As with all good stories, ours is a story about love.

When Jonathan and I were courting, he would leave small surprises for me to find at work, in my car, on my doorstep at home. These were not big things, just a flower, a note, a feather he found on a walk. For Valentine’s Day that year he wanted to do something special and he knew that I liked chocolate (who doesn’t?!). Being Jonathan, he couldn’t just go to the store and buy some; what’s special about that? So he decided to learn how to make truffles. On Valentine’s Day I went out to my car after work to find a single red rose and a box of the most wonderful chocolates I had ever tasted. Needless to say, I ended up marrying him, and he has been making chocolates ever since: truffles for Christmas presents; cakes for birthdays and weddings; cookies just because; any thing we can think of, as long as it has chocolate.

We live on the side of a mountain in Brookfield, overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee, in the same house Jonathan grew up in, and near what has always been one of my favorite hikes in the area. As with the chocolate, this too is a story of love – a love of place. We both grew up around Wolfeboro and, as is often the case, when it came time for college we were determined to go “away”. Yet by our early twenties, we had both found ourselves drawn back to the same place. Winnipesaukee, in the language of the local Abenaki Indians, means “smile of the great spirit,” and it is that smile which pulled us back and anchored us to this place, just as it has drawn, and continues to draw, so many others, whether it is to bathe in its spirit as they pass through, or to set down roots and let that spirit permeate their lives.

Water, chocolate and love… these are what we wanted to bring together when we created Winnipesaukee Chocolates and it is why we have chosen to donate 10% of our profits to work towards the preservation of the lake and the area surrounding it, to help make certain that that same spirit which drew us back and keeps us here, remains strong for many generations to come. It is also why we work with local suppliers wherever possible, and sell through locally owned and independently run stores, so you can know that each time you purchase one of our chocolates, you are helping to support a strong, vibrant and spirited community in the Lakes Region.

We hope you enjoy our chocolate, and please let us know what you think.

Sally Cornwell & Jonathan Walpole