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The South Bend Chocolate Company was started in 1991 by Mark Tarner, a second generation chocolate maker.[1][2] Along with a chocolate factory, the company has retail stores in the South Bend, Indiana regional area as well as Indianapolis and two franchises located in Ohio.[3][4] The company's flagship store, the South Bend Chocolate Cafe located on 122 S. Michigan St., is billed as the "World's Largest Chocolate Store" and has been credited with contributing the South Bend's downtown revival.[5][6] The company is expanding its operations to the west side of South Bend with a new factory and dinosaur museum set to open in 2024.[7]

Origins & Growth

Mark Tarner grew up in South Bend and worked in his father's sweet shop named Sugar 'N Spice.[6][8] Tarner attended Clay High School in South Bend and later played basketball for Eastern Illinois University eventually earning a Masters degree in European history.[6][9] Tarner and his wife Julie purchased their first home on South Bend's near west side near the Oliver Mansion, now the home of the The History Museum.[6][10]

The company started by producing candy under a license from the University of Notre Dame.[1] Capitalizing on the proximity of the university, three candies were produced for Notre Dame: the Domer, the Rockne, and Nuts for ND.[11][6] The company now sells chocolate in around a dozen regional locations including the South Bend International Airport and St. Joseph Hospital in Mishawaka, Indiana.[3]

Opened on October 16, 1994,[12] the factory is located at 3300 W. Sample Street in South Bend in a building that once housed the South Bend Toy Company.[13][14] The factory features 60,000 square feet and produces 500 different varieties of chocolate and candy.[11][6] The factory also features a museum that exhibits a collection of chocolate memorabilia as well as a 1,300 year old Mayan chocolate pot.[15] The Sample St. factory is a regional tourist site that hosts up to 50,000 visitors per year.[16][17] Tarner plans to move the Sample St. operation to a new site on the west side of South Bend in 2024.[7]

Tarner published a children's book in 2003.[18]

According to South Bend Mayor Pete Buttegieg in 2017, Tarner is "is one of the most creative and successful people in South Bend, who believed in South Bend before many other people did".[6]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tarner was forced to lay off 200 employees and suspend operations.[6] Tarner obtained a forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loan from the federal government for $1.7 million to help maintain his employees.[19] Despite the pandemic setback, Tarner has continued plans[20] to establish a new 88 acre operations center just west of the South Bend International Airport close to the exit for US Highway 31.[6][8][19] The center will offer attractions such as the Indiana Dinosaur Museum, hiking and skiing trails, sledding hill, bison conservatory, and wineries and restaurants.[6]

Chocolate & Dinosaurs

In 2004, Mark Tarner took up paleontology as a hobby and has spent summers excavating dinosaur fossils in Montana.[6] Tarner has accumulated many dinosaur discoveries which are stored in his various businesses.[6]

In 2013, Tarner held a press conference to announce his discovery of an Edmontosaurus on a Montana ranch.[21] Tarner and his brother-in-law Steve Bodi were granted rights to excavate the fossil after the discovery of a vertebrae fossil by Montana rancher Steve Curry.[22] The dinosaur skeleton, named Julie after Tarner's wife, features much of its skin intact, a rare discovery and one of only four such found.[21]

Tarner's passion for paleontology and business skills led him to establish the Indiana Dinosaur Museum which will open in 2024.[6][23] The Edmontosaurus, named Julie, is planned to be on display in the new museum.[21]

The Dinosaur Museum will share an atrium with an adjacent chocolate museum.[7] Tarner also plans to move the South Bend Chocolate Company from the Sample St. location to a new home within the museum complex.[7]

See Also

Clay High School

Other Resources

EIU Alumni Spotlight-Mark Tarner

Visit South Bend: South Bend Chocolate Company

South Bend businessman opening dinosaur museum

Mark Tarner, University of Notre Dame Photography

Adventures of a Passionate Paleontologist



Tarner's bio[6][11]


"Harry's Sweet Dream" children's book.[18]

Dinosaur museum[24][25]

South Shore Station[16]

  1. ^ a b Steinweg, Carrie (Nov 17, 2001). "One-Tank Trip: South Bend Chocolate Factory". The Times (Munster, IN). p. 25. Retrieved Apr 24, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Chocolate Museum opens in South Bend". The Call-Leader (Elwood, IN). Oct 16, 2003. p. 5. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b "Locations | South Bend Chocolate Company in IN, MI & OH". South Bend Chocolate Company | Candy Store in IN, MI & OH. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  4. ^ Blanchard, Peter (2023-06-09). "Made in Indiana: Chocolate by South Bend Chocolate Co". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  5. ^ "Chocolate Cafe - Downtown South Bend | South Bend Chocolate Company in IN, MI & OH". South Bend Chocolate Company | Candy Store in IN, MI & OH. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Dame, Marketing Communications: Web | University of Notre (2020-07-07). "Mr. Tarner's Ultimate Candy Shop | Stories | Notre Dame Magazine | University of Notre Dame". Notre Dame Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  7. ^ a b c d "Mark Tarner's dinosaur and chocolate complex near the South Bend airport on target". Yahoo Finance. 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  8. ^ a b Zalusky, Steve. "Good bones — Mark Tarner • Northwest Indiana Business Magazine". Northwest Indiana Business Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  9. ^ "EIU Alumni Spotlight - Mark Tarner". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  10. ^ "About The Museum". Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  11. ^ a b c "Our Story | South Bend Chocolate Company in IN, MI & OH". South Bend Chocolate Company | Candy Store in IN, MI & OH. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  12. ^ Wood, Charles (Oct 12, 1994). "Sweet ideas lead to new sweets shop". The South Bend Tribune. pp. 10, 23. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Karst, Frederick (Nov 17, 2007). "Trip to South Bend a chocolate lover's fantasy". The Times (Munster, IN). p. 32. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "South Bend Toy Company". Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  15. ^ Steinweg, Carrie (Jan 16, 2019). "Explore food options in South Bend". The Times (Munster, IN). pp. C5. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ a b Parrott, Jeff (Dec 5, 2017). "SB Chocolate founder wants South Shore station on his site". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Bertrand, Amy (Feb 23, 2020). "Indiana town offers art, museums, adventure and of course, Notre Dame". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. B9, B10. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ a b Dooley, Kate (Dec 16, 2003). "Businessman follows his dream with book". The South Bend Tribune. pp. C3. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ a b Parrott, Jeff. "South Bend chocolatier says federal aid save him, helped give dream of dinosaur museum new life". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  20. ^ Parrott, Jeff. "Dinosaur museum dream in South Bend collapses...for now". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  21. ^ a b c SHECKLER, CHRISTIAN. "UPDATE: Tarner shows off rare dino section". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  22. ^ "Digging for dinosaurs". Reporter-Times. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  23. ^ Reporter, Lynnette Grant, WSBT 22 (2024-03-06). "A look inside the Indiana Dinosaur Museum". WSBT. Retrieved 2024-04-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ St. Martin, Victoria (May 16, 2019). "Big ideas lead Tarner into the future". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A15-16. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Parrott, Jeff (Apr 12, 2017). "Sweet project near airport". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved Apr 28, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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