Lake Champlain Chocolates

Jim Lampman made his first chocolate truffle in 1983 out of a dare. He took it seriously. What started as a single handmade truffle in Burlington, Vermont became Lake Champlain Chocolates — a second-generation, family-owned company that has been making premium chocolates from their Burlington factory ever since.

The family still owns it. That matters in a category where independent chocolate makers get bought up regularly by larger companies looking for premium positioning without the work of building it. Lake Champlain Chocolates has stayed independent, stayed in Vermont, and stayed focused on what they originally set out to do: make chocolate that's worth eating.

Their product line runs from truffles and Five Star Bars (a signature layered bar that has been in production since the early days) to seasonal collections, hot cocoa mixes, and gift assortments. 100% of their chocolate is fair trade certified — a meaningful standard here, not a marketing afterthought. They also work extensively with organic and non-GMO ingredients.

The company is a certified B Corporation, scoring 101.9 on the B Impact Assessment (the median for ordinary businesses is 50.9). Their highest scores are in Community, which includes supply chain management with a specific nod to poverty alleviation through fair trade sourcing. They donate 1% of sales to social and environmental sustainability initiatives and have ongoing partnerships with organizations across Vermont — the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, the Intervale Center's Conservation Nursery, the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, and COTS (homelessness services in Burlington).

They operate retail shops in Burlington and Stowe, which are worth visiting if you're in Vermont. The chocolate is serious — the kind of thing that makes you rethink what you've been buying at the grocery store checkout line.

Products

• Truffles (seasonal and year-round)
• Five Star Bars
• Chocolate bars (dark, milk, white, flavored)
• Peanut butter cups and filled chocolates
• Hot cocoa mixes
• Seasonal collections (holiday, Valentine's, Easter)
• Gift boxes and assortments
• Business gifting

Why We List Them

• Second-generation family-owned Vermont company since 1983
• No corporate acquisition; still independently operated
• Certified B Corporation (101.9 score — double the median for ordinary businesses)
• 100% fair trade certified chocolate
• 1% of sales donated to social/environmental causes
• Organic and Non-GMO options across the product line
• Made in Burlington, Vermont — local jobs, local community investment
• Ships nationwide; retail shops in Burlington and Stowe