Listen to this articleBelow is our recent interview with Chris Peruzzi, COO & Co Founder of The Functional Chocolate Company:
Q:Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to your company?
A: I started The Functional Chocolate Company in 2020 with my business partner Nicole Smith, based on our belief that there is a better way to treat everyday health realities.
Functional Chocolate combines condition specific blends of powerful botanicals and clinically researched ingredients with ethically sourced decadent dark chocolate. Our naturally vegan and gluten free bars address some of the most common health realities; from sleep to energy, focus and stress, to women’s health concerns including PMS, menopause and low libido.
Q:Any highlights on your recent announcement?
A: Now in their 8th year, The Food & Drink Awards 2023 showcase the companies, brands and products disrupting the international food and beverage market. This international recognition highlights our product innovation and commitment to helping our customers.
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Q:Can you give us more insights into your offering?
A: Traditional functional foods – like calcium enriched orange juice – solved a problem by adding a needed ingredient. Functional Chocolate takes that idea to the next level, offering a way to address everyday health realities with complex blends of ingredients, in an indulgent way.
Leveraging my decades of experience in natural product development and sales, each product is thoughtfully formulated with 10-15+ cohesive elements, including patented, clinically researched ingredients alongside botanicals and vitamins trusted for centuries. Each ingredient is optimized to complement each other ingredient, and precisely dosed for an effective experience that keeps the price point accessible.
Chocolate is the ideal functional food base for a number of reasons. Naturally nutritious, gluten-free and vegan, chocolate is a uniquely effective delivery system. Vitamins, minerals and healthy fats optimize bioavailability for our condition specific formulas.
Consumers now have an approachable, accessible and affordable way to make their day a little bit better.
Q:What can we expect from your company in next 12 months? What are your plans?
A: Apparently, we’re doing something right, because customer demand has been supercharged. To keep up, we’re ramping up our production and distribution, adding new partners and capacity through the next year.
Entering this third year, we have nearly 2000 more doors closing over the next two quarters across diverse retailer types – from traditional grocery to health, beauty, natural products, book stores, gift shops, and even adult categories.
Additionally, I’m working with our development team on a full pipeline of new products, so you can look forward to some really exciting new line extensions and even new categories coming soon.
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Q:What is the best thing about your company that people might not know about?
A: I started this company for my kids. I’ve been in natural product development and sales for nearly 30 years, but I’m also a single dad with a teenage daughter. When she started dealing with the transition to womanhood, I knew what combinations of vitamins, minerals and botanicals could help her with PMS symptoms, but she didn’t want to take them.
But I knew she would always be happy to eat a couple of pieces of chocolate, so I created what would become Rhythm Chocolate formulated for PMS Relief, the first Functional Chocolate.
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