From corporate workhorse to successful chocolatier, her story is an inspiration to anyone willing to work for their dreams. (Plus, y’all, we’re talkin’ chocolate!)
For Mary Collazo, the leap from corporate ladder to chocolatier happened surprisingly quickly.
“The name, ‘Chocollazo,’ came to me. I couldn’t shake it. Never mind that I had zero experience in chocolate-making,” she said with a chuckle. “it was something I knew I had to do.”
She signed up to obtain a chocolatier certificate, completed it, and then Collazo got busy.
Really busy.
“We started a food truck, which my husband and I ran on weekends and when we had time off at places like The Point Park in Leon Springs. It was fun but something we did on the side.”
That was back in 2013, right as San Antonio’s food truck culture was starting to blossom and the city’s culinary reputation was taking off. The timing proved lucky for Collazo’s company.
“Within two months, I quit my job. My husband left his a little later. But that was it. We were done with that life and on to another one pretty fast.”
Another integral piece of her early success was a 2014 contract at Lackland Air Force Base to serve concessions and coffee.
“About 700 to 800 kids graduate out there each week. That contract did a lot to boost us, especially in those early days.”
A year later, in 2015, Collazo opened a shop at the base’s PX. “We don’t advertise that much, because it is for the base exclusively, but that was our first bricks-and-mortar type operation.”
Finally came the chocolatier’s place down in Alamo Heights, on Broadway. The 1,100 square foot store employs 11 people in total and features tables and chair for customers who’d prefer to enjoy their sweet treats in the confectionery’s cozy shop.
“Our big sellers are our hand-painted Belgian chocolates. I call them ‘edible art,’” said Collazo, who teaches the technique on occasion. “We’ve got fun chocolate bars filled with nifty inclusions, too, like potato chips, gummi bears, and other unusual things.”
And then there are Chocollazo’s elegant, shareable plated desserts–just perfect for capping off a great meal at home or, on the weekends, in the shop.
“We also offer grab-and-go pastries, oatmeal cream pies, cookies, brownies, Häagan Das hand-dipped ice cream, and assortment of nostalgic, hard-to-find sweets as well as novelty items like sushi-shaped candy.”
Peak seasons for the Chocollazo team are Valentine’s Day, obviously, and Easter. “We do custom catering, too, for things like graduation parties and weddings.”
For all of her chocolate-infused entrepreneurial prowess, Collazo is mindful that without valuable professional experience earlier in her life, she might not have succeeded without those early years in corporate America.
“In my twenties, I wouldn’t have been ready to this. My corporate years conditioned me to the grind, the work one must learn to put into a business in order to meet your goals. I started working at 19 in customer service and I learned the basics of marketing, public speaking, and how to train staff. I also know my way around Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint, which comes in handy.”
Still, the freedom to be her own boss was too appealing to pass up.
“I left because I was spending 40 hours a week on someone else’s stuff, someone else’s goals. I was also past the point of chasing the dollar. I gave up the big car. I gave up some of the other symbols of success. It was a good change, but I did the math on it all and figured out what was going to bring me the most satisfaction, to most pleasure, in my own life. For me, making that leap was worth it.”
Story and photographs by Pamela Price, founder of this website, who had the pleasure of covering Collazo’s food truck many moons ago for the Boerne Star.
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