Melt Chocolatier Brings New Sweet Business to Southington
Southington just got a little sweeter on Thursday with the opening of Melt Chocolatier on 1 North Main Street.
With a wide-variety of handmade sweets for sale, Melt is a woman-owned small business. Owner Amy Olmstead said supporting other local businesses and making all the chocolate she can in-house is important to her.
“We make all of the chocolates, like the truffles and the dipped products, here in house. Our truffles are hand-rolled and hand-enrobed,” said Olmstead.
Olmstead bought Melt Chocolatier in October 2025, after health issues prevented her from continuing her food truck, ‘That Hits The Spot.’ Looking to get back into the business, she trained to become a chocolatier. After training at a separate chocolate shop, she began looking to turn her talent into a small business of her own.
“I became a chocolatier up in West Hartford and I loved it for the last few years,” said Olmstead. “The business ended up unfortunately closing up in West Hartford, but I was able to purchase Melt, and that's been our last year: trying to build Melt and trying to get a retail spot here.”
Melt has sold sweets online for the past year, and opening a brick and mortar shop has long been a goal for Olmstead. When it became time to do so, she knew Southington was the place to do it. She said the community was supportive of her food truck, and has continued to be so with Melt, even on opening day.
“We just love this town. We just think that it’s filled with great people. We love the layout and the setup that you can have so much amenities of a bigger city, but have this small family,” said Olmstead. “It’s beyond my expectations of what I thought it would be like opening. I thought we would hopefully find a little space, and it's really grown up to be something really nice.”
It’s not only Olmstead that works hard at Melt. Her four children and best friend are also on-hand to help.
“She literally been here almost as much as I have,” said Olmstead about her friend and co-chocolatier Melanie Yardley. “She's just been amazing and wonderful. So I feel like she's just as much the owner and a part of it as myself, if I'm being honest.”
Items not made on-site are made by other women-owned businesses. The pastries are from Filo Foods of Bethlehem, and the gelato is from Gelato Giuliana of New Haven. A vegan option for the gelato is always available, and Olmstead is working to bring other unique flavors to the shop for special occasions.
“We get our pastries from Philo Foods in Bethlehem. She is also a woman-owned business, and these are all her nonna's recipes. It's very very exciting. She's a wonderful wonderful woman and wonderful pastry chef, and we used to actually work together years ago, and so now we both have our own shop,” said Olmstead. “The gelato we get from New Haven, Gelato Giuliana, is another woman-owned business, and some of those ingredients come right from Italy. They're very natural.”
Melt Chocolatier opened on Thursday and is currently having a soft opening. More products will be available in the coming days, but customers can currently try sweets such as chocolate-covered graham crackers and pretzels, chocolate-dipped oreos, truffles with flavors such as lavender and raspberry, almond clusters and fruit with chocolate toppings. An apple cider affogato treat will be available during the Apple Harvest Festival, and seasonal goods are available for sale.
The walls of Melt Chocolatier are decorated with family photos and pictures of those who have helped Olmstead along the way. Family is everything, she said, and honoring those who have assisted in her journey is something she finds special. When thinking of wall decor, she knew photos of those she loves would be featured.
“Whatever we do in this life, it's like we're leaving a legacy, and you have no idea who you're going to help,” said Olmstead. “Some of these people, three generations later, have been a part of helping me to be where I am, and helping my children to be where they are. So this wall is going to continue because this is the beginning of it.”
