We’re looking forward to introducing you to Corry Graber. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Corry, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
A grandmother texted me a photo from their monthly subscription box three generations gathered around a tiny boy taking his first-ever bite of chocolate. His eyes went wide, cheeks lifted, and for a second you could see pure discovery on his face. I laughed out loud in my kitchen because that expression is why I do this the wonder, the pause, the little spark that says, “Oh, this is special.”
Pride, for me, isn’t a plaque on the wall. It’s knowing that something I made with my own two hands traveled from my quiet morning tempering to a family’s living room and became part of their memory. Moments like that remind me why I chose this path: follow your dreams, do what you love, and stay true to your craft even when it’s hard. Integrity in ingredients, patience in process, and heart in every box.
And none of it happens in a vacuum. Dade City has wrapped this little chocolate shop in big love neighbors who cheer me on, customers who share my work with friends, and a community that believes small, handmade things still matter. If a single truffle can connect a grandmother, a mother, and a brand‑new chocolate lover here in Dade City, then all the early mornings and long days are worth it and then some.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Corry Graber, founder and maker of Corry’s Artisan Chocolates in Dade City, Florida. Every piece that leaves my kitchen is handmade by me from tempering and shelling to boxing and bows.
I started this business because I believe craft and care still matter, and that a small piece of chocolate can carry a big feeling: comfort, celebration, wonder.
My signature truffles and seasonal collections are made with premium ingredients and honest processes no shortcuts, clear allergen labeling, and an obsession with that perfect, clean snap.
Dade City’s support fuels everything I do: neighbors who cheer me on, customers who gift my boxes, and families who send photos from the monthly subscription like a baby’s first-ever bite of chocolate.
This year I’m focused on growing online orders and subscriptions, expanding into sugar‑free and vegan options, and continuing to tell a simple truth through my work: follow your dreams, do what you love, and stay true to yourself one handmade piece at a time.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before anyone told me who I should be, I was the kid in vivid colors with a wild imagination, dancing to my own rhythm. I grew up in a home where spirit and everyday life weren’t separate. My parents taught me to listen inward, to pray before I panicked, to ground myself with breath, movement, and gratitude. We used “tool bags” not just for school, but for life—quiet time when my mind ran fast, walks to reset, journaling, helping at the family business to turn energy into purpose. I could count change before I could read, and I learned that work done with love is a form of prayer.
School didn’t know what to do with that. I learned differently, felt deeply, and related more to adults than kids my age. Medication was suggested; my parents chose another way. They protected my spirit and taught me to steward it—self‑control that starts with self‑compassion, discipline that honors how I’m wired. For a long time I translated “different” as “less than.”
That story no longer fits. Through a lot of stumbles, I realized my sensitivity is discernment, my energy is creativity, and my curiosity is devotion in motion. I built a life and a kitchen that work with me, not against me music humming, chai steaming, a quiet prayer over every chocolate temper. My holistic practice shows up in simple ways: clean intentions, ethical ingredients, presence with each step, and the belief that what we make carries the energy we bring to it.
Today I’m a woman joyfully beating her own drum spirit‑led, emotionally aware, and proudly entrepreneurial, crafting chocolates by hand in Dade City. The struggles became teachers; each one sent me back to center and forward with courage. The message I carry in every box is the same one that raised me: listen to your inner wisdom, follow your dreams, do what you love, and never trade your true self for approval. When we honor who we really are, the work tastes better richer, kinder, and a little bit holy.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. I almost quit during the year my marriage ended while I was running the café and making chocolates on the side right as COVID reshaped everything. The air smelled like coffee, chocolate, and sanitizer. I learned to smile behind a mask, to tape curbside signs with trembling hands, and to wipe tears before unlocking the door. I’d serve comfort all day, then sit in the car afterward, forehead on the steering wheel, wondering if I had anything left. The old lie “you’re failing” hovered.
Community caught me. Regulars and neighbors who truly saw me slipped small envelopes my way quiet notes with words of encouragement and scriptures I tucked into my apron like anchors. When panic rose, I’d touch those papers, breathe, and keep going.
One night I drove to my dad’s. I told him, face to face, “I can’t do this anymore.” He wrapped me in his arms and said, “I’ve never known you as a quitter. You’re a fighter. You always find a way. Don’t give up on your dream.” Those words woke up the girl I’d always been the one who dreamed, even as a kid, of her own chocolate shop.
That’s when I understood: everything has a season. The café had been faithful for its time, but it wasn’t the destination. I pared life to essentials sleep, eat, pray, walk, one batch at a time and I planned a pivot. I let go of what no longer fit, honored the lessons it gave me, and moved toward the work that felt truest in my bones.
I came home to myself.
Today, in Dade City, I’m living that childhood dream my own chocolate shop, crafted by hand, rooted in faith and community. The season that nearly broke me became the bridge. It taught me to trust timing, to stay true to who I am, and to keep choosing the next right step until the dream is not just imagined but tasted.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes the public me is me. I’m just in my happy place, so the laughs and silliness come out. If you see a chai in my hand and a prayer over the first pour, that’s standard operating procedure. I’m the same woman you’ll meet in Dade City: warm, chatty, and probably asking if you’ve tried the raspberry yet.
I keep the music low so I can “hear” the chocolate, label everything like a proud hall monitor, and remake batches if they don’t hit the mark. And I’ll treat you like a neighbor remember your favorites, your allergies, and tuck a little extra care in every box.
So yes, the public version is real it’s just the highlight reel. The full version includes quiet prayers, a few do-overs, and a lot of joy for a job that still makes me smile like a kid.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
I once got exactly what I thought I wanted: a calendar packed edge to edge, the café humming, orders flying. From the sidewalk it looked like success; inside it felt thin. “Busy” gave me volume, not meaning. That disappointment became a teacher. It clarified an unpopular truth I live by: slow can scale—and it satisfies.
I pivoted to the dream I’ve had since I was little: a true chocolate shop. I rebuilt the business around depth, not noise—fewer SKUs so every piece is dialed in, ethical sourcing I can stand behind, crystal‑clear allergen labels, and systems that protect the craft on a Tuesday as well as on Valentine’s week. Our subscription isn’t a transaction; it’s a relationship. Whether you’re in Dade City or three states away, your box should feel like I made it with you in mind.
Choosing “slow” doesn’t mean small. It means compounding trust customer by customer, bite by bite. It means I can laugh in my kitchen, say a quick prayer over the first pour, and know the work matches my values. That’s the kind of growth I want: rooted, steady, satisfying. Not more for the sake of more- more that tastes like integrity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.corryschocolate.com
- Instagram: corrysartisanchocolates
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corrygraber
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/CorrysArtisanChocolates
- Other: – Instagram: https://instagram.com/corrysartisanchocolates
– Facebook: https://facebook.com/CorrysArtisanChocolates
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corrygraber
– Substack: https://corryschocolate.substack.com
– Medium: https://medium.com/@corryschocolate
– TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@corrysartisanchocolates
