PORTLAND, Ore. — Moonstruck Chocolate, the popular Oregon brand of artisan chocolates, is being sold to Chocolate Works, a chocolate manufacturer and distributor based in Freeport, New York.
The new owners will maintain the Moonstruck brand and continue the company's manufacturing operations in Portland, according to Chocolate Works CEO Joe Whaley, but Moonstruck's retail stores will close down in favor of an online and big box retail model preferred by Chocolate Works.
The three retail locations in Beaverton, St. Johns and Northwest 23rd Avenue in Portland will close July 8, according to a press release from Moonstruck. The transaction closed in June, and terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Leading Moonstruck has been the highlight of my professional career,” CEO Russell Sneddon said in a statement. "I am so grateful to our amazing staff and loyal customers who have supported us all these years. We look forward to watching the brand’s growth and transformation under Chocolate Works as the brand expands from a regional favorite to the national stage."
Sneddon and his wife Rachael took ownership of the company in 2020, succeeding previous owners Dave and Sally Bany. The company was founded in 1993, according to its website.
"We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of the Moonstruck Chocolate brand and its assets," Whaley said in a statement. "This acquisition will give us a much-needed West Coast presence to better serve our current and potential customers."
Moonstruck's current manufacturing facility in St. Johns will be closed, but the brand will still be manufactured locally at one of the company's other facilities on Northeast Sandy Boulevard, Whaley said, with all of its local operations consolidated to that site.
Chocolate Works made job offers to many of Moonstruck's manufacturing and office employees, he said, but many retail employees will be laid off.
