Chris Rivera Chocolatier

11/22/2025

It's finally here!

Welcome to the WEST END WONDERLAND! 😍🥰⏰️

11/13/2025

10/28/2025

I'm continuing as a Summer International Marketplace vendor at The Shops at West End and am selling at the Mini Fall Popup through this Sunday (Nov. 2)! I'm featuring my newest flavors, Pumpkin Spice Ganache made with Guittard Soleil d'Or milk chocolate plus a version with crunchy Biscoff Cookie Butter and extra Pumpkin Spice. (See my previous post for details about these flavors!)

INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE MINI FALL POPUP:
1623 Park Place Blvd in St. Louis Park (shared space inside the Halloween Express*; I am directly inside the main entrance)

My hours this week (start times may differ from the main shop hours):
Tues-Fri: 4-8pm | Sat: 11am–8pm | Sun: 1-6pm

SPECIAL FALL POPUP BONUS + SAVE THE DATES:
Get $3 off a purchase of $25+ at the upcoming WEST END WONDERLAND Holiday Market Nov. 22–Dec. 20 at Shops at West End when you purchase a 6-bonbon box and return the box to me at West End Wonderland

Parking recommendation: from West End Blvd, take the ramp going down to the heated underground level (towards Lost in the Forrest on the south end or Chi Chi’s on the north end). Park near the center (by the elevator under the red light strips on the ceiling) and go up one level to the breezeway and follow the signs to Halloween Express, which is directly opposite Yard House.

*Chris Rivera Chocolatier LLC is not affiliated with Halloween Express and is simply sharing the space along with other International Marketplace vendors

MINI FALL POPUP
OPEN ALL WEEK!
We're sharing space with the Halloween Express!
Come for the Halloween costumes, stay for the fall popups 😃

Right opposite Yard House restaurant.

Featured vendorsy.barro








market

10/25/2025

Warmly welcoming my newest flavor to your home, Halloween parties, and family gatherings this season: it's Pumpkin Spice!

BONUS: read until the end for a special discount this week!

I have held off on creating this flavor for years until just last weekend, when I was selling at during The Great Pumpkin Festival, and I wanted a fun flavor to play with for the occasion. I generally don't follow trends unless the flavor on its own resonates with me so I can be genuinely excited about it.

So, with all the above said, let me be the first to tell you that I am absolutely genuinely excited about this flavor, and I'm realizing I should have created this years ago! It's a deeply satisfying and nuanced flavor in two versions:

First, the ganache-only version delivers aromatic warmth with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom. Soleil d'Or 38% cacao milk chocolate, which has been the star of some of my most popular flavors such as my Cinnamon Cayenne Warm Hearts and Espresso Ganache, brings everything together perfectly with its naturally warm notes and distinct caramel note.

The elevated version of this flavor features a layer of crunchy Biscoff cookie butter, to which I also add some Pumpkin Spice. The crunchiness and naturally warm flavors of the Biscoff is the perfect partner with my Guittard Soleil d'Or ganache, especially the Pumpkin Spice ganache. So far, this two-layer version is people's favorite of the two, and it is my favorite version as well!

See the uneven section in the cross-cut of the Biscoff version of my bonbon in the photo? That's because of one of the Biscoff cookie pieces, so you know the crunch is there for you!

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BONUS: Purchase one of these new Pumpkin Spice assortments this week, then bring the box back to me during the WEST END WONDERLAND Holiday Market (Nov. 22 – Dec. 20) at , and I'll give you a $3 discount off a $25+ purchase from me!

Location: (across the breezeway from - 1623 Park Place, in the entrance to the Halloween Express (I am not affiliated); I am there each day for the Fall Pop-Up that runs through Nov. 2)

10/14/2025

Thank you to everyone who visited me at Phê Coffee this past weekend! I had a wonderful time connecting with all of you there and sharing my handmade artisanal chocolates with you. A lot of you were seeing and tasting them for the first time, and some of you visited Phê Coffee for the first time because of me, which I sincerely appreciate!

This was Phê Coffee's first-ever pop-up, and I also want to thank them for this fun and fulfilling opportunity, especially owners Dat, Hanh, and Chloe, and their team! They told me about their goals to support local small businesses such as me and to build community, so I am thrilled to collaborate with them on this journey!

My brand isn't just about good chocolate, it's about connection, community, and collaboration. It's about sharing something personally handmade with people we care about and having that fun and meaningful experience together. So of course a coffee shop would be an excellent place by nature for me to share my chocolate, but what makes Phê Coffee extra special for me is that it's in the heart of my home city, St. Paul, and right next to the beloved St. Paul Farmers' Market, which I used to visit with my mom on Saturday mornings as a kid. Phê Coffee is a cozy place that feels like home, and indeed, the decor and warm inviting atmosphere are so comfortable that I observed people enjoying each other's company or relaxing solo for hours at a time.

Plus, Phê Coffee serves ube and pandan drinks, which are flavors I grew up with, so along with my own ube and pandan bonbons, that's a great pairing! That assortment, along with my "Cinnamon Spice Minnesota Nice" assortment featuring three versions of my fan-favorite Cinnamon Cayenne Ganache bonbons, were popular this past weekend!

📸 Photos: all by me (Canon EOS R10, Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 lens) except for the shot of me, which is a still from a story by Phê Coffee co-owner Chloe Nguyen. (I took photos of her having the most delightful time photographing people!)

Phê Coffee food/drink photos in order of appearance: Banana Foam Matcha, the Purple Lava (personal fave), the Salty and Cheesy, Banh Mi Ni, Chicken Pesto Panini

10/10/2025

Have you tried an ube or pandan Vietnamese coffee at in downtown St. Paul yet? This weekend is the perfect opportunity: I am thrilled to be 's first-ever pop-up vendor! They'll bring the coffee, I'll bring the chocolate. Together, with you there, we bring the community and connections!

Bring your friends or come solo and make new friends with fellow coffee and chocolate lovers. Sharing my handmade chocolates with people like you in person is one of my favorite things about being a chocolatier!

My personal favorites: the Purple Lava (ube and coffee with toasted coconut on top), the Pandanmonium (pandan and coffee), and the Banh Mi Ni (a banh mi sandwich in panini form). They do an excellent job brewing their Vietnamese coffee, and I love the pairings with ube, pandan, and coconut! Their Biscoff croffle and Oreo croffle are delicious too!

Chocolate: I'll have assortments of some of my most popular chocolate bonbons, including my Soleil d'Or Espresso Ganache and my Cinnamon Cayenne Warm Hearts. I've also combined these two flavors for the first time in a single bonbon for a Cinnamon Cayenne Mocha flavor. My Black Cocoa Vanilla Almond Butter purple amethyst gems are a feast for the eyes and taste buds along with their ready-for-adventure Fig & Pistachio sibling. And of course: my signature Ube Bonbon with ube-coconut white chocolate ganache and homemade ube cookie!

Photos: all taken by me during the official Phê Coffee Grand Opening day (July 12, 2025). This weekend is another "first-ever" as they host me as their first-ever pop-up! Camera and lenses: Canon EOS R10 and my Sigma 17-50mm f2.8, Canon RF 35mm IS STM, and Canon RF 85mm IS STM lenses. Chocolate photos also by me.

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FIRST OFFICIAL POPUP: CHRIS RIVERA CHOCOLATIER

📍 across the street from and (Note: the Farmers' Market will be happening at the same time)
289 5th St E, St Paul, MN 55101
🗓 October 11–12
🕖 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Come early, sip slow, and enjoy a nice sunny morning with friends old and new in the Phê Coffee community! ☕️🍫🌞

10/07/2025

Milk and cookies? Step aside.

We’re thrilled to announce our first pop-up event. We bring the coffee and Chris Rivera Chocolatier brings the bonbons! And together - the new duo in town. ☕🍫

📍Phê Coffee across the street from St. Paul Farmers' Market
289 5th St E, St Paul, MN 55101
🗓️ October 11–12
🕢 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Come early, sip slow, and enjoy a nice sunny morning while we still have it, LMAO!

10/03/2025

Chocolate friends! I'm absolutely thrilled to be flying out this morning from Minneapolis to Seattle for the Northwest Chocolate Festival! Will you be there too? Let's connect!

The Northwest Chocolate Festival is acclaimed as the top show for chocolate in North America and one of the best shows for Chocolate in the world. This is my second time attending. After having the best time there last year, I knew I had to go back! I did get to eat and buy some of the best chocolate I had ever had, but what I loved most were all the connections with friends new and old in the community, immersing myself in the culture of craft chocolate, and all the opportunities to learn and grow as someone in the chocolate community.

Introduction

For anyone just meeting me at or visiting my page for the first time, thanks for clicking through here!

I’m Chris, and I’m a chocolatier from St. Paul, Minnesota (part of the Twin Cities). My specialty with chocolate is handcrafted colorful bonbons with thoughtful flavor profiles.

My passion for chocolate is an expression of my personality and desire to connect with people, to connect people with each other, and to make a positive impact in people’s lives. The gift of thoughtfully handcrafted artisan chocolates is one of the best delights we can share with our loved ones, and I love that I can be the one that personally makes that gift for you. 😊

If you haven't gathered already, connection is part of who I am, both my personal and professional brand. That's why the Northwest Chocolate Festival is such a wonderful experience!

A Look Back and Preview

Most of the photos in this post are from last year, and I can't wait to see everyone again!

08/20/2025

Thanks to everyone that visited, chatted, and purchased from me this past week at the International Marketplace at The Shops at West End in St. Louis Park! I enjoyed some wonderful conversations with you all, and I was especially happy to hear that some of you were buying my chocolate bonbons as gifts for friends and family. I always love that I can create the gifts you give. That is part of what I love about being a chocolatier!

On that note, I had some prints made of my personal brand statement "My Passion for Chocolate" and displayed a few copies on my table. I wasn't expecting anyone to be interested in these prints, but a few of you asked if you could have them, and one of you specifically said that you wanted to include it with the box you were gifting. This was a gratifying surprise, and I appreciated that you liked it enough to want to take a copy for yourself or to include with your gifts. These prints literally are my sincere message from me to you about why the work I do with chocolate is special. You can see in the images in this post my exact text, and I will close this post with that message as well.

I first want to add that someone asked me on Saturday what differentiates me as a chocolatier from all the other chocolatiers, which was an excellent business question. I referred to my brand statement and further had him imagine ten other chocolatiers all making the same products with the same recipes. What differentiates all of us from each other are our passions, which determine where, when, what, and why we are willing to give of our precious time and resources, including sleep! Our passions drive us forward, even when there is a steep cost.

"My Passion for Chocolate"

My passion for chocolate is an expression of my personality and desire to connect with people, to connect people with each other, and to make a positive impact in people’s lives. The gift of thoughtfully handcrafted artisan chocolates is one of the best delights we can share with our loved ones. I love that I can be the one that personally makes that gift—for you to enjoy yourself or to share. If you’ve chosen me to be your chocolatier, I sincerely thank you!