Our Commitment
Since 1986, Chocolate Necessities has been Northwest Washington’s purveyor of fine artisan chocolates. Our journey began when founder Kevin Buck experienced a transformative moment during a trip to Canada, tasting truly exceptional chocolate for the first time. This revelation sparked a passion that has driven our mission ever since: to bring the world’s finest chocolates to our community.
We’re not just chocolatiers; we’re curators of exquisite taste. Our offerings range from handcrafted truffles and confections to a carefully selected array of bars and couverture. We source from renowned Chocolate makers like Callebaut, Valrhona, and Casa Luker: companies that have spent over a century honing their craft, roasting and conching the world’s finest cacao beans to achieve unparalleled flavor and texture.
Many people’s first chocolate experience comes from mass-produced candy bars, often laden with sugar and artificial ingredients, and lacking in real cocoa butter. We aim to change that narrative. Our goal is to introduce you to the nuanced world of premium couverture chocolate, sourced from the best producers across the globe.
Quality is the cornerstone of everything we do. Every truffle, every bar, every confection we offer is crafted using only the finest ingredients, without fillers or unnecessary additives. We partner with top-tier producers and suppliers to ensure that each product delivers an exceptional experience. This unwavering commitment to quality has earned us a loyal following, with many customers returning for over two decades.
We believe in letting our chocolates speak for themselves. No flashy packaging or marketing gimmicks here – just pure, unadulterated excellence. We invite you to taste the difference and discover why true chocolate lovers have made us their destination for nearly 40 years.
The Process
Our traditional, handmade truffles begin their journey as a ganache recipe that we’ve been refining for decades. This pursuit of the perfect balance between flavor and texture has been a labor of love, and we believe we’ve come remarkably close to achieving it.
After carefully combining and mixing the ingredients, we pour the blend into a large mold to cool. Here, a transformation occurs – the mixture slowly evolves into a rich, luxurious ganache. Once it has solidified, we meticulously cut it into small cubes, ensuring each future truffle receives its share of this exquisite filling.
Each cube is then gently rolled by hand in cocoa powder, forming the heart of our truffles. To preserve the pure indulgence within, we hand-dip each piece in perfectly tempered couverture chocolate. As a finishing touch, every flavor receives its own unique decoration – a visual signature that hints at the experience awaiting inside.
Until they make the final leg of their journey to your table, we store these delicate treasures with the utmost care, ensuring they reach you in perfect condition, ready to deliver a moment of pure chocolate bliss.
Meet the Team
Each team member at Chocolate Necessities is passionate about making and providing you with the best Chocolate and Gelato experience you’ve ever had, or could ever imagine.
We take great pleasure in sharing our love of true chocolate with you in a setting where “candy” is a four-letter word. We create a respectful, trusting, positive environment in which we produce and deliver to you superb products, day in and day out, year after year as we have for 32-plus years. Serving Bellingham, Washington, Whatcom County, Skagit County, and Lower B.C. customers, we welcome you to stop by both locations to see our operation first-hand.
Let us take your taste buds on a journey around the globe, and experience nuance of flavor from every region of the equator. No passport required!
Michael and Rose Howell / Kevin Buck
Owners / Founder
Valentyna Pasechiuk
Chocolatier
Anna Kuzma
Assistant Chocolatier
Photography by Sattva Photo