Embracing values and fine chocolate, Queer Chocolatier finds home in Muncie

MUNCIE, Ind. – For many businesses, the focus primarily is on the product or service, but when you walk into Queer Chocolatier in downtown Muncie, the conversation and philosophy of business owner Morgan Roddy are just as important as the product.

The chocolatier opened in late August in the Murray building, providing a home for Roddy’s chocolate-making, something she’s been working at for nearly 12 years.

The first thing that stands out about the business isn’t the chocolate itself. The first thing people will notice about Roddy’s business is the name on the door; Queer Chocolatier.

“If you haven’t said it out loud it’s super catchy and rhymey,” said Roddy.

The name itself is a big part of the business for Roddy. She believes in helping people shop their values and carrying her own values.

“We hold space for people who are in marginalized communities,” Roddy said. “They can come in and hold a conversation as well as shopping for our products.”

With a slogan of "unapologetically indulgent" for her chocolate, she takes the philosophy of not shying away from the fact that she is a queer business owner. Roddy uses this transparency to not only brand herself as a fine chocolate maker, but as someone looking to serve as a role model for queer women who also are taking their first steps in starting small businesses.

“I’ve had people with Ball State’s Spectrum (an LBGTQ campus group) ask what it is like being a queer business owner,” Roddy said.

Instead of trying to keep her identify separate from her shop, she embraces it, using it to give her business a unique character.

“Doing this in Muncie, the biggest challenge has been the business itself,” said Roddy. “Muncie has been really supportive so far."

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The truffles sold by Roddy aren’t your standard chocolate for a lot of reasons. The price seems high at first for chocolate, but there are a lot of reasons for that price.

You are paying for a high-quality product and flavor profile that is hard to find.

Roddy focuses primarily on chocolate truffles because of their flexibility and how she can utilize a wide variety of flavors.

She sources a fair-trade chocolate from Venezuela that has a specific type of cocoa bean to get the most out of her flavor profiles. A majority of the chocolate made comes from a different bean in West Africa.

Her own inspirations come from reading about chocolate. Sitting in the corner of her store is a stack of books about chocolate.

“I eat a lot of chocolate,” Roddy said.

As for the truffles themselves, Roddy offers a wide array of flavors. Her website offers bittersweet truffles, dirty chai truffles, burnt caramel with sea salt truffles, lavender menace truffles, vanilla porter truffles and several seasonal truffles that rotate.

All the truffles Roddy offers are also available in a vegan option.

As good place to start for those that don’t know truffles that well, the chocolatier recommends starting with the standard. The bittersweet truffle offers a standard way to get into truffles and establish a base for understanding what can be done with this specific chocolate treat.

As Roddy builds a community around the business with her wife Cheri Ellefson, they will continue to stay to those principles by trying to cater for queer events. According to Roddy it’s the counterpoint to the person who doesn’t want to bake a cake for a gay wedding.

“We want to be there to help celebrate special occasions for those that might have trouble otherwise,” Roddy said.

Queer Chocolatier took off fast in her current space, to the point where in March, the business will be opening in a new location in The Village across from Scottie’s Brewhouse. Thanks to the new space, she’ll be adding drinking chocolates to the menu.

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This goes beyond a hot chocolate, turning many of the flavors she currently uses into what resembles a very indulgent drink.

Moving to the new location will be a big relief for Roddy, who is currently working out of three different locations to keep her business running.

Chocolate-lovers can visit Queer Chocolatier online at queerchocolatier.com or at her storefront inside the Murray Building at 405 S. Walnut St. in suite #204. The store is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.