October is officially the Pink Month. But this year it is also a little bit chocolate brown and very, very delicious. To honor and support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Eric DeHoff – the man behind Bella’s Confections – has created a pink ribbon theme collection of the company’s world famous chocolate fudge. Fifty percent of each purchase – a tin of the Think Pink Fudge retails for $14.95 – will be donated to the Fremont-Rideout Foundation Cancer Center, in Marysville, California, a center that works to help families, as well as patients, with basic needs when they are dealing with the difficulties faced by having loved ones who are stricken by the disease.

I recently had a chance to ask Mr. DeHoff a few questions about his delicious company and his obvious love for that most wonderful of chocolate – the FUDGE!

Chic Today: What made you get into chocolate?

Eric DeHoff: I have always loved chocolate and when my grandmother passed away a few years ago I decided to make her world famous fudge (well, our family at least thought so!) to share with everyone. My grandmother would make it every holiday season and I can still see her by the stove making fudge. Our friends started ordering fudge for gifts around the holidays. From there Bella’s Confections was born. Bella in Italian means beautiful and this is a perfect description to describe my grandmother, so that is how the name came about.

CT: Can you talk a bit about your background?

EDH: My background is in fashion and I pulled a lot of my love for color and clean lines to create the packaging. The tin is white and glossy and the colors of the ribbons and labels add the punch.

CT: Did you always love chocolate as a child?

EDH: Yes! Any type of chocolate was always a favorite treat of mine.

CT: What was the reason behind the Think Pink Campaign for you personally? What do you wish to achieve with it?

EDH: My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer at a late age and survived. Since Bella’s was created in her honor it was a natural choice to create our product with a pink theme. Like so many other companies that support the fight against breast cancer, my goal is to generate donations so a cure can be found. But more importantly, to find a way so that people dealing with this disease can have a great quality of life. This is why we donate 50% to The Fremont-Rideout Center, a local cancer center where I grew up. This center enables patients to have great care with programs on an educational and recreational level. This is where my grandmother went, making it a perfect choice for this year’s charity donation.

CT: Chocolate is probably rated number 1 as the food indulgence people most enjoy. What is your own personal indulgence, something you cannot live without?

EDH: Travel, laughter with my family and friends and – of course – my favorite Bella’s Confections flavor: Peanut Butter Decadence.

Images courtesy of Industry Publicity