Jared Whetstone of St. Augustine, Florida comes from a family of chocolatiers. His grandparents founded Whetstone Chocolates in the 1960s. Considered “a modern-day Willy Wonka,” Jared Whetstone is pitching another family business, Atlantic Candy Company, on Shark Tank. Atlantic Candy has the patent to manufacture a hollow chocolate ball with a toy inside. On the website, the product is promoted as “Toy Box” (the toy is a little dog or cat figurine).
Chocolate giant Nestle manufactured a similar product, The Nestle Magic (a hollow chocolate globe with a plastic shell and Disney toy inside), but in 1997 the FDA said it violated the 1938 Food and Drug Act. Atlantic Candy’s chocolate/toy patented product is deemed “a safe product design.” While the Whetstone family owns the U.S. rights to manufacture the chocolate ball with toy inside, Italian chocolate company Ferrero reportedly owns the European rights. In the States, it’s still a waiting game, but you can sign up here for the newsletter that will let you know when the product is available. Shark Tank airs Fridays at 9pm on ABC.
