Fueled by both business and personal motivations, three food industry entrepreneurs acquired the 60-year-old Gorant Chocolate in Boardman, Ohio. John Cayten, Joseph Miller and Martin Seidler, who formed Camise Development, purchased the 52,000-sq.-ft. plant for nearly a million dollars from American Greetings Corp.’s Carlton Cards Retail Inc. late last year.
Known as “Youngstown’s favorite chocolates,” Gorant Chocolate was founded by two brothers, Sam and Charles Gorant, in 1949. It employs 43 full-time workers, expanding to 65 during seasonal periods.
The new owners will rename the company Gorant Chocolatier LLC, but promise not to alter any of the existing recipes for more than 400 varieties. For more information, visit
www.gorant.com.
