Sweet Spot

‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.’ The famous quote from the film ‘Forrest Gump’ defines Daisy Latimore’s journey from New York to Georgia, from office worker to chocolatier. She welcomes the surprise inside each new bite of life.

For those who take the time to leave an Instagram review for The Chocolate Box, Daisy Latimore has just one request: Please remember to mention the chocolate. “People are always leaving comments about my customer service, which is fine, but could somebody please talk about this wonderful chocolate?” she asked with a laugh.

A firm believer that chocolate makes everything better, she has worked hard to create her own specialties, as they bear cool names like Coco Nilla and Salty Dog. Her handmade peanut butter cups practically have a cult following. Though the chocolate can be described as decadently delicious, it is easy to see why reviewers zero in on the customer service skills of its creator. Her vibrant personality and wide smile immediately make people feel at home, as does her request to call her by her first name only.

“The way I run my business is interesting. I talk to every single customer,” Daisy said. “I was amazed by how many people said they don’t eat chocolate themselves but still come in to support my business. I actually had the opportunity to interfere with two people who were going to commit suicide. That was amazing. I don’t even know how it happened. It was more of a ministry than a store.”

Daisy’s store on Pace Street closed in June after the owners decided to sell the building. “I already wanted to go mobile,” she said. “That just confirmed it.” It marked the end of 14 years of operating a storefront—12 years in Conyers and two in Covington—but the beginning of a whole new endeavor. Some might call Daisy’s enthusiasm over her new Chocolate Box to Go business contagious. She plans to have more than one truck, with the first one being more colorful, intended for festivals, schools and children’s events. “This one will be nothing but fun,” she said. The other will boast a more sophisticated design and elegant presentation, including chocolate fountains. She has already taken her business mobile many times, most recently to a gym on Valentine’s Day. “We didn’t know how well I would do,” she said, “but I made several different dark chocolate items with nuts, including a nutty bar with six different nuts on it.” Her booth stayed busy all day, verifying her belief that people view chocolate as a good reward for anything. Daisy’s unexpected success selling chocolate at the gym aligns with her story.

“The way I run my business is interesting. I talk to every single customer.”
Daisy Latimore

“That’s the way my life is set up: surprise, surprise, surprise,” she exclaimed, raising her hands in the air. Though she was born and raised in New York, Daisy’s father was from the small Georgia town of Tennille, and she had fond memories of spending summers down south. She decided to start over again in Georgia 33 years ago. “I was separating from my husband and my job, and I thought, ‘This is the prime time to do it,’” she said. “At the time, I only knew one person in Georgia, and she was 82 years old.”

On the drive to Atlanta, Daisy serendipitously stopped at a Blimpie, where a worker connected her to an available apartment in Lithonia. She was hired at Harland in Conyers and fell in love with the area. When she was ready to buy a home, her realtor warned her that she was unlikely to find one in her budget with all the amenities she sought. Daisy found a house listed in the newspaper, and when she walked in, she knew she was home.

“It had everything I asked for: a fireplace, a two-car garage, a garden tub, a basement,” she said. “I bought that house in September [and] lost my job in December but somehow never lost the house.”

As a next step, Daisy took a business development class at Goodwill. Her first idea was a balloon business, but that proved unfeasible. “My sister taught me how to make lollipops,” she said, “and that’s how I started with candy.” Daisy began making gift baskets in 2000 and continued learning how to create different items, and by the time she opened her first store in Conyers, she carried 34 different homemade candies. Daisy’s involvement with Goodwill continued through the years, as she won the organization’s Triumph Award and, later, its Battle of the Biz competition. She has also served as a Goodwill youth internship site and enjoys sharing what she has learned with future entrepreneurs. Daisy has won several community choice awards and plans to continue her school and library programs, where she rewards students with complimentary candy after they earn all As and Bs or read a certain number of books. She will also continue teaching candy-making classes by traveling to groups instead of having them come to a store. Daisy attributes her ever-positive attitude to one simple act of faith.

“If you think your steps are ordered by the Lord, then they are,” she said. “That makes it easy to say ‘OK’ to whatever life presents you.”

Contact Daisy by texting or calling 770-679-5288, emailing thechocolateboxtogo@gmail.com, visiting “The Chocolate Box To Go” on Instagram or “The Chocolate Box Covington” on Facebook.

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