Those with a sweet tooth will be interested about a new business that recently opened its doors in Mansfield.
Chocolaterie Plus du Pont Rouge is a bright little store situated on rue Principale, annexed within the same building as Mega Dollar.
The shop is the brainchild of Denise Francoeur, a Fort Coulonge native who recently moved back to the area from Aylmer.
“I used to live here with my parents,” she said. “I got married, moved out and when we took our retirement we came back. We built a home on the Coulonge River, a log home, and from there, I needed something else to do so I got myself into chocolate.”
Though she took a few classes and researched her craft through books and the internet, Francoeur said she has no formal experience running her own company.
“I have no background in business, this is my first business,” she said. “I worked for 32 years for the government, and I’ve been retired for five years now. I’d been thinking about doing something new that people don’t have around here. I took a few courses and started on my own.”
She opened her doors on February 10, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The grand opening was attended by Minister of Transport André Fortin, as well as Mansfield Mayor Gilles Dionne, something that Francoeur described as “overwhelming.”
The shop produces a host of different bite-sized treats, from exotic-sounding varieties like white chocolate with mango filling, to staples like milk chocolate with caramel. She also sells small loaves of banana bread and various other sweets.
“I like everything I make. If I wouldn’t like it, I wouldn’t make it,” she said. “When I opened up I had red velvet cakes, white chocolate cakes, cheesecakes … they went flying off the shelves.”
More recently she said the whoopie pies have been selling well, forcing her to restock.
Francoeur said she is enjoying how social her is and added that her location is perfect for her purposes.
“It’s nice, I get to talk to people and communicate with everybody,” she said. “There’s a nice flow here, I’m in a nice little area. Nothing too big or too fancy, just a nice little spot.”
The shop is currently open four days a week, from Wednesday to Saturday, and Francoeur uses the other days to refill her stock at home.
“If it goes well, maybe I’ll have something a little bigger, but so far, so good,” she said. “I don’t make big quantities, I go slow. If something is a bigger seller I’ll produce a little bit more but I don’t want to go overboard.”
Francoeur is already looking ahead to the next big event on every chocolatier’s calendar.
“If it goes like Valentine’s Day went, I think I’m going to be very busy for Easter,” she said. “I’ve already started making moldings.”
She said that she is enjoying the challenge of experimenting with different flavours and techniques.
“It’s a nice feeling to know that you can produce your own chocolates,” Francoeur said, noting that she loves the sheen that they have when they are dislodged from their molds. “At the same time, it’s a nice feeling to see the expression on people’s face when they try it.”
“It’s going well, I love it. That’s all I have to say,” she concluded.
