WATERBURY – As Connecticut families begin to purchase chocolate bunnies and other candy ahead of the Easter holiday, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Fascia’s Chocolates of Waterbury – a manufacturer of handmade chocolate products and gelato – is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Fascia’s Chocolates was founded in 1964 when John and Helen Fascia, with the help of their three young daughters, started making candy out of the basement of their Waterbury, Connecticut, home. In 1977, Fascia’s moved to their first retail location – a 600 square foot shop. Over the years, the chocolate maker has relocated to several facilities around Waterbury to expand their production. Today, John, Helen, their children, and grandchildren continue to operate the business out of an 18,500 square foot building where more than 15 year-round employees and seasonal workers hand make over 100 chocolate items. Some of their most popular products include Peppermint Patties, Hazelnut Truffle Meltaways, chocolate dipped potato chips, and sea salted almond clusters. The chocolate company will make 10,000 chocolate bunnies ahead of Easter. 

Fascia’s hosts many community events such as public tours, chocolate-making classes, birthday parties, and fundraisers for nonprofit organizations and, since 2013, has contributed significantly to Waterbury’s tourism sector by attracting more than 16,000 people to their events. They also partner with a growing network of approximately 30 florists, pharmacies, gift shops, and independent grocers around Connecticut to sell their wholesale packaged products. Most recently, Fascia’s established a partnership with the Railroad Museum of New England and Litchfield’s Haight-Brown Vineyard to offer wine and chocolate pairing train ride excursions. Fascia’s has received various awards throughout their 52-year history, including the U.S. Small Business Administration’s prestigious 2015 Jeffrey Butland Family Owned Business of the Year award. 

“If you're not buying Fascia’s Chocolates for Easter, you're doing it wrong. In five decades, Fascia’s has evolved from a small, part-time operation into a state-wide chocolate empire,” said Murphy. “Despite their enormous success, Fascia’s has stayed true to their Connecticut roots, family values, and top-quality hand-made chocolates. I can’t wait to see how the Fascia family continues to make their business a sweet success!”

Carmen Romeo, President of Fascia’s Chocolates and son-in-law of John and Helen Fascia, said, “While Fascia's is first and foremost a manufacturer, we're unique in that we retail to consumers and businesses while wholesaling to our selling partners.  We're very proud to have helped people "Experience Their Chocolate" by growing a tourism business to educate them about chocolate's origins and our traditional handmade methods.  They have a lot of fun making their own chocolate bar, too.”

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,602 manufacturers account for 10.2% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.