The Camellia Chocolates Story

Camellia Chocolates is named for the camellia flower, a symbol of love and devotion. Founder Christine Cole’s beloved grammy grew camellia bushes outside her kitchen window, and she affectionately nicknamed her granddaughter “Camellia Face” for the flowers she saw so many times a day.

Christine Cole has a deep passion for excellent food and drink, easygoing hospitality, and Gene Wilder as the iconic Willy Wonka. In her travels, she has visited many bean-to-bar chocolate makers and happily eaten a lengthy list of chocolate varieties. Christine is known in Columbia, Tennessee, as a cheerful and welcoming face — and she seeks to make hometown craft chocolate accessible to all who wish to enjoy it.

Our Guiding Principles

  • Mission

    Make approachable, delicious, ethical chocolate as simply as possible, with love

  • Vision

    Craft chocolate for all

Our Values

  • SUNSHINE

    Sunshine gives life to plants, people, and the earth. We hold that dearly. Sunshine also means a posture of cheer and generosity. We love what we do, and our community must see us live this value daily.

  • INCLUSIVITY

    Chocolate is for everyone — every single day. We ethically source our ingredients and use direct trade principles whenever available. We help elevate the voices of those who need it. In every interaction and bite of chocolate, we ensure that no person is othered.

  • THE ROAD AHEAD

    To know where we are going, we must know the path we’ve traveled.

    We commit to excellence in the present and continuous improvement in the future.