Melanie was so kind,honest and funny her personality was amazing she made my family smile.She was either making us laugh or she was giving great information it was an absolute amazing experience that we will never forget thank you Melanie. read more

This small chocolatier brings massive flavor & variety when it comes to their products. Whether it's specialty truffles, chocolate bars, coated nuts or classic chocolate seashells, you're sure to be amazed. They have fudge, popcorns, brittles & even a variety of chocolate based wine & liqueur. While the delectable scent of fresh chocolate draws you in, the loaded displays around you are sure to keep you there. They've recently undergone some renovations which are finally done & the new store looks great. The floor has really been opened up & they did a great job at utilizing the space. Everything is organized nicely, prices are listed clearly & the store itself is spotless. While it may not be the biggest, it's easy to get carried away here as you look at the deliciousness surrounding you. I haven't personally tried them yet but their hot chocolates definitely caught my eye, they offer a nice handful of varieties. Even the coffee lovers, like myself, are recognized. They have a chocolate-flavored coffee that sounds interesting so I'm thinking about grabbing a bag on my next visit. The chocolate covered espresso beans are also delicious, although I like the milk chocolate ones way more than the dark. Every time I've visited this location the employees are so friendly. They acknowledge you as soon as you enter, they almost always offer help & they're efficient at handling crowds. Customer service goes a long way & they do a great job here. If you're just passing through or staying in St. Augustine then you need to give them a visit. In a world full of mass produced chocolate, it's a breath of fresh air to find a company that cares about serving amazing products. You can even do a factory tour at this location to find out all about their process! read more

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This was a great chocolate tour and experience. Learned a lot about chocolate that I didn't already know and love the samples that we got to try. Ended up buying quite a few in the gift shop as gifts and everybody loved it. Highly recommend this off the beaten path tour in Saint Augustine. read more

Oh my! These chocolates were SO good! I saw they offered chocolate tours and you could book online, thought my lil one would enjoy seeing how chocolates are made Willy Wonka style! Well it's not as exciting as the movie, lol, but it was cool to see all the molds and cooling tables! We got to sample 4 types of chocolate while learning about the business. Afterwards we of course bought some chocolate and started digging in and man sooooo good! Small batch, years and years of experience, and highest quality ingredients have created an amazing creamy chocolate, even their super dark was good! Wish I had got more! read more

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I loved the chocolate tour and tasting. We had to put our names on a the list around noon and returned later in the evening, but it was a great family activity. I liked that the tour was not too long; very authentic shop. I'm not a sweets person, but they have the best dark chocolate I've ever had. It's not bitter, like most. read more

Whetstone Chocolates - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

I love chocolate. Their chocolate is up and beyond. Very testy and unforgettable. I love all their flavors. The milk chocolate is so delicious, my favorite. The dark chocolate is tasty , a little bitter but so delicate. They have tour and in the tour you can taste the chocolate. Very good for family trip. So kids can have some information and taste the chocolate. People who work there are nice and friendly. read more

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Delightful, Delicious, and Definitely Worth It! We signed up for the tour the night before and had a few questions about the appropriate dress code since we'd be walking through the factory. The next morning, we received a funny, friendly email back that immediately set the tone--welcoming and fun! There was ample parking, and we were greeted with a warm smile upon arrival. After signing in, we received our snazzy hairnets and stickers and were ready to go! Melanie, our tour guide, was not only hilarious but also incredibly knowledgeable--she knew everything there was to know about chocolate. The tour was captivating for both my six-year-old granddaughter and this much-older grandma! We sampled various types of chocolate, and every single one was absolutely delicious. Touring the factory was not only entertaining but enlightening--it's amazing to see a business over 100 years old still crafting everything by hand. Truly impressive. At the end of the tour, we received a coupon for a discount on any purchases, though honestly, the prices were already very affordable. The value of the tour--including the samples and education--was fantastic. Highly recommend this experience for anyone with a sweet tooth and a love for learning! read more

Whetstone Chocolates - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Don't waste your time or money! It was boring and definitely not worth it. We went on a Sunday and the actual process involved in making the chocolates was not available because there are no employees working on Sundays. Their deceptive practices led us to believe we were actually going to a real tour and no mention was made of the fact that it was just looking at some old run down machines not in operation. The tour guide was pleasant and the sample chocolates were just okay, nothing exceptional about them. read more

The tour was simple but very entertaining. The tour guide had a lot of jokes and was very knowledgeable. You receive a few free samples as he explains the history of the chocolate factory and tests your knowledge also, haha. Very good time. The factory was very clean and you could see the workers as they prepped chocolates and popcorn covered in chocolate. The price was great also for the tour because of the simple nature. Definitely a must while touring through St. Augustine. read more

We went for the tour. It costs a few dollars but the samples and the tour experience were great. We also got a discount in the gift shop that we made good use of. We are still enjoying the chocolates we bought. read more

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Fun little tour! Samples of chocolate included, our tour guide was funny and informative. We had arrived right on time due to going to the wrong location first. Then we bought some shells to bring home. read more

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Purchased tickets for a tour and it went very smooth. You get sat down and learn about the history of chocolate and immediately get a sample to try which was tasty. From there you move to the factory and get to see the inner workings of how they create their products. Only 8 people work in the factory I believe they said which is crazy for how much they produce. Staff were friendly from the ticket check, to the tour, to the shop where we spent $40 on various chocolates and fudge. Only had the PB cup so far and it was good. The samples through the tour were good as well. Definitely recommend, this was some of the better chocolate we've had while in St. Augustine by far. read more

The chocolates offered during the tour were all delicious and you can tell they are high quality. I liked how there's different varieties offered (milk, white chocolate, dark) as well as a sample of fudge at the beginning of the tour. I've visited other food factory tours (such as at Hershey PA and tillamook in Oregon) and for being such a small factory they did a great job at including all the history/process of making chocolate. The part I wasn't a fan of was our tour guide (i believe her name was Melanie). I think having a blunt, aggressive personality might work for certain jobs but for being a tour guide at a chocolate factory? Not so much, in my opinion. I don't know, maybe since I work in the food industry myself I might have higher standards, but I noticed her attitude towards some of the elderly people on our tour was a bit harsh. There was only one child in the tour I went on, but she did kinda scare me as a college student so I don't know how younger kids would feel on this tour. Overall I'd rate a 3/5 stars. Just remember that the quality of the product isn't all customers look forward to on a tour, the customer service matters just as much. All love from Ohio :) read more

Whetstone Chocolates - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

The tour guide was great, but they should have warned us that the factory isn't working on Mondays. That made the "factory tour" not exactly what we expected. As for the chocolate, it's way overpriced ($42 a pound). The dark chocolate is excellent, but the milk chocolate tastes exactly like Hershey's. So if you want milk chocolate, and you like the taste of Whetstone (We didn't), just buy Hershey. I would have bought some of the dark chocolate, but the store was too crowded after the tour. Summary: dark chocolate great, milk chocolate mediocre. read more

Our tour guide was informative and engaging! We enjoyed learning by watching the brief video and obviously taking the factory tour coupled with the chocolate tastings. It was a nice touch to receive a 10% discount on our purchases. The chocolate toffee and caramels were delicious! The experience was well worth the cost and it was perfectly timed ! read more

I love this place. Whenever I visit St. Augustine this place is on my list. They also have homemade gelato. The keylime pie is my favorite. If you have time, I suggest doing the tour to learn about the history and how chocolate is made. You wont regret it! read more

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We were able to go on the factory tour at the last minute. Our tour guide was so friendly and informative. Loved learning the history of the factory and the chocolate. We tried about 5 chocolates during the tour and each one was truly fantastic. We were able to see the production and bagging. At the end we went to the gift shop and was able to buy many different varieties. I would definitely visit again and will definitely buy more of their chocolate! read more

**MAKE A RESERVATION** Be careful if you have allergies! The allergen information isn't clear on the tasting card or website. Every chocolate had soy lecithin and milk in it, but those ingredients are not listed anywhere. Everything we tasted was gluten-free though! Melanie was our tour guide and she was a gem. Other reviews spoke negatively about her, but she's no nonsense, dry wit, & doesn't want to deal with the Karens and Kevins of the world. We gave her a nice tip. Chocolate was yummy! Highly recommend if you're a chocolate fan. Tasted 5 chocolates and a piece of fudge. We got $2 off $10 in the gift shop and 10% off any other location. Great selection of treats. read more

Whetstone Chocolates - Tasting card with the five chocolates we tried - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Chocolate was tasty, tour itself was mid. Tour guide on the other hand ruined the whole experience. Blown away by how rude this lady was. If you ask questions be prepared to feel stupid for asking. Also called ahead for the tour and was not told until after we arrived and already paid that production line is closed Sunday and Monday. read more

Such a great experience. Would highly recommend! The Whetstone story & history are really cool and their chocolates are top tier. Great time! read more

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Fun & educational tour through the Whetstone Chocolate factory. There is an admission cost but it does come with samples & discounts for the store afterwards. We enjoyed our visit to the Whetstone Chocolate Factory & Shop. read more

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Five stars for the chocolate and the educational experience. 3 stars maybe 2.5 for the abrasive tour guide Melanie. I mean seriously, she comes off as rude and "Do as I say" attitude. I'm with my mom (who suffers with dementia) and I seriously thought about walking out before the tour started due to her "follow what I say" rudeness. I was anticipating her saying something to my mom & I'm telling y'all, that would've been it! lol My mom can't follow directions well, please tell the staff that not everyone can follow the rule of "HOLD YOUR HAND PALM UP AND FLAT FOR ME TO GIVE YOUR SAMPLE OF CHOCOLATE ". & to ask for a tip at the end of the tour? Wow Other than that- it was educational, the chocolate did taste good and of good quality. My experience with staff at the counter was great- very friendly read more

Whetstone Chocolates - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

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My family and I took the mini tour of the whetstone chocolate factory recently. We had taken the longer tour a few years before, but now that the children are older we wanted to go again. The mini tour was wonderful. We got a lot of information and the time it took was just enough to keep the kids attention. They are 10 and 12 years old. They loved all the samples and learning about the different machines used in the factory. They were fascinated by some of the older equipment. Afterward, we spent time in the store and purchased some of the chocolates that we had tasted. They really are delicious. I think everything we bought there was well worth the price and made better by starting it off with the mini tour. read more

Such a cool place! We got tickets for the tour online and we entered the facility. I didn't even know that the factory was closed on Monday so that was a bit of a bummer because we could not see the machines in action. Anyhow, the samples that we received along the way were excellent, we made a lot of chocolate purchases to take home! I love that they make you wear a hairnet, although even children need to wear it, so if your kids will not keep it on, you cannot enter the factory. The tour guide was wonderful and she said that it was her, name. Overall, I would give this place five star! The workers could be a little bit more friendly in the actual shop, I didn't see any smiles, but the tour guide was excellent! read more

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Great tour and tour guide. The peppermint bark gelato was excellent. The chocolate was very good. The factory was extremely clean.

Delicious, small batch and fresh chocolate! The shells and Florida themed items are especially nice and the tour is interesting and enjoyable too! read more

People not at all friendly. Chocolate waaaaay overpriced. $10.00 for 4 small pieces of chocolate. Buy a Hershey bar. One chair for people waiting for the next show read more

We loved our tour...we had a reservation at 11:15am but got there about an hour early. They were able to change the reservation to 10:30 so we could go early and not have to kill time which is much appreciated. Our tour guide Joe was great he was very personable and interacted with the group. The chocolate was so good and I have a new appreciation to the work that goes into one piece of chocolate. read more

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I was in St. Augustine recently and my mom and I went on the hop on hop off bus. We would have liked to take the factory tour but we arrived after the tour already started. We looked around the shop for a few minutes and I purchased a couple things including the delicious Gator Bait. I also got a few of the chocolates including the mint flavored. The store was nice inside and the staff was helpful. In addition to chocolates, they also offer ice cream. I would definitely stop in again if I'm in the area. read more

Tour was informational and tour guide was very engaged and funny. Chocolate was delicious!! Left with lots of goodies!

We booked our tour for 4 adults online the same day and glad we did. The tour ended up selling out. Our guide was great. She is a teacher and knew how to handle a large group. We loved the chocolate and enjoyed learning about the chocolate making process. I appreciated learning about this local company and will be happily supporting it in the future. Retail store had delicious gelato and lots of chocolate products for purchase. read more

If I lived here or anywhere close by, it would be very dangerous because everything about this place is amazing. The fact that they make EVERY piece of choclate and fudge in their own factory is amazing and that's what gives them the artisinal name. The tour is a lot of fun and I have done it a couple times. Both times were had an gentleman that was a little older and you can tell he is passionate about talking chocolate and the history of whetstone here in St. Augustine. He also has some dumb but great dad jokes he says throughout the tour and makes it all enjoyable. The samples you get throughout the tour are also amazing as well and you will leave buying more, without a doubt. The prices of the chocolates here are pretty reasonable and they have many options to choose from that can be from a variaty pack to even multiple pounds of one of their many variations of chocolates they have. My favorite is their dark chocolate (either of them) and I can never get enough of the flavor and richness of them! Next time I am here I'm buying in bulk!!! read more

Overpriced and underwhelming. The chocolate is serviceable for the price , but really it feels like this local chain has outgrown its ability to do quality tours and make what I assume were once stand out products . At $40 or so a pound retail they charge in the artisanal chocolate range (some stores a little less some are quite a bit more) but their overall quality is more of a mass produced top shelf product I would expect to find at any mall Godiva type store . I would skip this place and look for a different smaller local shop like Claude's chocolates. read more

The tour was simple and informative. Three stars due to the fact that they use latex gloves in the processing. So, I not only didn't get samples, I couldn't buy anything there either. ): read more

My boyfriend and I came here on vacation to see St. Augustine. We love it here. I saw that there was a chocolate tour offered in town and I wanted to visit. However, they are showing three different locations in St. Augustine. I went to the website to purchase tickets for the tour of the factory, however, there was no address where the tour is taking place so w didn't go. We did visit one of their stores and bought ice cream and chocolate. The ice cream was delicious. I am disappointed though that they lacked information regarding their address. I looked everywhere for it. Not even on their brochures. Poor marketing. We ended up going on a tour at another factory in Orlando: Chocolate Kingdom, which I am going to write a review on as well. read more

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This is a fun one for me because as I've mentioned prior, I really don't like chocolate, especially dark chocolate. I mention dark chocolate because whenever you go to a place that offers samples or tours it's the dark stuff which they primarily push. Milk is offered or is there but it's always treated as an afterthought. Blech. A few random thoughts: Parking is fairly easy as they have a small lot of their own on the side of the building. Traffic around the area/college was a PIA but once we found the building, no worries. Also make sure you are heading to the correct location as there is more than one Whetstone store in the area. The tour setup is simple. Ideally you go to their site and make a reservation. Tours are offered daily from 10-3:30 and cost $8.95 per adult but there are discount coupons available in the local tourist coupon books. While nice, $9 for this tour is a bit of a stretch. FWIW, there were a few people who showed up wanting to take a tour without a reservation and they were turned away (we were on the last one of the day at 3:30). This can be a popular thing. You start off in the main store building where you get a brief intro about the company and their history. There are various placards and some pictures on the walls as well. After that you're led across the parking lot to the factory building. Masks and hairnets (they provide these) are required for this part of the tour once you cross the parking lot into the factory building. No mask. No hairnet. No tour. You see a short video on how chocolate is made and you're given samples. After that you're led to the area where the actual product gets made. Seeing as we live an hour & change from Hershey, PA we know how chocolate is made so that part was old hat. We got four samples. One milk and three that were (you guessed it) different degrees of dark. IMHO, the milk is good but if you're expecting creamy like Hershey or Cadbury it's not in that realm and the darks are well....dark. If social distancing is a concern of yours, this is not the tour for you. The check in area inside the store building is very small and the room you go in to for the brief explanation of the Whetstone company and what you're seeing on the tour is also fairly small especially when the tour is sold out. This are no realistic places to spread out. In the end it was informative and entertaining even though we chose not to buy anything. Some of that was because they were out of a few things and some of it was simply pricing. Definetly fun and a nice one off but of course in Florida and pre-pandemic I appreciate the Angell & Phelps tour in Daytona far more simply because it was free and to my unknowing palate, there is no real discernable difference between their stuff and this stuff. read more

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We were looking forward to visiting Whetstone for their chocolate tasting tour but the experience was soured by the terrible tour guide and insect issues . The tour guide Melanie was extremely rude and unwelcoming . Here is a sampling of some of Melanie's responses to questions from tour guests. Q: What kind of fudge (flavor) is this ? Melanie's answer : IT'S FUDGE Q: When did powdered milk become introduced to chocolate making ? Melanie's answer : GOOGLE IT You have to laugh at her level of unprofessionalism but then you wonder why a business would continue to allow someone like this to represent their brand. Everyone on the tour made comments about feeling uncomfortable by Melanie's rude and abrasive attitude. Now on to the insects. During the tour inside the factory where the company makes their chocolate products there was a live roach on the floor and a few gnats in the air. I whispered a comment about how roaches can fly to someone in my party and Melanie attempted to come for me in front of our group implying I had no idea what was on the floor. She barked at me it was a palmetto bug and not a roach . First off , why does it matter because NO INSECT should be tolerated near an open chocolate vat in any setting let alone a professional one that is supposed to follow food and health regulations. I shut her condescending rant down quickly by sharing that being a native South Carolinian I knew exactly what was crawling around on their chocolate factory floor. The name "Palmetto Bug" is just what people living in the South (South Carolina is the palmetto state hence the name )say to visitors to make them feel not so grossed out - a palmetto bug is a ROACH. Near the roach was two large vats of chocolate. There was nothing preventing roaches or gnats from flying into the vat . Gross is an understatement. The fact Melanie attempted to minimize the roach is extremely concerning . She didn't kill it so if scuttled off to find something sweet to eat I imagine . I learned more about Melanie than I did about chocolate making . She even mentioned her other job as a golf cart driving tour guide and concluded the tour by stating people ask her how she "deals" with tourists all day - she followed that by saying "I'm not trying to be rude." Too late for that . This poor experience absolutely influenced our decision not to purchase any Whetstone products or further patronize any Whetstone owned businesses. PS: when all bad reviews mention the same employee the business needs to retrain that employee and/or reevaluate their employment. Whetstone : do better. read more

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I'll start by saying I was really excited about touring a chocolate factory of this size and reputation. However that excitement quickly turned into disappointment when we checked in for the tour and the receptionist was less than thrilled I had a pecan allergy. Why ask about allergies if you are going to roll your eyes when I answer you. Our tour began at 2:15 after watching the same I love Lucy clip repeat for a while which would have been entertaining if the sound matched the video on the screen. Melanie our tour guide was not warm and not fuzzy. She was slightly abrasive but grew on us by the end of the tour. I do agree with other reviews about the tour staff and how they could learn to be more welcoming and kind. The staff in the gift shop was very sweet and patient as we checked out, and the chocolate really is delicious. You can taste all the ingredients and they don't have any you can't pronounce read more

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TOUR & TASTING - You have to wear a hair net (provided on site) and a face mask (also provided if you don't have one). There wasn't much social distancing as the tour was in a big group, maybe about 20 people. The place was much bigger than it seemed. We went into 4 different rooms for the tour. Room 1 where the tour started had a timeline of their history on the wall. We walked outside to go to another building, where we saw actual candy being produced and other candy being bagged to sell. We went back to the first building in another room and then the tour ended in the shop like most attractions. We were sitting for most of the tour. We had to stand while we were inside the production area but the other rooms had seats. Our tour guide was very energetic and friendly. They had a microphone so that everyone could hear. - Along the tour, we tasted 4 different pieces of chocolate. My only disappointment is that the chocolate was given to us in our hand without any napkins. The tour guide did put on a new pair of gloves each time they gave us a new piece of chocolate. - The tour left me feeling a great deal of respect for this company and their process to focus on quality over quantity. I have never liked milk chocolate when buying it elsewhere. After trying their aviles blend chocolate, I feel differently. The quality tasted so much better than any other milk chocolate I've ever had. GIFT SHOP / CAFE - The people inside the shop were friendly, helpful and patient. I tried an iced coffee with toasted marshmallow flavor. The coffee was okay, but it didn't taste like it had any extra flavor in it. It just tasted like regular ice coffee. - I purchased some chocolates (toasted coconut truffles, almond toffee, and bourbon caramel). My least favorite was the bourbon caramel but if you actually like bourbon you may feel differently. My favorite chocolate piece was the toffee shell and I regret not buying a whole bag. It didn't have too much toffee inside to overwhelm the teeth and it was surrounded in that amazing milk chocolate. read more

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Signed up for the tour. Very very good! Learned alot. Generous with their samples. Very educational. About 45 mins long. Great discounts at end of tour to purchase in store and on line. Loved it! read more