Vermont-based Chocolatier Seeks "Wweet" Workforce Educational Assistance

NU Chocolat, a family owned and operated boutique chocolatier based in Burlington, Vermont, specializes in luxury chocolate gifts hand made in the Swiss tradition. Master chocolatiers expertly craft all of their chocolates by hand; the production facility includes a retail/ storefront operation. NU Chocolat has been in business since 2018 and operates year-round with 12 employees.

NU Chocolat was seeking a method to build a strong foundation upon which to grow to align both their employees and the community. Along with other New England MEP Centers, VMEC, part of the MEP National Network™, had just entered into a partnership grant to offer a workforce assessment and engagement tool to Vermont manufacturers. Its purpose is to prioritize upskilling and retention actions in organizations by measuring current company conditions to help in future business planning including improving hiring methods, sustaining retention in current employees and guiding for future investments. NU Chocolat engaged VMEC in this new service offering.

VMEC spent time with NU Chocolat during several onsite visits for direct observation and engagement with their workforce. This process provided insights and ideas toward meeting both top and bottom line objectives, through vision, mission, operations and people development; the latter is a complement to the company's HR activities to build more sustainable, impactful employee development plans.