Conversing With Craving for Chocolate

Written by Nithya Rajesh on Saturday, 22 April 2023. Posted in Interviews

Suzanne Nader and Dalia Hidayat are co-owners of Craving for Chocolate, a small business specializing in custom assortments of chocolate and other sweets for occasions. Nader founded Craving for Chocolate in 2015 after observing a lack of high quality sweets available at stores in the United States. Nader, originally from Lebanon, used these lavish chocolate assortments as a prominent form of gift giving and decided to do something about it.

Two years later, Dalia Hidayat, a previous customer of Craving for Chocolate, became a co-owner of Craving for Chocolate bringing her marketing and merchandising experience to raise Craving for Chocolate to the next level.

Craving for Chocolate now receives orders online and in-person from their workshop in Vienna, Virginia.

I had the honor of interviewing one of the owners, Dalia Hidayat about the Craving for Chocolate journey.

Q: When did Craving for Chocolate start and why?

Although Hidayat did not found Craving for Chocolate, she recounts the tale told by her business partner and founder Suzanne Nader. Nader created Craving for Chocolate in 2015, simply because she couldn’t find any luxury sweet brands in the area she lives. So, she decided to do something about it and created her own company to cater to customers for holidays and occasions from all around the world, Hidayat says. She explains that holidays from both Nader’s and her countries offer this quality of chocolate and sweets to neighbors and friends and decided to bring this idea to the U.S. Hidayat says that as a chocolate lover herself and a client of Craving for Chocolate, she started helping Nader part-time in 2017 until finally the two became co-owners soon after.

Q: Describe a typical day working as an owner at Craving for Chocolate.

Craving for Chocolate’s operating hours are between 11am - 4pm and Hidayat says that she usually gets to the store in the morning at varying times based on the workload for each day. Hidayat describes that she starts the day with a to-do list of things to accomplish and then starts to download online orders to start processing. After that, she continues with her day answering emails and then works to complete custom orders given by clients. One major client is Micheal Aram, a luxury tabletop company that contracts with Neiman Marcus, who Craving for Chocolate is a wholesaler for candles and tea assortments. 

However, on a slow day Hidayat says that she likes to have fun organizing and getting creative with decoration and the overall store layout of Craving for Chocolate. 

Q: When dealing with difficulties, how did Craving for Chocolate overcome them?

Hidayat remembers the tough time experienced by Craving for Chocolate during the pandemic’s height in 2020. Before 2020, the business was in the form of pop-up shops and kiosks, specifically in stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, both luxury brands that catered to the creation of pop-up shops within its stores. Some difficulties faced by Craving for Chocolate was that companies turned down the opportunity to host a Craving for Chocolate pop-up, Hidayat shows. She says that one way they overcame these difficulties was in knowing that their hard work would pay off.

However during the pandemic, everything shut down. Hidayat and Nader were forced to move to Nader’s home and conduct business there. Business was at a near standstill during the pandemic and with all the extra time on their hands, they started innovating, Hidayat says. First baskets for Easter and then branching out to making specialty dates for Ramadan and specialized assortments for Christmas and finally all their hard work paid off. The Washington Post created a feature about the Craving for Chocolate, a point that, Hidayat says, really set off the business growth and success. They promoted these changes through letting their friends try their chocolates by creating an Instagram account to put their business out on the Internet, Hidayat recounts. They moved the shop to a workshop where they are now conducting business through online orders and walk-ins. 

Q: What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

Hidayat mainly is in charge of the online orders given to their website – Hidayat enjoys receiving customized orders from clients because it reminds her of the kindness displayed in the world. She observes messages that show us the importance of celebrating our differences and showing kindness to everyone. 

Q: What is your message for like-minding women looking to start a business? Any advice?

Hidayat says that it is important to believe in what you are selling because other people will support you if they feel confident in your product. She believes this is one way they received attention from the New York Times. She also thinks that now is a great time for business-minded women to start business because they are supported and cheered on by other women. This circle helps bring up women-owned businesses and creates a prominent environment to become successful. Hidayat also recommends becoming surrounded by people you feel inspired by because that will help elevate your drive and passion in the entrepreneur industry.

Q: Is there anything else you want to share?

Hidayat emphasized having passion for what you believe and to follow your dreams and find a creative outlet to express yourself.

To learn more about Craving for Chocolate, check out @cravingforchocolate on Instagram or visit Craving for Chocolate’s website: https://www.cravingforchocolate.com/!

About the Author

Nithya Rajesh

Nithya Rajesh

Nithya is a Business Features Writer at Girls For Business.

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