Freeport draws sweeter selection of chocolatiers for annual festival

Chocolate medallions are one staple at the Freeport Chocolate Festival, where visitors get to watch the process inside Wibur's of Maine Chocolate Confections. (Paul Bagnall/Staff Writer)

Hundreds of visitors to downtown Freeport went in and out of local stores to check out chocolatiers from across the state. Around 16 chocolatiers attended the fifth Freeport Chocolate Festival on Saturday, March 7, with the new chocolatiers attending this year being Terry's Confections, BC Sweets, Mindy's Munchies, The Macaron Mint and The Sweet Life Kettle Corn Company, said Tawni Whitney, executive director of Freeport Chamber of Commerce. The festival began as a partnership between the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce and Wilbur's of Maine Chocolate Confections aimed at driving more tourism to Freeport during its off season.

What The Actual Fudge owners James and Kathy Welle serve up their fudge creations to visitors inside the Freeport Oyster Bar during the fifth annual chocolate festival spread out in businesses across town. (Paul Bagnall/Staff Writer)

The Freeport Chocolate Festival brings together chocolatiers from across the state into Freeport businesses [1], including Freeport Oyster Bar, The Spice and Tea Exchange of Freeport, Island Toys, and Realm of Legends.

Wilbur's of Maine has been co-hosting the Freeport Chocolate Festival with the town's chamber of commerce since its inception in 2022. The festival sold out this year with 500 attendees. Attendees walked around Freeport donning pink badges, which were stamped as they went from business to business.

Those stamps entered participants into raffles for . prizes including gift certificates to local businesses, festival clothes, tote bags and backpacks. "I get so excited when I look around and see the joy that coming to an event like this brings to people from far and wide to come to Freeport to experience the chocolate vendors," Whitney said. A staple of the Freeport Chocolate Festival is a custom-made chocolate medallion made at Wilbur's of Maine

"It's good for the host businesses and it's good for the chocolatiers, but many of the businesses that hosted are great partners all year round about building community," said Kristin Frazier, COO of Wilbur's of Maine.

Participants at The Art of Cake cupcake-decorating event have time to create a lobster-themed cupcake made of fondant and frosting at the Freeport Chocolate Festival on Saturday, March 7. (Paul Bagnall/Staff Writer)

One of the features was hosted by Art of Cake owner Tammy Dunwoody, decorating cupcakes with lobster-shaped f fondant.

Dunwoody has been running The Art of Cake since 2010, opening in New Jersey before eventually moving to Freeport. Over the years, she has appeared on the "Martha Stewart Show" and "Cupcake Wars." The Spice and Tea Exchange of Freeport hosted the Farmington-based Sweet Life Kettle Corn Company, with racks of regular and Midnight Maine coco kettle corn made for the first time during the festival.

Some visitors would purchase from the store, but they were mostly there for the chocolatiers, said Joel Elliot, owner of the Spice and Tea Exchange. "It is the busiest day that we have in the winter, after the first of the year," Elliot said. The chocolate festival promotes chocolate as an industry in Maine, but is also an opportunity to get out into areas of Freeport for this festival, said Andy Wilbur, owner of Wilbur's of Maine.

"It says a lot when chocolatiers want to come back here year after year," Whitney said.

References

^ brings together chocolatiers from across the state into Freeport businesses (www.pressherald.com)