VAN BUREN (KFSM) -- The National Retail Federation projects that consumers will spend about $1.8 billion on candy to give on Valentine’s Day.
A sweet statistic that many chocolatiers enjoy hearing as they get ready for Cupid’s holiday.
This includes Kopper Kettle Candies that has been in business in Arkansas since 1925.
With Christmas being number one, Valentine’s Day is their second busiest holiday that makes up about 30 percent of their annual profits, according to owner Tommy Greer.
Greer says they start preparing in September when they place their order for heart-shaped boxes.
They also have to pre-order thousands of pounds of chocolate that start out as cocoa beans grown in Mexico, Central America, and the Ivory Coast in Africa.
Greer and his employees, which are mostly his family members, are part of the process of transforming massive chocolate bricks into tiny, chocolate treasures.
This requires a lot of time and energy.
Greer says they work six days a week, and 10 to 12 hour days in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
“When you have a family business, everybody is required to work whether you want to or not,” said Theresa Tankersley, who is Greer’s daughter that has been helping out with the business since she was a teenager.
After Valentine’s Day comes and goes, there is not much rest for these chocolatiers with Easter and Mother’s Day so near.