ST. LOUIS – With less than a week to go until Easter, many families are on the hunt for chocolate rabbits to put in Easter baskets. The cost of cocoa is rising, but a St. Louis business is creating more to meet the demand.

“This is one of the busiest weeks of the entire year, and it’s double because you have Easter and spring break at the same time,” Andy Karandzieff, owner of Crown Candy Kitchen, said. “So, we’re double-dipping.”

Karandzieff called in reinforcements Monday to speed up the process of creating their signature chocolate rabbits. The family-owned business has been creating these along with chocolate squirrels, Easter eggs, and more since 1913.

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“I’m making pigs, I’m making crosses; I’m filling in the gaps now. The stuff that’s been selling, that we need just a little bit extra of, that’s what this is now,” he said.

Between walk-ins and online orders, the business plans for a busy week ahead.

“I got some eggs but I didn’t realize they did all these hand-poured…that’s really cool,” Katie Byrd, customer, said.

Karandzieff said the store typically sells about 8,000 Easter bunnies, not including any of the other animal-shaped chocolates. Some of the molds are over a century old and from Germany.

“Easter is the biggest and it’s a marathon because we start making Easter candy the end of December,” Karandzieff said.

To view Crown Candy Kitchen’s hours, click here .

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