By Ken Jackson
Staff Writer

Visitors to Chocolate Kingdom can now experience the adventure of the suitors of Princess Chocolina.

There really isn’t a kingdom made completely out of chocolate, but lifelong candy maker Edgar Schaked has a story for his chocolate factory and attraction to sell that fantasy while teaching its visitors about the process of making one of the world’s most famous and sought-after confection.

The attraction, located near Old Town and Fun Spot at 5720 W. U.S. Highway 192 on the west side of Kissimmee, officially opened on Wednesday.

The location is part of the recently-relocated world headquarters of Schaked’s Schakolad Chocolate Factory, and includes retail space, a museum and the attraction, which works the storyline into the history and technical aspects of the chocolate-making process. Schaked has brought a part of his family’s confectionery business, which is now on its third generation, to the area after it made a name in South Florida when his father opened a chain of stores. Schakolad (pronounced shaq-oh-LAD) had franchises in Orlando and Winter Park before opting not to renew leases earlier this year.

Chocolate Kingdom includes aspects unique to any other attraction of its ilk. A greenhouse, encased in glass walls for all to see, houses five cacao trees, which grow the beans that are the principal ingredient of chocolate. It is temperature-controlled to the warm, humid environment that the trees generally find 20 degrees on either side of the of the equator.

Schaked said that he tours chocolate museums in Germany, Belgium and across the United States, looking for new ideas. The Chocolate Kingdom model has been in mind for some time and years in the building, he said.

“We had the pieces of this in mind five years ago, but then the economy tumbled,” Schaked said. “Our concept here is a bit different than found anywhere else. Other museums are sort of ‘static-y’ and can’t keep young kids engaged for very long. We know Disney does a good job of that, so we borrowed some of that imagination.

“We had great reviews (from Wednesday’s opening). It’s more than just a factory tour. Other places just show off their machines, we give a glimpse of the history and show the process from the bean to the candy.”

He said he and his wife came up with the storyline of the sweet kingdom’s Princess Chocolina, who lives in a chocolate castle along the shores of a meandering chocolate river, both created by Chocolate Kingdom. She is about to celebrate her 21st birthday and hopes to receive the right kind of gift from a host of princely prospects.

Much of the storyline is animated on video screens through the museum, done locally by the Digital and Animation Visual Effects School located at Universal Studios.

At various stops through the guided tour portion, patrons will be able to taste chocolate in its various stages of production, as that portion of Chocolate Kingdom will be an actual working chocolate factory making candy under Schakolad’s Chocolate Kingdom brand.

The factory will include a working melangeur, a stone grinder that is one of only three found in the country and the only one in use once the production is up and running.

The cacao trees, along with other displays, are a part of the retail area and free to see. The guided tour, during which the tastings occur, is a paid attraction. Premium add-ons, such as making one’s own personalized chocolate bar using up to three of 15 or so extra ingredients, also will be available.

“That’s been the children’s favorite,” Schaked said. “When people make their own chocolate, we think some will make two, one to eat and one to take home to show the family, ‘This is what I made.’

“People have told us they love that it’s educational and family friendly.”

The business, which Schaked said will eventually employ up to a dozen people, is an example of the diverse economic development the county is seeking in order to take advantage of the current recovery, Osceola County Commissioner Mike Harford, whose district includes the West U.S. Highway 192 corridor, said.

“They are good people and it’s a wonderful company, and I hope they do well,” Harford said.

Schaked said the location of Chocolate Kingdom’s space, conveniently adjacent to Old Town and the Fun Spot, was critical to cross-marketing with those tourist attractions, even if it meant taking up space that has a restaurant between it and the U.S. Highway 192 thoroughfare.

“Where we are appeals to a walk-up crowd, and there’s many other local activities,” he said. “The Fun Spot is behind us, which is behind (the restaurant) from the road, and they spend $1 million each year marketing and are doing just fine.”

Updates on the attraction can be found at its website, www.chocolatekingdom.com.