FORT PIERCE — For generations of Fort Pierce residents, the smell of chocolate along U.S. Highway 1 has been more than a passing indulgence. It has been the sweet aroma of tradition. Bruno Chocolate Creations, often referred to locally as “Bruno’s Chocolate Factory,” has stood as one of the Treasure Coast’s longest-running specialty food businesses, quietly weaving itself into the fabric of the community for over seven decades.
That longevity has made Bruno Chocolate Creations a rare example of a specialty food shop that has endured shifting consumer tastes, economic downturns, and major changes in retail culture.
The origins of Bruno Chocolate Creations trace back to the Bruno family, Evelyn and Carmen, who established the business here in 1952 after receiving formal confectionery training from master chocolatiers associated with the Montreal National Institute of Confectionery…