5th Avenue Chocolatiere, LTD.

Our History

5th Avenue Chocolatiere is a family-owned company that was founded by John Whaley in 1973. As a former investment banker, John spent a portion of his time as an analyst in the cocoa industry. Naturally, John began to develop a personal interest in chocolate. After learning, studying, and experimenting with chocolate at home, John created his signature truffle. Instantly, his new chocolate was a hit and 5th Avenue Chocolatiere was born, named because of its amazing quality and image.

After a few years of a retail store at 506 Madison Avenue, 5th Avenue Chocolatiere was able to move to its namesake at 575 5th Avenue. Above our storefront, all chocolate was created on the premises, and New Yorkers started to recognize the company as a unique, gourmet chocolate store.

As 5th Avenue Chocolatiere started to grow, so did our need for more space. We moved to a factory in Long Island City where we continue to make all of our chocolate treats. After presiding over the company for more than 25 years, our founder John Whaley passed the company on to his son, Joe. With his youthful energy, and passion for this family business, Joe quickly expanded the company into Japan where we currently have more than 30 stores. Joe continues to grow the company as he works tirelessly to spread his father’s chocolates around the world. We currently have four stores in NYC and continue to expand in Japan. The 5th Avenue Chocolatiere family is proud of our product and the service that we provide. We are proud of where we come from, and look forward to continue sharing our chocolates with the rest of the world.