With Valentine’s Day on the way, love is in the air... and so is the sweet aroma of chocolate. 

If you’re looking for a sweet treat that will make your loved ones feel appreciated this Valentine’s Day, look no further than L’Amourette Chocolat, a proud CleanPowerSF customer. There’s something for everyone – from chocolate bars to truffles to toffee and much more – it won’t be a problem finding the perfect Valentine’s Day gift here! 

When you step into L’Amourette Chocolat on Fillmore Street, it’s clear that love is at the center of their story. From hand-crafted truffles and bonbons to rows of chocolate bars adorned in art nouveau style packaging and iconic paintings of San Francisco architecture and murals – there's more than just chocolate happening at L’Amourette.  

“It’s about the love of chocolate-making, happiness, nostalgia and art that makes L’Amourette Chocolat truly special,” said Andre V, co-owner of L’Amourette Chocolat.

A Little Love Affair

L’Amourette translates to “a little love affair,” a double entendre for the love of chocolate making and the business’ origins. The story begins when Andre was a young chocolatier: he was in love with a woman named Roxanne, but she did not reciprocate his feelings. 

So, he set off to create a chocolate that would win her over. Drawing inspiration from elixirs and love potions, he spent weeks fine-tuning and perfecting his recipe. He made one bar of chocolate, bought a bouquet of flowers, and asked her to marry him. After just one bite of the chocolate, she said yes! The pair have been happily married ever since. 

Using this recipe, Andre and Roxanne have been pouring love into their chocolate business since 2011. They opened their flagship shop in the Pacific Heights neighborhood almost 2 years ago. The duo spends the morning hand-crafting chocolate in their San Francisco factory, and the rest of their day is spent in the purple and pink storefront.  

Labor of Love 

Creating chocolate by hand really is a labor of love. Andre imports the cacao beans from Central and South America from a family-owned business. Each year they send him several types of beans and he chooses the beans with the best flavor profile. He meticulously hand-selects each bean before the chocolate-making process begins: the bean is roasted, the husk is removed, the beans transform into nibs, the chocolate is refined, and finally, the chocolate is conched, which creates a smooth texture and delicious flavor, for three to four days.

When asked about L’Amourette Chocolat’s values, Andre responded “Quality comes first: the taste, flavor, and texture of the chocolate are deeply important to us.”

There are no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup in any of their chocolates; they use only the best local ingredients. Every weekend, Andre and Roxanne go to the farmer’s market to buy oranges and pomelos for a couple of their citrusy chocolate bars. All their chocolates are kosher, and many of their chocolates are naturally vegan.  

Come visit this local business powered by CleanPowerSF’s clean energy mix! They have unique flavors, like passionfruit bonbons, spicy Mayan truffles, and tahini halvah chocolate bars, that are sure to suit your Valentine’s taste.