Press & Media

Hill Country Chocolate Media Room

Everything a reporter, producer, editor, or research assistant needs to write about Hill Country Chocolate — facts, story angles, spokespeople, photography, and a direct line to the founder. No gatekeeper.

Email a media request  ·  (830) 992-3277

Fast facts

  • CompanyHill Country Chocolate
  • Founded2021
  • Headquarters144 Industrial Loop, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
  • What it isA working chocolate factory and tasting room. European-style artisanal bonbons alongside classic American confections.
  • LeadershipDan McCoy, Executive Chocolatier & CEO · Melanie Bopp, Co-Founder
  • Signature programThe Premiere Wine and Chocolate Experience — wine and chocolate pairing, hosted in the tasting room
  • Guest reviews5.0 average on Google — 235 of 240 reviews are five stars
  • Tasting volumeGuided experiences draw hundreds of guests most weekends
  • Also offersChocolate-making classes, brittle workshops, private tastings, corporate gifting, wholesale
  • RecognitionNamed “Best Chocolate Shop” in the 2025 Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post Readers’ Choice awards. The Premiere Wine & Chocolate Experience has been featured in Texas Monthly and D Magazine.
  • Sourcing notePecans bought directly from growers in San Saba, Texas, then long-roasted in house
  • Websitehillcountrychocolate.com

Story angles

Four subjects Hill Country Chocolate can speak to with first-hand experience, not talking points.

A chocolate factory running on AI

Hill Country Chocolate uses AI across recipe development, production planning, marketing and search — and publishes what works and what does not for other small producers. Dan McCoy delivered the keynote at the 2026 Western Candy Association meeting on AI in chocolate and confectionery manufacturing. Few artisan food makers of this size are doing this in the open.

Wine and chocolate pairing, done seriously

Fredericksburg sits at the center of the Texas wine industry. The Premiere Wine and Chocolate Experience pairs handmade bonbons with wines from Texas and around the world, and has drawn guests from across the country. A working answer to how the two are actually paired, not a gimmick.

European technique meets American confection

The same shop makes tempered, hand-finished bonbons and the American classics visitors ask for — fudge, brittle, pecan confections — held to the same standard. The newest example is an artisanal fudge line built chocolate-first and finished with house-roasted Texas pecans.

Small-town manufacturing and Texas food tourism

A destination business in a town of 11,000 that ships nationwide. Useful for stories on Hill Country travel, holiday gift guides, small-batch manufacturing, and how a craft producer competes without scale.

Media contact

Dan McCoy

Executive Chocolatier & CEO, Hill Country Chocolate
dan@hillcountrychocolate.com  ·  (830) 992-3277
144 Industrial Loop, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624

Available for expert commentary, podcast interviews, product features, gift-guide inclusion, and trend pieces on AI in food manufacturing. Interviews, samples, and photography can usually be arranged on short notice.

Areas of expertise

  • Wine and chocolate pairing
  • Craft chocolate
  • Bean-to-bar manufacturing
  • AI for small manufacturing
  • Small business operations
  • Texas food and tourism
  • Gift guides
  • Artisan food marketing

Leadership

Dan McCoy

Executive Chocolatier & CEO

Leads chocolate production and the company’s work applying AI to artisan food manufacturing. Keynote speaker at the 2026 Western Candy Association meeting. Dan is also the founder of RocketTools.io, an AI and healthcare consulting practice — the source of the technical depth behind Hill Country Chocolate’s automation work. He writes regularly on LinkedIn and publishes a Substack newsletter.

Melanie Bopp

Co-Founder

Co-founder of Hill Country Chocolate and co-host of Bean to Business, a weekly podcast for small manufacturers, hospitality operators, and artisan food makers working through modern operations without giving up craft quality.

Recent announcements

  • Hill Country Chocolate Launches Artisanal Fudge Made With House-Roasted Texas Pecans
  • Hill Country Chocolate Debuts the Bacon & Bonbons Experience
  • Hill Country Chocolate Releases 2026 Guide to the Best Chocolate & Wine Tastings in the Texas Hill Country
  • Hill Country Chocolate Launches Brittle Making Workshop After Viral Jalapeño Peanut Brittle Sparks Nationwide Demand
  • Hill Country Chocolate Named ‘Best Chocolate Shop’ in Texas Hill Country
  • Hill Country Chocolate Unveils “Texas Crispy Pecans”

Press kit

These images are cleared for editorial use with credit to Hill Country Chocolate. Need a different angle, higher resolution, or a specific product? Ask and it will be sent the same day.

Handcrafted bonbons plated for the Premiere Wine and Chocolate Experience at Hill Country Chocolate in Fredericksburg, Texas
Premiere Wine and Chocolate Experience
Download JPG
Chocolate pecan fudge cut to show house-roasted Texas pecans set throughout the slab
Chocolate pecan fudge, cut slab
Download JPG
A single square of Hill Country Chocolate pecan fudge topped with long-roasted pecan halves
Chocolate pecan fudge, single square
Download JPG

Download the Hill Country Chocolate logo (PNG, 500×500)

About Hill Country Chocolate

Hill Country Chocolate is an artisanal chocolate maker in historic Fredericksburg, Texas, blending European chocolate-making traditions with regional Hill Country flavors. Founded in 2021, the company operates a working chocolate factory and tasting room on Industrial Loop, producing European-style bonbons alongside classic American confections, and hosting guided wine, chocolate, and pairing experiences.

The company was named “Best Chocolate Shop” in the 2025 Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post Readers’ Choice awards. Its Premiere Wine & Chocolate Experience, which pairs signature bonbons and confections with curated wines from around the world, has been featured in Texas Monthly and D Magazine. The company holds a 5.0 average rating on Google, where 235 of its 240 reviews are five stars.

Beyond chocolate-making, Hill Country Chocolate works openly on applying AI to artisan food manufacturing — recipe development, process optimization, marketing automation and search — and documents practical findings for other small-scale producers.

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