Think Chocolate in Ballantyne is more than a chocolate lover’s paradise

Think Chocolate, a sweet spot located in Ballantyne offers handmade chocolate, baked goods, coffee and gifts. Ruth Faure, owner of the quaint store moved to Charlotte with her husband eighteen years ago to raise their boys. The self-proclaimed chocolate lover is originally from South Florida and has a career that spans over twenty years in the food & service industry.

Ruth worked at upscale and independent restaurants before starting her own gourmet restaurant in her late twenties.  In addition to the restaurant, she also offered catering services and took time to travel throughout Europe. She remembers that the chocolate in Europe tasted different than the chocolate in the US. After that first taste, she always kept “chocolate” in the back of her mind.  So much so that whenever a chocolate shop opened, she would check it out; all the while continually experimenting in the kitchen with chocolate and accumulating chocolate recipes. Now that her boys have grown up, the idea for Think Chocolate was put into action.

“I want to be a local producer for the local community” said Faure. Think Chocolate is a labor of love and Faure wants the space to be “fun and upbeat, with quality…casual”.  The homemade treats range from cookies to macaroons to cake bites, croissants and more. The chocolate list is vast and delicious and other items not to be missed include the caramels and crumb cake. You can even grab a frozen hot chocolate drink or homemade marshmallows, if you’d like.  And if coffee is all you need, you can grab a cup of joe brewed in house with beans from a local coffee roaster in Charlotte. “Sometimes when he brings the coffee beans to me, they are still warm” said Faure.  In addition to the sweet treats, Think Chocolate offers gifts that range from cute mugs, chocolate dipped wine bottles, journals and a variety of items with a Charlotte flair created by local artisans. Think Chocolate also does custom catering for all types of events. 

Faure wants Think Chocolate to be an integral part of the community. As I sat with her, I could tell that her passion is in this industry and she holds her staff and customers near and dear, even taking me to the kitchen to meet the chefs and saying goodbye to one customer by name as she left the store. “We want our customers to be very comfortable here. They are our friends. It’s a happy place and we do the best we can”.

Think Chocolate is located at 11318 N. Community House Road, #203 near the corner of N. Community House Road and Ballantyne Commons Parkway, behind Skillets. They are open Monday-Thursday, 9:00a.m.-6:00p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9:00a.m.-7:00p.m.