After nine years in the community, Chocolate Passion continues to satisfy the sweet tooth of its customers with a taste of Venezuela.

Owners Zulay and Terry Quinn opened the Conroe shop in 2006 a few years after moving to the United States because of a dangerous civil climate in Venezuela. The 11 years that he lived in Venezuela inspired Terry to own a chocolate shop, he said.

“I like chocolate a lot, but I didn’t realize we were sitting in the middle of paradise when it comes to the finest chocolate produced in the world,” Terry said. “Traveling through the jungle we would pass near some local farms east [of Caracas, Venezuela], and they would have cacao seeds laid out on the street to dry. It added to our interest because this is where some of the original chocolate going to Spain came from.”

Curiosity inspired the couple to start making their own chocolate as presents for family and friends, Zulay said.

“When we were living in Venezuela we would practice making chocolate to give them away in December as gifts to our friends and family,” Zulay said. “[Terry] traveled a lot because he works in the oil industry, and every time he went abroad he would bring a box of chocolates from that country. We would taste them and practice making the chocolates.”

Today Chocolate Passion offers 35 chocolate varieties as well as cake and pies. All of the chocolate in the shop is handmade from slabs of criollo chocolate—which is made from a type of high-quality cacao grown exclusively in Venezuela and surrounding locations.

Zulay said she buys the criollo chocolate in the form of a slab and makes the ganache for truffles and other sweets without preservatives or artificial flavoring.

“When I make the ganache I try to make it as healthy as possible,” Zulay said. “For example, when I am making mint chocolate ganache I use mint leaves instead of artificial flavors. I also don’t use additives on things like chocolate-covered strawberries, so customers have to order those because they need to be eaten fresh.”

Additionally, the shop offers dishes such as croissants for brunch, and sandwiches, salads and a handful of Venezuelan specialty entrees for lunch. The shop did not offer food when it first opened, but the addition helped the shop grow its customer base, Zulay said.

“It started with a croissant after a doctor came to the shop to do some office work and suggested that we offer some food because it would help attract customers,” Zulay said. “Slowly I started adding more dishes a bit at a time. Our business has been much better with us offering this concept: coffee, chocolates, a restaurant, events and cakes.”

The shop also offers catering services and rentable space for small events.

1520 N. Frazier St., Conroe, TX 936-539-6585 www.chocolatepassion.net Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.