Fiori Chocolatiers

Italian-style artisan chocolates

Passion is an amazing thing. It can change your life when you decide to follow it. Even when the path of passion doesn't end up as envisioned, the vast majority of people will still say they're happy they took the chance. And when it does work out as expected, or even better, it's an incredible ride.

Photo: Lee Johnson outside Caffe Umbria

Lee Johnson might not have jumped on his passion ride; he was doing fine marketing software. But his wife knew he had always had a love of food and cooking and suggested he try something new. They looked at a typical chef's life—late, long hours—and thought "no." Looking at pastry arts, he realized he just liked making chocolates. Research showed that Perugia, Italy held an annual Eurochocolate Festival and the Cordon Bleu school of culinary art located there offered special classes. His decision was made.

His teacher, Italian chef and chocolatier Andrea Sposini, focused on Lee and created an individualized plan specific to what his interests and needs were. "One thing I learned," recalls Lee, "is that the differences in making chocolate are similar to those in making coffee. French chocolate and coffee are more bitter and Italian chocolate is like a medium roast—mellow with more cream incorporated into the chocolate. I realized I preferred that style."

After five months in Perugia in 2002, his next step was to open a chocolate business. He and his wife Setsuko talked about their own shop, but "when you're selling individual pieces of chocolate, you have to sell a lot to pay the overhead." They also talked about a name. Sunflowers abound around Perugia, so Lee decided on "Fiori," meaning "flower" in Italian.

Fiori chocolates are handmade. The chocolate is tempered by hand, made in small batches and their flavorings are organic—butter, cream, herbs, spices and fruits. "Almost all the ideas for different flavors come from Italian cuisine, like the strawberry balsamic truffle," explains Lee. He continues to refine his ideas and style and stays in touch via email with his Italian professor.

Their focus was to find upscale retailers who wanted to carry their high-end chocolates. Metropolitan Market was their first customer. "It's about the stars aligning," says Lee. "I was talking with one of the staff of Caffe Vita who knew the head buyer for baked goods and cheese at Metropolitan. I took the chocolates in and said ‘try it and then let's talk.' We also sell to Whole Foods now, several espresso shops, the Chocolate Flower Farm in Langley, Lidia's Gelato in Renton and Big Sugar Bakeshop in California. Michel and Valerie Brotman who own The Chocolate Box saw the chocolates at B & O Espresso and liked the chocolate and the packaging. They called and that's how we ended up there. That's been wonderful for us."

By the end of 2008, it looks like they'll be working with a nationwide retailer. "We're committed to maintaining our quality and use of organic ingredients," explains Lee. "So we're working on how we can ship things and ensure they're fresh without using preservatives. Some things we make now will be easier, like bars and drinking chocolate. But we have to work on other things like truffles."

Their other challenge is growth. Right now they work out of a 250-300 square foot production kitchen in Bellevue. Since they opened in 2004, they've experienced a growth of eight times their production each year. Needless to say, they're looking for larger quarters and soon for more staff.

Lee feels there's been a change in Seattle's chocolate palate since 2002. "There have been artisan chocolatiers across the U.S. who have opened up shops. But they've been on a slower growth path in Seattle. That's changing. The other change is how people view chocolate. The owner of Motore Coffee told me when they first started carrying our items in 2004, people would say ‘$2 a truffle, no thank you.' Now they say ‘Give me 10.' They understand the value in the handmade, organic chocolate we make. No one used to know the percentage of cacao in a chocolate product. At tastings now, that's usually the first question."

Fiori products include drinking chocolate, chocolate bars and coins, and about 34-35 flavors of truffles. Per season, there are about eight different truffles at any given time. "It depends on what's fresh and available," says Lee. "In the summer and fall, we use lots of berries. In winter, we offer spices and in spring we go more floral, like lavender. A favorite in winter is our chocolate covered figs. The figs are marinated in rum all year long so they're very soft. We use the rum they were soaked in for our fig truffles. We also have a ginger and sesame truffle which is a direct pull from the time I lived in Japan." He also brought back a recipe for a rosemary lemon truffle with approval from the Italian pastry chef who created it.

Another popular item is the tortina, a round, flat chocolate sprinkled with pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, raisins and candied orange. The entire orange is candied and used. "Thriftway is going to start carrying these, hopefully before Valentine's Day," says Lee. Each Valentine's Day, they introduce a new product or flavor. All their products can be purchased on their website or at the retail shops listed on their website.

Photo: Fiori tortina

Future-wise, they're going to be busy. Along with a necessary physical move sometime soon and the growth that will come with selling to a nationwide retailer, they would eventually like to open their own retail shop in Seattle. A little further out, they plan to open a shop in Japan. Lee still has many contacts from living there for five years and the Japanese have a love affair with ultra-quality chocolate. "We've already been featured in some Japanese guide books and TV programs that has created some awareness," says Lee. He's currently working with a web designer on a Japanese language website. But rest assured that Fiori will always stand for artisan-style, high-quality chocolates, no matter how popular they get.

Connie Adams/February 2008