Harbor Sweets: Handmade Chocolates

Ben Strohecker of Marblehead created the first Sweet Sloop, a sailboat-shaped piece of almond butter crunch, covered in white chocolate, then dipped in dark chocolate and crushed pecans in his kitchen in 1973. Ben's hobby was making the best piece of chocolate in the world, regardless of cost.

The company that Strohecker started became Harbor Sweets and now occupies 25,000 square feet in the same historic red brick building in Salem, Massachusetts that he moved to when his business outgrew his home. The current president, Phyllis LeBlanc, started at Harbor Sweets 23 years ago working part time as a chocolate dipper when she was a sophomore at Salem State College. The Harbor Sweets product line includes Classic Gift Assortments, Sweet Sloops, and a range of sugar-free chocolates.