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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 3 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 11 what better business to come into than chocolate?" Romeo said. "It's a real family affair, and aside from my in-laws still coming in a few days a week, their two daughters and my son, we also have four sets of mothers and daugh- ters working here." While Romeo took a significant pay cut coming from his engineering job to head up the chocolate business in 2009, he's proud to carry on the family trade and "grow it so that our third genera- tion can continue it." Fascia's future Romeo's son Matt recently graduated from UCONN and joined the business full-time. Romeo said Matt has been instrumental in boosting the wholesale end of the business. Fascia's sweet treats from chocolate bars to boxed choco- lates can be found in 85 retailers across Connecticut, and New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. eir products are a staple in flower shops like Dragon- flies in Seymour and Forget Me Not in North Haven, Adam's Supermarkets, and Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, which uses Fas- cia's chocolate for its dipped apples. Romeo said Fascia's Choc- olates doubled its wholesale presence in about two years, and the goal is to secure anoth- er 40-50 retail partners in the next year. While Romeo did not want to disclose Fascia's annual revenues, he said they haven't reached their goal yet. "While we're several times bigger than we were when I started, we're not where we need to be," Romeo said. "We're very small, and we have room to grow. We need to sell more." Romeo said Fascia's Chocolates has some corporate clients like Eversource and Ion Bank, but he wants to see that clientele grow. Serving on several local business and state boards, Romeo at- tends meetings armed with his calling card - chocolate. Romeo also makes deliveries himself to Fascia's retail partners to present the company's face and make sure everyone is happy with the product. From anksgiving to Christmas, Fascia's racks up about 40 percent of its annual sales, followed by Valen- tine's Day, Easter and Mother's Day, which contributed about 35 percent in sales. e three days leading up to Valentine's Day and the big day itself represent the four busiest sales days of the entire year. Romeo said last minute Cupids love to create custom boxes for their sweethearts, choosing from assorted nuts, creams, salted caramels and gourmet truffles from the retail shop's glass display case of goodies. While Romeo noted that Fascia's is quite small in the confectionery space compared to the big national brands, they produce more than 100,000 pounds of finished product annually. In addition to the retail and whole- sale sector, Fascia's makes customized products for the corporate world, like creating company logos in chocolate. A tourism destination Since Romeo came onboard, Fascia's has expanded beyond chocolate-mak- ing. On the weekends, Romeo heads up "Experience Your Chocolate" tours, where visitors learn the history of chocolate and get to make their own chocolate bar. Fascia's also added a chocolate paint- ing event, and from April to October, they team up with the Naugatuck Rail- road for a Chocolate Decadence Tour, which pairs wine and chocolate with a stop at Fascia's for chocolate-making. Romeo said Fascia's has sustained for nearly six decades, thanks to some basic principles. "It's probably cliché, but I would say it's hard work, passion and luck," Romeo said. Plus, he says the chocolate is just really good. "We start with a very premium chocolate and use great ingredients for our centers but really it is the techniques we use that make the difference," Romeo said. "None of what we do are se- crets in the industry, but very few take the time to do things the old-fashioned way like hand stir in a copper kettle and let things cool slowly on a marble slab." Sisters Louise Romeo and Lynn Mouanes grew up making chocolate in their parents' basement and feel blessed to still be working in the family business. "I went away to college, got married products have made them a mainstay in the state for decades. "At a festival, I tasted a dark choc- olate and was introduced to Mr. and Mrs. John and Helen Fascia; I loved that feeling of homemade," Noujaim said. "Fascia's is philanthropic, they promote quality and the value of family. I love everything they make, including the homemade gelato." n print ad print ad Looking for a commercial lender who's as committed as you? At GE Credit Union, we have a suite of solutions that will work for you so you can get down to business. • Vehicle purchase and refinancing • Commercial real estate lending • Great rates and flexible terms We are GE Credit Union. Committed to New Haven. Committed to your business. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY LENDER. FEDERALLY INSURED BY NCUA. myGECreditUnion.com 800.992.8472 395 Whalley Ave., New Haven Mon–Fri, 8:30–4:00 • Sat 8:30–noon 395 Whalley Ave. New Haven Mon, Thurs & Fri • 8:30AM - 4:00PM | Tues & Wed • 8:30AM - 3:00PM | Sat • 8:30AM - 12:00P and moved away for a while, but I came back because there was always a pull," said Fascia's COO Louise Romeo, not- ing her favorite candies are chocolate covered nuts. Business neighbor Selim Noujaim, owner of Noujaim Tool Co., has been a Fascia's fan since he moved here from Lebanon in 1971. He said Fascia's family values, charitable nature and delicious A sampling of Fascia's chocolates inside a display case at its retail store. A Valentine's Day display in the Fascia's chocolates retail store. A t A G l a n c e Company: Fascia's Chocolates Industry: Food Top Executive: Carmen Romeo, President HQ: 44 Chase River Road, Waterbury Website: https://faschoc.com/ Contact: 203-753-0515

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