WHETSTONE CHOCOLATES, INC.
SAINT AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

wHETSTONE CHOCOLATES SINCE 1967 Their Start into Business Henry and Esther Whetstone are Florida natives and lifelong residents of northeast Florida. Henry had just returned from a stint as an Air Controller in the U.S. Air Force and a tour in Japan and was working with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in Jacksonville. Esther, who flew to Japan to marry Henry, returned to St. Augustine as a first grade teacher. Together, they longed to own and operate their own business. They studied the local retail market and quickly discovered an unsatisfied demand from the many tourists and the local residents for superior quality ice cream. Operating from their kitchen each night, Henry and Esther first opened their small ice cream store on St. George Street in the historic business district of St. Augustine in 1966. The parlor quickly developed a reputation for serving the best ice cream in town. Today, this original store is known as Tedi’s Olde Tyme Ice Cream and remains a part of the Whetstone Chocolate experience. The small kitchen was the original Whetstone Chocolate factory and the production crew was two hard working people. Their long hours and deep commitment to quality was rewarded by increasing demand for their fudge. Inspired from a single fudge recipe, Henry and Esther educated themselves in the intricacies of chocolate and began hand-dipping chocolates such as caramel, toffee, almonds, pecans and cherries. By word of mouth, the Whetstone Chocolate reputation grew rapidly and the demand for their chocolates increased even more so. By 1967, they were selling 13 different flavors of fudge along with an increasing assortment of hand-dipped chocolates. Soon, expanding sales forced Henry and Esther to move the kitchen operation to a larger facility. In the 1970s, they opened a chocolate production factory at 51 Cordova Street in St. Augustine. Their reputation spread beyond the confines of regional sales and Whetstone Chocolates opened more retail stores and began wholesaling their superior chocolates. Virginia Joins the Business When Virginia Whetstone, the daughter of Henry and Esther, graduated from Vanderbilt University she entered the family business. With her discriminating taste for chocolate flavors, Virginia soon became President of Whetstone Chocolates. Although she focused heavily on administration, personnel, retail stores, purchasing and quality control, her real love was formula development, in which she excelled. In 1984, a new 10,000 square foot factory was constructed on Highway 312, south of St. Augustine. More wholesale products were added and contract work expanded as Nestle’s, Hershey and M&M Mars became significant wholesale customers of Whetstone Chocolates. Although it remained small by comparison, Whetstone Chocolates became highly sought after among the giants of chocolate for its production quality, creativity and innovation. Our Chocolate Tasting Tour have been created especially for chocolate lovers. Let us take you on an adventure into Whetstone Chocolates inside knowledge and tasting tips.