It was an assignment too good to be true ... I was asked to visit Coblentz Chocolate Company in Walnut Creek! For a dyed-in-the-wool chocoholic such as myself, this was a heavenly mission!

Coblentz Chocolate Company has been in Walnut Creek for 14 years according to Jason Coblentz, general manager and a partner in the company. Although the retail store has been located in a 100-year-old house that has seen several renovations, up until recently the actual candy production has taken place at another location in town.

We've been dreaming of bringing the production to our retail location for about five years, Jason said, and now it has become a reality.

With the new 5,400-square-foot addition to the store, the company will all be under one roof. And better yet, visitors can now take advantage of a new viewing area and actually watch the dozen staff produce the delicious chocolates. You will be able to see the cooking area, the mixing, the melting of the chocolate, the molding of the candy and the cooling. How divine to see those peanut clusters some to life before your very eyes!

There are so many kinds of candy available at the Coblentz Chocolate Company you'll have a hard time choosing what to buy (or in my case, which to eat in the car on the way home, which to bring back for the poor folks in my office who didn't get this assignment, and which to take home for my husband). You've got to realize this company utilizes more than 60,000 pounds of chocolate per year, so we're serious here!

Let's just talk chocolate candy for a minute (many are available in both milk and dark chocolate). There are creams available in vanilla, maple nut, chocolate, orange, raspberry and peppermint patty. You'll find clusters in eight varieties: peanut, raisin, coconut, vanilla peanut, maple peanut, caramel peanut, hazelnut and cashew (the office crew enjoyed this variety when I got back).

Craving caramels? Mmmmm! There are delectable caramels available such as caramel candy, chocolate caramels, caramel pecan bars, caramel cashew bars, pecan snappers and cashew snappers (these are the ones I took home!). Oh, my goodness; my mouth waters just writing this!

If peanut butter candies tickle your palate, you'll find some peanut butter smoothies, peanut butter cups, Ritz peanut butter sandwich candies and graham peanut butter bars.

Others chocolate selections include cherry cordials, chocolate marshmallows, rocky road bars, honey toffee crunch (I ate a couple of these as I drove back to the office), almond bark, orange jellies and raspberry jellies. There are also date pecan dips, covered Oreos, pretzel twists, almond buttercrunch, mint truffles, pastel coconut bon bons and dark coconut candy. Mmmmm again!

If you're a fudge fanatic, you'll love choosing from vanilla walnut, maple walnut, peanut butter, peanut butter chocolate, chocolate and chocolate almond fudge....or maybe you'll just take some of each!

Soon, we also hope to produce 15 to 18 varieties of truffles, Jason said.

The chocolate company even caters to those who want delicious candy with no sugar added! They make the following varieties: peanut clusters, raisin clusters, coconut haystacks, almond bark, vanilla caramel, pecan praline, peanut butter meltaways, almond buttercrunch, vanilla butter creams and cherry cordials - all sugar free. Now that the production facility is larger, Jason hopes to be able to offer sugar-free fudge as well.

Besides all the aforementioned goodies, you'll be delighted with more than 200 varieties of bulk candy, some of which are also sugar-free.

In the store, you'll also find many gift boxes and packages of candy in many styles, many of which are in the theme of the current season or holiday. Non-food accents and gifts are also available.

Most of our non-food accents complement the candy, such as candy dishes. People like to get our already-wrapped packages to take back to their friends and families, Jason said, and we have many choices for them.

Coblentz also does a large part of their business with corporations, especially around Christmas time.

We're able to do custom-mold chocolates and specialty packages for corporations, Jason said. We can mail these for them and make it really easy!

Besides the new production addition, a retail-area expansion is underway. In January, the store will increase 1,200 square feet. In one corner, young visitors will delight in playing in a child-size gingerbread playhouse! Oh, to be young again!

Bus tours and school tours are always welcome at the Coblentz Chocolate Company.

Oh yes....just how much chocolate does Jason eat every day?

I'm down to probably a couple pieces a day, although at one time it was closer to a half a pound, he admitted!

There's no way I could stop at two chocolates if I were around it all day, so I'd better keep the job I have. Just be sure to visit Coblentz Chocolate Company and enjoy a sweet, heavenly part of Amish Country!

Coblentz Chocolate Company, 4917 SR 515 at SR 39, Walnut Creek, Ohio 44687, (330) 893-2995, (800) 338-9341, coblentzchocolate@web.1.tusco.net; hours: Mon. thru Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (open until 6 p.m. July thru Oct. only). (November 2001 Edition)