CRAFTED WITH JOY
Chuao Chocolatier had been a beloved local artisan chocolate company for eight years, with three stores in Southern California — but the brand was at a crossroads. I was brought in as Creative Director and Brand Manager to lead a comprehensive overhaul.
I revamped the brand identity, pushing Chuao to think beyond bonbons and embrace its more luxurious roots. New packaging and a focused strategic direction centered on flavor innovation propelled the brand's bars and products into top national retailers, including Whole Foods, Target, Sprouts, and The Fresh Market.
Working closely with founder and head chocolatier Chef Michael Antonorsi, I helped bring to life a vision and culture that touched every facet of the business. Together, we developed internal strategic initiatives to foster a corporate environment built on newly defined core brand values, anchored by the tagline "Crafted with Joy" — the brand's guiding mission.
In parallel, I collaborated with Chef Michael to research, develop, and refine new flavor profiles aligned with the strategic vision. Among them was "Oh My S'Mores," which became one of the brand's most popular offerings and extended into seasonal variations and Costco bark editions.
My role spanned the full breadth of the brand: social media marketing, video and photography direction, interior store design, product naming, packaging, flavor innovation, market research, culture-building initiatives, futurecasting, strategic planning, and serving as architectural development lead for a new chocolate Joy Factory.
