In the social media-driven world where a hobby can turn into a business in a flash, Samantha Cervantes is proof how fast such a thing can happen.
The mid-20s-year-old mother of two children was looking for a job last year to help her family’s finances. It was a tough go of it as the employment market contracted with the shutdowns and slowdowns. Cervantes also had the issue of childcare for two very young children.
Working from home turned out to be the best option and it’s where she took a hobby of baking and flair for creativity to become a chocolatier. It started as something of a whim after she noticed what it cost to buy treats for her daughter’s birthday parties. The pricing she called “ridiculous.” Cervantes came to the conclusion that this was something she could do better than what she was buying.
A Holiday Start & Rush
It was the latter part of 2020 when she started Chocolate Elegance by Samantha in time for the holidays. Cervantes quickly utilized a Facebook page and word-of-mouth to get things going. Working from her home in Edinburg, a rush of success became apparent heading into Thanksgiving.
Working to deliver more than 10 orders a day became commonplace. Her chocolate creations were catching on. Strawberries, Oreos, rice crispy snacks and more all covered in chocolate are ready to be sold in stylish treat boxes that can be individualized per customer. Then there’s the tour de force – the cocoa bomb.
It’s a chocolate sensation, a ball of the sweet stuff with cocoa and mini-marshmallows inside. Dunk this chocolate oval inside a hefty mug of hot milk and watch it dissolve into a tasty, hot brew that will warm up any cold night. The cocoa bomb is Cervantes’ best-selling item. She sold up to 120 of them a day during the Christmas holiday rush.
“Presentation is everything,” she said. “There are other people doing the same thing, so I try to change it up a little bit and add more to it.”
Making A Social Media Splash
By the look of her Facebook page, Cervantes is providing an appreciated added bonus. There’s a picture of 20 cocoa bombs individually wrapped with thank-you cards attached to each wrapped treat.
A “Love You More Box” that’s ideal for Valentine’s Day is made up of two dozen pressed roses on top with chocolate-covered strawberries. Another Valentine’s treat is a large, edible chocolate heart with strawberries within it.
It could all point to the sort of business Cervantes enjoyed during the just-passed holidays. She didn’t get a full day off until Dec. 31. A recent feature on Cervantes and her business on a local television station has boosted her profile further along with hundreds of followers on Facebook.
Next up, she hopes, is a storefront in Edinburg and to take her hobby even further.