Thompson Brands’ CEO Gene Dunkin reveals how this midsized chocolate novelty company has capitalized on its heritage and its all-natural formulation philosophy.
When Gene Dunkin took over Meriden, Conn.-based Thompson Brands (Thompson Chocolate) more than six years ago, he came to realize that this 137-year-old company was actually still ahead of its time.
“It was clear that Thompson Chocolate’s core go-to-market principal was the delivery of a quality product that was made with all-natural chocolate,” he says. “Our niche was in the more premium segment. We were not the low-cost producer in the chocolate novelty segment. We weren’t going to compete on price like compound chocolate products.”