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The Chocolate Maker Who Built a $20 Million Dinosaur Museum | Mark Tarner, South Bend Chocolate Company & Indiana Dinosaur Museum
On today's show I sat down with Mark Tarner, founder of the South Bend Chocolate Company and the Indiana Dinosaur Museum in South Bend. Tarner grew up in Leesburg, moved to South Bend at 13, and learned candy-making from his father before leaving his dad's business at 28 to build a branded, higher-quality chocolate company. The South Bend Chocolate Company got its start in 1991 beginning with three Notre Dame licensed chocolates called the Domer, the Rockne and Nuts for ND. Three years later it became incorporated and today has 16 company-owned stores in northern Indiana, franchise locations in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, and produces over 500 different chocolates and sweets that are available in stores nationwide. Tarner also explains how his dinosaur passion began with his daughter, leading to 13 years of fossil work out West and ultimately a museum complex built on 11 land parcels over 10–15 years, including a COVID-era crisis where city support helped keep the vision alive. If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast. You are going to learn about: - The Founding and Growth of the South Bend Chocolate Company - How Fossil Work out West Led to the Indiana Dinosaur Museum in South Bend - How Discipline, Character, Community and Leaps of Faith Intertwine Thank you to our partners: NCW J.C. Hart Company Check out these great clips from the show: 00:00 Visionary Cold Open 01:16 Guest Introduction: Mark Tarner, South Bend Chocolate Company & Indiana Dinosaur Museum 02:17 Small Town Roots 03:04 Basketball College Path 03:41 Learning Candy Trade 04:46 Notre Dame Licensed Chocolates 06:23 Leaving Dad Starting Brand 09:30 Early Grind No Paycheck 10:53 Entrepreneur Mindset Failure 11:55 First Customers Night Factory 13:11 Never Satisfied Work Life 17:51 First Factory Mall Boom 19:20 Reinvesting In South Bend 20:50 Adapting To Retail Shifts 22:39 Branding Lessons Private Label 23:57 Dinosaur Obsession Begins 25:43 Camp Possible Commitment 27:17 Explorers Club Community 27:29 Midwest Obsession Ethic 28:11 Vision For The Campus 30:41 Risk And Modest Living 31:47 Marriage And Mission 34:00 COVID Crisis City Support 36:32 Reinventing The Museum 38:07 Conviction Over Passion 39:51 Digging Out West 42:13 Discipline And Character 43:41 Legacy And Indiana Pride 45:12 Leap Of Faith Advice 45:51 State Fair Branding Stories 47:02 Chocolate Cherry Taste Test 48:44 Willy Wonka Morality 53:30 Indiana Hidden Gems Get IN. is brought to you by our friends at Sweetwater. Whether you are looking to start a podcast or level up your current show you need to hit them up.
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