comes risk.

“You got to be willing to shake the dice,” he said, also stating

that “Life is not going to hand someone a bunch of chocolate.”

Or hard candy, which is the next thing on the horizon for the

Chocolate Print Connection.