Meet Frederic Loraschi: Chocolatier / Owner Frederic Loraschi Chocolate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Frederic Loraschi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Frederic, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Since creating Frederic Loraschi Chocolate in 2005 risks have been part of my daily life. Taking risk is necessary, every risk taken needs to be measured carefully, so it doesn’t turn into a failure, but rather contribute to the success story of your company. Giving birth to a business is never an easy task, and you have to accept that risk and stress will be associated with it. While stress is often associated with negative circumstances it can also occurs with positive changes, like a new exciting professional challenge as it will bring out your strengths to succeed. Like a human being a business is alive, and just like you wouldn’t want your kids to take unnecessary risks you need to do the same for your business. I have learned to always be ready for the unexpected the “what if” in life and imagine what could happen in the worst case scenario. As an entrepreneur you need to be decisive and commit to the risks taken, you can’t afford to hesitate. It is important to continue step by step and complete your vision without losing sight of the end goal. This interview and this question could not have come at a better time, overnight with the covid-19 pandemic we have lost 98% of our business, and yet I am confident that my business will survive this situation because all of the risks taken until that point were well thought out. What is important to remember is that we take risks every day and every minutes of our lives, when we cross the road, when we drive over the speed limit, when we engage in a new business or personal relationship, when you eat food you never had before. At this moment we are all experiencing stressful times at both the professional and personal level. This is part of the deal, and let’s be blunt, how boring would life be without taking a few risks?

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Based in Harrisburg Pennsylvania and created in 2005, Frederic Loraschi chocolate is an artisan chocolate company that supply luxury retail and hospitality locations nationwide. What would sets me apart is the 30 years of experience I have spent learning my craft alongside some of the best chefs in Europe. At a time when people auto proclaim themselves experts overnight I believe with the years of experience, our customers are able to taste and see the difference in our sweet creations. There so many things big and small I am very proud of, it would be difficult to list them all. From winning the best tasting award at the national selection of the world chocolate masters in 2010, being nominated as one of the top 10 best chocolatier in North America in 2011, proud to hear the feedback from all my customers big and small (emails, phone calls, comments), proud to be a Dad to two great boys Julian and Luca and a husband to my lovely wife Diana that has been supporting me from day one. Starting a business is clearly not an easy thing to do, indeed it is extremely difficult to manage both at the professional and personal level. At the beginning you clearly need to prioritize your business over your personal life, it might sound bizarre but your business is your source of income and everyone need to make sacrifices for it to work. What I have learned over the last 15 years in business is to not let people dissuade me from reaching my goals and to not take “no” for an answer and explore every alternative options possible to reach business goals, “when there is a will, there is a way”. It was also essential to surround myself with reliable partners that are willing to go the extra mile to help and assist you when needed most especially during these unprecedented times (Accounting firm, banking institution, suppliers, customers, employees). I would like the people to know that this country is still the land of opportunity, but like everything else in life, you’ll need hard work, patience and dedication to reach your dreams.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Because we are located in Harrisburg Central Pennsylvania and are actually not too far from New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh there are so many things my friends would want to do and see. But first I would probably take him to visit the State Capitol on a guided tour by my friend Karen, then eventually weather allowing we would go on the battle fields in Gettysburg, then the Amish community in Lancaster County, without forgetting a quick tour of Hershey to discover Milton Hershey’s legacy. We would drive to Washington to do some sightseeing of all the monuments our country’s capital has to offer as well as visit some of the Smithsonian museums (U.S History, Air & Space). A drive to New York would also be mandatory to see the world famous Status of Liberty, Empire State building and many other landmarks of the big apple. Philadelphia of course would be on the itinerary to climb the stairs made famous by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky as well as to try a Philly cheesesteak. Again, there are so many things to do and see that it would be hard to do it all in a week!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Thank you to my parents Anita and Christian, my wife Diana and my 2 boys Julian and Luca for their consistent support througout the years. All the names that follow fare not in any specific order but all have contributed to my success by sharing their knowledge and friendships over the years Nicolas Cleach, Gerard Clor, Patrick Bertrond, Bernard Loiseau, Santi Santamaria, Philippe Urraca, Jean Bertranet, Laurent Le Daniel, Thierry Mulhaupt, Laurent Schott, Frederic Moreau, Christophe Morel,David Biasibetti,Vincent Garcia, Pierrick Boyer, philippe verpiand, Patrick ponsaty, Chrisitan Rassinoux, Sylvain Leroy, Gilles Renusson, Eric Bertoia, Arnaud Chavigny, Rocco lugrine, George Fistrovich, David Haick, Scott Gambone,Sergio Mueller, philippe Masse, and probably many more I can’t think of at the moment …..