Cameron '18 and Haley Loyet '17 Take Chocolate Business to Next Level

February 3, 2022

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Cameron ’18 and Haley (Lower) Loyet ’17 started their business while students at Illinois Wesleyan. Since graduating, Honeymoon Chocolates has grown and recently received Arch Grant funding.

After Cameron participated in Illinois Wesleyan’s Entrepreneurship Fellowship in 2016, the couple first began making bean-to-bar chocolate in a dorm kitchen. What began as a hobby has grown into a full-time business effort.

Located in St. Louis, Honeymoon Chocolates specializes in bean-to-bar chocolates sweetened by raw honey. Honeymoon Chocolates is one of 35 companies to receive support from Arch Grants in 2021. Arch Grants provide equity-free startup funding to bright entrepreneurs in the St. Louis area.

Honeymoon Chocolates is driven by ideals of conservation and product quality. One of the founding principles of the business is working to alleviate the decline of honey bees, the decreasing supply of cacao nationwide and the high levels of refined sugar in food. 

A statement on the Honeymoon Chocolates website reads: “We hope that everyone can be active in the preservation of pollinators worldwide. For every bar you purchase, we have pledged a portion of each sale to benefit education, outreach and research for honeybees.” 

Not only does the couple donate proceeds in support of honeybee research, they also purchase directly from beekeepers to support apiarists. The purchase of raw honey doubles to fulfill their goal of lessening refined sugar in the food industry.

Honeymoon Chocolates also focuses on sustainable and eco-friendly business practices. All of their packaging is fully compostable, including the labels and wrappers, and the business is transparent about the sourcing of their cacao.

Honeymoon Chocolates can be purchased via the company website as well as various retailers and eCommerce sites including: Erewhon, Bar + Cocoa, The Annex Coffee + Food, and Chocosphere. The company opened a new factory in Clayton, Missouri, in January.

By Kailee Galloway ’23