As Gorant Marks 75 Years, Some Changes Are in Store

BOARDMAN, Ohio – Just over a year after purchasing the iconic Gorant Chocolatier brand, owners Bergen Giordani and Dr. Nino Rubino have plans for the company that include opening a limited-service bar in their Boardman store, potential popup locations beyond the Mahoning Valley and a possible expansion of its production operation to Youngstown.

But they know there are things that can’t be changed. Pecan Tootles. Peanut Butter Smoothies. Maple Cremes. And Butter Cremes. Giordani acknowledged she and Rubino are “slow to make changes” to the company, which is celebrating its 75^th anniversary this year.

“It’s been a fun challenge and a fun learning curve,” she remarked. Going from her existing sweets businesses to Gorant was like going “from the minors to the majors” she said. 

“What drew us to Gorant is the history of it,” Rubino said. “When you think of Youngstown, you think of Gorant.”

Giordani and her daughter, Morgen Chretien, founded One Hot Cookie 11 years ago, and she partnered with Rubino, a family practitioner, to launch OH Donut Co. in 2018. Having passed on the opportunity to buy Gorant, including the Boardman complex, a couple years earlier, the conversation restarted in early 2023 after they were presented with an offer to purchase the brand and recipes, a deal finalized just over a year ago.

“It took until Sept. 11 until the deal was done, and on Sept. 10 our attorney said it could go either way tomorrow,” she recalled. “It was not an easy process.”

Originally planning to remain in the Gorant’s Market Street space through Easter or Mother’s Day this year, they were asked Oct. 1 if they could relocate by Dec. 1 last year. They subsequently secured space in a retail plaza at 400 Boardman-Poland Road, across from the Shops at Boardman Park on U.S. Route 224, in space previously occupied by Once Upon a Child, Giordani said. Within two months of leasing the space, it was totally redone. 

“Things just fall into place,” Rubino said. “We kind of put our heads together and got a contractor to come out. We moved everything pretty quickly.”

Rubino, who grew up in Struthers and as a child went to the Gorant Yum Yum Tree store in the Fifth Street Plaza, said he has several patients who used to work at Gorant and shared “great stories” with him when the sale took place. Within three months, people were telling him to not screw up the Easter eggs.  

“I don’t think I realized how big the impact [of Gorant] has for the community,” he reflected.

Easter is the busiest season for sales, but the Christmas season is the most profitable because of its length, starting around Thanksgiving and running through late December, and because of corporate gift sales, Giordani said. Among the most popular items are the trademarked Pecan Tootle and the Yum Yum individually wrapped chocolates.

“People have their favorites. We’ve been here 75 years,” Rubino said.

“There’s a lot we won’t touch,” Giordani said. “Will we ever deviate from the original Gorant recipes? Absolutely no. But will we expand the product line? Yes.”

About a third of Gorant flagship store’s 7,500-square-foot space is devoted to the retail operation, while the remaining 5,000 square feet is dedicated to the manufacturing operation, Giordani said. Contractors installed a new wall and floor, and shelving was custom built.

Also specifically built for the space was a new bar area. Inspired by similar spaces at Godiva and Ghirardelli in larger cities, they decided to put in a dessert bar where patrons could enjoy “a fancy drink and a piece of cake,” she said. A request for a liquor license for the venue will be on the November general election ballot for that precinct. 

“The goal is to have a lot of desserts and a lot of different drinks and coffees,” Rubino said.

“This is the flagship store for Gorant, and we wanted a ‘wow,’” she said. “We didn’t have any problem getting enough signatures to get on the ballot.”

Over the past year, the entrepreneurs have spent the most time and money rightsizing the chocolate production operation, and they now are working on increasing the workforce, Giordani said. The production space is running with a staff of eight, with an expectation of having 15 to 20 total by mid-December, plus 10 more employees working in the store.

Gorant also has revamped its website and e-commerce operation to make it more user friendly, she said.

In addition to the Boardman store, Gorant has a 6,500-square-foot warehouse on Steel Street in Youngstown for its packaging materials. Though it doesn’t have anyone employed there on a full-time basis, plans down the road include potentially adding food-grade manufacturing space on adjacent parcels the company owns once the Boardman plant reaches maximum production capacity.

“I’d say within the next 24 to 36 months, yeah, we’re going to outgrow this space,” she said. Conversations with Lake to River Economic Development and the Western Reserve Port Authority already have taken place regarding assistance for the project, since it would involve job creation. 

As part of the anniversary celebration, Gorant has put out a call for people to share their memories about the store, which the company plans to roll out around the holiday season marketing campaign.

“A lot of people just had their memory of coming and getting their favorite chocolate,” Rubino said.

“One that sticks out with me is the woman who supported herself enough to leave her abusive husband,” Giordani reflects.

Online represents about 30% of Gorant’s sales, a number she said she would like to see grow. Because shipping chocolate is expensive, particularly to southern states, they are exploring kiosks in other markets to reach customers.

“Right now our focus is on production and making sure that our production team can keep up with what our retail people are selling,” she said.

Rubino said he sees taking over the Gorant brand as a way of giving back to the Mahoning Valley.

“I think if we didn’t purchase this a year ago, it wouldn’t be in existence. I feel like it was a little bit of a challenge but also almost an obligation,” he said.

“We are stewards of the brand, and the brand belongs to the Valley and to Youngstown,” Giordani said. “We want to do it just right.”   

Pictured at top: Dr. Nino Rubino and Bergen Giordani, co-owners of Gorant Chocolatier.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.