Women in Business - Dip It Chocolates

Kirsten Pitcher, Debbie Brunner & Marcie Custer

Dip It Chocolates

Kirsten Pitcher and her mother, Debbie, started Dip It three years ago during the pandemic shutdown.

“I just started doing it out of the house,” Debbie said. “I’m actually a nurse, but I took a leave of absence to be with my fiancé. When I started, I was only doing strawberries.”

But demand quickly grew from dipped and infused strawberries to include marshmallows, pretzels and other dippable treats. “Finally, I said, let’s just do a store, let’s open a shop,” Kirsten said.

In Jan. 2023, the Dip It interactive shop opened in Mandeville. “Now kids can come anytime and make their own treats,” Debbie said.

The goal is for children to experience cooking and chocolate making and develop confidence in their own creativity and skills. Visitors are greeted and guided one-on-one by Dip It’s team of chocolatiers. Children select a treat from a wide array of options to dip and decorate, including marshmallows, pretzels and crispy rice treats.

“They wash their hands, put on an apron, and we even have little chef hats for them,” Kirsten said. Visitors then have their choice of different colored chocolates and sprinkles to decorate their candy masterpiece. “Kids see the creation, and they’re always very proud of it,” she said.

While fun, the process also provides education and development skills.

“It builds a lot of self-confidence, hand-eye coordination, and we do things like math with M&Ms,” Debbie said.

“We put it all together and make it amazing for kids to come in and make their own stuff,” Kirsten said. “We have over 350 molds, and they can make just about anything they want out of chocolate.”

“There’s a lot of children who don’t feel like they are a part of something, but they can come here, they can do it themselves and their creations are amazing,” Debbie said. “Coming here and making things on your own builds a lot of confidence. The best part about this business is you can’t mess up with chocolate.”

Dip It is a place for everyone from preschool-aged children to homeschool families to adults looking for a unique catering option. “We have more adults dipping than kids right now,” Kirsten said with a laugh. “We do birthday parties, chocolate fountain parties, weddings, bachelorette parties, you name it.”

The interactive chocolate shop has also hosted corporate events and holiday camps for children. The shop also takes the show on the road and provides a unique chocolate dipping experience just about anywhere people gather to celebrate, including crawfish boils.

Dip It will soon begin offering education through art and confections with Abrakadoodle, inspiring children to learn more of what creativity is all about.

5150 LA-22, Mandeville |(985) 792-7537

online interactive shop: www.DipItChocolates.com