Snooks is Folsom's sweetest business

Jim Snook has been making chocolate in Folsom since 1985 and the family business dates all the way back to when his dad, John, started the business in 1963 in Sacramento. Now in his 41st year in Folsom, Snooks Chocolate Factory has been located in the heart of Folsom's Historic District since 2002 and there's no place Snook would rather be working his craft. "I couldn't imagine us being anywhere else," Snook said. "I've had developers over the years try to get us to open a business here or there, but we're focused on doing our best in Folsom. "We're involved with so many good organizations here. It's been quite a ride over 41 years here. Folsom's a great town and we love it." Snooks offers confectionery, fudge, toffee, peanut brittle, caramel, truffles and more. "We've got two fully dedicated enrobing lines, one for milk chocolate and one for dark chocolate," Snook said. "Instead of hand dipping, our chocolates are run through on a belt and it offers a little higher level of production." Almost everyone loves chocolate, but making good chocolate is not easy, but Snook has been doing it for a long time. "I'd say we've been successful for a couple reasons," Snook said. "For one thing, we're open every day except for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We're consistent. A lot of businesses are closed on Mondays for whatever reason, but we're open. Secondly, we produce our product on site so we control every aspect of it. We're not buying chocolate and having it sit somewhere else. That's a huge difference. It makes us have a fast turnover time. "Finally, our customer service is pretty high and I take pride in that. You look at any customer service reviews, whether it be Google, Yelp or Trip Advisor, we rate pretty high." The four big holidays for chocolate and confectionery are Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and Mother's Day, said Snook. The business, however, also offers Gunther's Ice Cream, a part of the business that really picks up in the summertime. "I think Gunther's has been around since 1942 and it's still being made at its original location in Sacramento," Snook said. "It's not commercially made and it's the best ice cream around. We order it and two days later it's here."