Sweet! Jacksonville chocolatier aims to hand-dip 100,000 Valentine's Day strawberries

Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Updated ·3 min read

Some days, the sun isn't even up when Jenna Raymond begins hand-dipping plump, fresh ruby-red strawberries in artisan milk, dark or white chocolate.

It takes a few seconds for Raymond to give each strawberry its rich, silky chocolate coat. In about three minutes, she's filled a large tray with the delectable desserts. The mini-masterpieces then get a decorative drizzle.

"We come in around 4 a.m. and we dip all day long," Raymond told the Times-Union.

Raymond is a strawberry dipping pro. She's the head chocolatier and franchise co-owner of the Peterbrooke Chocolatier shop at 4414 Town Center Parkway, Unit 219, one of 27 locations of the Jacksonville-based chocolatier that plans to hand dip more than 100,000 strawberries in Peterbrooke's signature chocolate leading up to Valentine's Day on Wednesday.

Dipping strawberries in chocolate is an art, not just a delicious treat.

"We dip to the end of the berry," said Chris Sams, also franchise co-owner of the Town Center shop as well as Peterbrooke stores at Julington Creek and River City Marketplace.

It takes skill to dip the strawberry without hiding its "shoulder" which is at the base of the leafy green crown.

"Ideally we want them to be red there at the shoulder. But just because they might be white at the top of them, we're more on taste than look. Sometimes the berries that have the white shoulder are sweeter and tastier so we will go with those," Sams said.

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Jenna Raymond, head chocolatier and franchise co-owner, hand-dips a fresh strawberry in milk chocolate at the Peterbrooke Chocolatier shop, at 4414 Town Center Parkway, Unit 219. Peterbrooke estimates that it will prepare more than 100,000 chocolate-covered strawberries across its 27 stores for Valentine's Day.
Jenna Raymond, head chocolatier and franchise co-owner, hand-dips a fresh strawberry in milk chocolate at the Peterbrooke Chocolatier shop, at 4414 Town Center Parkway, Unit 219. Peterbrooke estimates that it will prepare more than 100,000 chocolate-covered strawberries across its 27 stores for Valentine's Day.

Founded four decades ago in Jacksonville's historic San Marco neighborhood, Peterbrooke Chocolatier is known for its European-styled handmade chocolates as well as popcorn, pretzel rods and Oreos dipped in proprietary blends of dark, milk or white chocolate.

Chocolate-dipped strawberries are a Peterbrooke tradition, and along with its chocolate-covered popcorn, are a customer favorite, said Raymond, who's been a chocolatier since 2006.

So, not surprisingly, the days leading up to Valentine's Day are among the busiest times of the year for the chocolatiers at Peterbrooke's confectionary shops throughout Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

Chocolate-covered strawberries, popcorn are Peterbrooke staples

Hand-dipped chocolate-covered strawberries are made throughout the day at Peterbrooke Chocolatier's 27 locations.
Hand-dipped chocolate-covered strawberries are made throughout the day at Peterbrooke Chocolatier's 27 locations.

Peterbrooke uses only fresh strawberries. Raymond and the other chocolatiers hand-dip them throughout the day to ensure freshness.

"Any strawberry that we dip will be sold during that day. There is no carry-over to the next day," Sams noted. "That's part of the process of dipping so many strawberries at the local store level."

As Valentine’s Day nears, it's likely Peterbrooke's chocolatiers will be dipping strawberries 15 to 18 hours a day to meet customer demand depending on the store, said Francie Bey, Peterbrooke marketing director.

The confectionary also showcases chocolate roses as well as chocolate hearts stuffed with its popular chocolate-covered popcorn. The hearts come with a small wooden hammer to crack the chocolate shell and get at the popcorn.

Bey said Peterbrooke also is featuring new treats such as Sun-Kissed Orange or Macchiato Coffee truffles. Other unique offerings include chocolate-dipped bacon and potato chips.

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Jenna Raymond puts the finishing touches on Peterbrooke's signature chocolate-dipped cookies and pretzel rods.
Jenna Raymond puts the finishing touches on Peterbrooke's signature chocolate-dipped cookies and pretzel rods.

For many, Valentine's Day is the perfect reason — as if one is necessary — to celebrate with chocolate.

The National Confectioners Association (NCA) says 92% of Americans plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day with chocolate and candy. In addition, 94% say they would be excited to receive chocolate and candy for Valentine’s Day.

As for candy preferences, 60% of consumers said they favored the Valentine's mainstay — a classic heart-shaped box of chocolates. Meanwhile, 40% preferred candy conversation hearts bearing quirky and endearing messages, according to NCA, which is the leading trade organization for the U.S. confectionary industry.

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's Peterbooke dipping 100,000 berries for Valentine's Day