LEADIN:

24-Karat gold-painted chocolate bunnies, sky-high Easter cakes and designer milkshakes.

It could only be Easter Los Angeles style.

STORYLINE:

This year, chocolatiers and candy makers in Los Angeles are pulling out all the stops in order to make the Easter holidays that little bit more luxurious.

A twenty-four-Karat gold eggs is trending this years, as are artisan, hand-crafted chocolates are quite a trend in L.A.??According to the National Confectioner's Association (NCA), around 90 percent of Easter baskets will include chocolate or candy of some kind this year.??Todd Johnson, the CEO of Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, claims the Easter trends started here are adopted round the globe.??"Many different cultures want to have sweets at this time of the year and certainly in Los Angeles and L.A. and Beverly Hills are just big trendsetters for this," he says. ??"And chocolates and crepes and all these flavours and sugars and fantastic, unique, put together items are so big in this area and they're starting to spread not only throughout Los Angeles, but throughout the whole country and the world."??Here at Compartés Chocolates, a hip chocolate store in Los Angeles, gourmet chocolates are made from scratch by hand every day.??The store has become known for fusing chocolate with art, style, design and fashion.??It makes these handcrafted 24-Karat gold-covered chocolate Easter bunnies and gold-covered baskets.??But it's not just Easter treats, there are also these chocolate-dipped matzos for those celebrating Passover.??"We always have to do something special, something unique," says Jonathan Grahm, the founder and owner of Compartés Chocolates. ??"Create chocolate as art. Create an experience. Being in Los Angeles, we also want out chocolates to look like they're from Los Angeles. We have tons of celebrities. Everything here is decked out in gold and Bentleys and Rolls Royce, so you have to have the Rolls Royce of chocolate."??Le Mervetty Beverly Hills is a 19th century-inspired gourmet French pastry shop - it specialises in cloud-like meringue treats.??The designer milkshakes here feature Easter bunnies and matzo.??The extravagant 'shakes' are made using whipped cream, fresh raspberries, ice cream, milk and sweet sprinkles. They're priced at $16 USD.??The milkshakes are offered alongside these elaborate Easter cakes made solely from meringue, priced at $150 USD.??The Passover Matzo milkshake and Matzo Passover meringue cake are popular options for those aiming to avoid flour this Easter.??This year's Easter slogan for Beverly Hills candy maker, Sugarfina is 'Sun's Out, Buns Out.'??Manager Maritza Murguia says this year they've created miniature golden truffle eggs and marzipan eggs.??There's also a Springtime Candy Bento Box that boasts nine different boxes of eggs, plus designer bunny gummy bears.

?"Our Easter candy for 2017 is really over the top," says Murguia. ??"This is Beverly Hills, so we like to do things in a more luxurious, sophisticated manner and that's really what we stand out for here. So, just to give you an example of that, we have our Sun's Out, Buns Out fluffy bunny tails which are these little fluffy marshmallow strawberry flavoured gummies and they're just amazing and delicious. They're covered in this beautiful gold foil packaging. We also have our 24-Karat gold swizzle sticks, which is rock candy, but covered in 24-Karat gold flakes, so really just luxurious and over the top, perfect for Beverly Hills."??Diane Krön Chocolatier in Beverly Hills is offering creative paper rose gift boxes to fill with a combination of chocolates chosen by the customer. They're priced at $130 USD.??The business began back in the 1970's and soon became a well-known luxury name.??The company claims devoted clients over the years have included First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, artist Andy Warhol, actress Katharine Hepburn, Henry Ford and Estee Lauder.

This year, some of its Easter bunnies are made from solid milk and dark chocolate. ??Elsewhere, there are Easter and chicken themed bags filled with chocolate Easter eggs and various individual chocolates.

Los Angeles, US - 8 April 2017??1. Wide of 24-Karat bunnies at Compartés Chocolates?2. Mid of gold dusted and painted chocolate bunnies ?3. Close of 24-Karat gold powder in jars with brushes ??Associated Press ?Beverly Hills, US - 8 April 2017??4. Close of 24-Karat gold rock candy swizzle sticks at Sugarfina ?5. Wide of designer meringue Easter cakes at Le Mervetty Beverly Hills, employee wearing Easter bunny ears?6. Mid of meringue Easter cakes at Le Mervetty Beverly Hills?7. Tilt up of Le Mervetty Easter milkshake?8. Setup shot of Todd Johnson, CEO of Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, walking?9. Wide of woman and employee in Sugarfina ?10. Wide of candy concierge at Sugarfina ?11. SOUNDBITE (English) Todd Johnson, CEO of Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce:?"Many different cultures want to have sweets at this time of the year and certainly in Los Angeles and L.A. and Beverly Hills are just big trendsetters for this. And chocolates and crepes and all these flavours and sugars and fantastic, unique, put together items are so big in this area and they're starting to spread not only throughout Los Angeles, but throughout the whole country and the world."

Associated Press ?Los Angeles, US - 8 April 2017??12. Wide of Compartés Chocolates exterior?13. Setup shot of Jonathon Grahm, Owner of Compartés Chocolates, speaking with customers ?14. Mid of two chocolate baskets?15. Close of dark chocolate basket ?16. Wide of chocolate artist painting gold on chocolate bunny?17. Close of artist painting gold on bunny?18. Mid of two chocolate gold bunnies?19. Wide pan of tray with Easter graffiti chocolate bars and marshmallow Easter bunnies?20. Mid of matzo chocolate covered with raw ingredients ?21. Tilt down of matzo being placed into melted chocolate?22. High shot of matzo being flipped in chocolate mixer?23. Close of matzo being pulled from mixer dipped in chocolate ?24. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Grahm, Owner of Compartés Chocolates, Los Angeles: ?"We always have to do something special, something unique. Create chocolate as art. Create an experience. Being in Los Angeles, we also want our chocolates to look like they're from Los Angeles. We have tons of celebrities. Everything here is decked out in gold and Bentleys and Rolls Royce, so you have to have the Rolls Royce of chocolate."??Associated Press ?Beverly Hills, US - 8 April 2017??25. Mid of window of Le Mervetty Beverly Hills with Easter milkshakes?26. Wide of interior with customer?27. Tilt down from chandelier to owner Etty Benhamou creating meringue?28. Mid of man sipping milkshake ?29. Close of meringue Easter cake ?30. Pull out of employee prepping Easter milkshake by putting icing on side of glass?31. Close of milkshake glass being rolled in tiny candy balls?32. High shot of milk being poured into blender?33. Mid of Easter cake and Easter milkshake?34. Close of Passover milkshake?35. Tilt down of matzo cake with chocolate covered matzo and gold sprinkles ?36. Wide of Sugarfina exterior?37. Mid of Sugarfina window with 'Sun's Out, Buns Out' sign?38. Pull out of Sugarfina interior?39. Mid of 24-Karat gold swizzle sticks?40. Tilt down to Easter Gummy Bears?41. Wide of sour strawberry marshmallow Easter Gummy Bears?42. Setup shot of Maritza Murguia, Manager of Sugarfina, Beverly Hills ?43. Close of golden truffle eggs in box?44. Close of marzipan eggs in box ?45. Close of robin's egg caramels in box?46. Tilt down to Candy Bento Box?47. SOUNDBITE (English) Maritza Murguia, Manager of Sugarfina, Beverly Hills: ?"Our Easter candy for 2017 is really over the top. This is Beverly Hills, so we like to do things in a more luxurious,sophisticated manner and that's really what we stand out for here. So, just to give you an example of that, we have our Sun's Out, Buns Out fluffy bunny tails which are these little fluffy marshmallow strawberry flavoured gummies and they're just amazing and delicious. They're covered in this beautiful gold foil packaging. We also have our 24-Karat gold swizzle sticks, which is rock candy, but covered in 24-Karat gold flakes, so really just luxurious and over the top, perfect for Beverly Hills."??48. Mid of Diane Krön Chocolatier exterior in Beverly Hills?49. Mid of rose flower Easter treats box?50. Wide of interior, clerk serving client Easter chocolates?51. Mid of client trying chocolate samples?52. Close of framed People magazine cover with Jacqueline Kennedy who liked Diane Krön Chocolatier truffles ?53. Tilt down of rose Easter boxes?54. Wide of rose Easter boxes and Easter eggs?55. Close of milk and dark chocolate 'solid' Easter bunnies ?56. Pull out from Easter bag to store shelves ?57. Close of chicken Easter basket ??

US: LUXURY EASTER TREATS??SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS??RESTRICTIONS: AP CLIENTS ONLY??LENGTH: 5.45??SHOTLIST:??Associated Press ?Los Angeles, US - 8 April 2017??1. Wide of 24-Karat bunnies at Compartés Chocolates?2. Mid of gold dusted and painted chocolate bunnies ?3. Close of 24-Karat gold powder in jars with brushes ??Associated Press ?Beverly Hills, US - 8 April 2017??4. Close of 24-Karat gold rock candy swizzle sticks at Sugarfina ?5. Wide of designer meringue Easter cakes at Le Mervetty Beverly Hills, employee wearing Easter bunny ears?6. Mid of meringue Easter cakes at Le Mervetty Beverly Hills?7. Tilt up of Le Mervetty Easter milkshake?8. Setup shot of Todd Johnson, CEO of Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, walking?9. Wide of woman and employee in Sugarfina ?10. Wide of candy concierge at Sugarfina ?11. SOUNDBITE (English) Todd Johnson, CEO of Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce:?"Many different cultures want to have sweets at this time of the year and certainly in Los Angeles and L.A. and Beverly Hills are just big trendsetters for this. And chocolates and crepes and all these flavours and sugars and fantastic, unique, put together items are so big in this area and they're starting to spread not only throughout Los Angeles, but throughout the whole country and the world."

Associated Press ?Los Angeles, US - 8 April 2017??12. Wide of Compartés Chocolates exterior?13. Setup shot of Jonathon Grahm, Owner of Compartés Chocolates, speaking with customers ?14. Mid of two chocolate baskets?15. Close of dark chocolate basket ?16. Wide of chocolate artist painting gold on chocolate bunny?17. Close of artist painting gold on bunny?18. Mid of two chocolate gold bunnies?19. Wide pan of tray with Easter graffiti chocolate bars and marshmallow Easter bunnies?20. Mid of matzo chocolate covered with raw ingredients ?21. Tilt down of matzo being placed into melted chocolate?22. High shot of matzo being flipped in chocolate mixer?23. Close of matzo being pulled from mixer dipped in chocolate ?24. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Grahm, Owner of Compartés Chocolates, Los Angeles: ?"We always have to do something special, something unique. Create chocolate as art. Create an experience. Being in Los Angeles, we also want our chocolates to look like they're from Los Angeles. We have tons of celebrities. Everything here is decked out in gold and Bentleys and Rolls Royce, so you have to have the Rolls Royce of chocolate."??Associated Press ?Beverly Hills, US - 8 April 2017??25. Mid of window of Le Mervetty Beverly Hills with Easter milkshakes?26. Wide of interior with customer?27. Tilt down from chandelier to owner Etty Benhamou creating meringue?28. Mid of man sipping milkshake ?29. Close of meringue Easter cake ?30. Pull out of employee prepping Easter milkshake by putting icing on side of glass?31. Close of milkshake glass being rolled in tiny candy balls?32. High shot of milk being poured into blender?33. Mid of Easter cake and Easter milkshake?34. Close of Passover milkshake?35. Tilt down of matzo cake with chocolate covered matzo and gold sprinkles ?36. Wide of Sugarfina exterior?37. Mid of Sugarfina window with 'Sun's Out, Buns Out' sign?38. Pull out of Sugarfina interior?39. Mid of 24-Karat gold swizzle sticks?40. Tilt down to Easter Gummy Bears?41. Wide of sour strawberry marshmallow Easter Gummy Bears?42. Setup shot of Maritza Murguia, Manager of Sugarfina, Beverly Hills ?43. Close of golden truffle eggs in box?44. Close of marzipan eggs in box ?45. Close of robin's egg caramels in box?46. Tilt down to Candy Bento Box?47. SOUNDBITE (English) Maritza Murguia, Manager of Sugarfina, Beverly Hills: ?"Our Easter candy for 2017 is really over the top. This is Beverly Hills, so we like to do things in a more luxurious,sophisticated manner and that's really what we stand out for here. So, just to give you an example of that, we have our Sun's Out, Buns Out fluffy bunny tails which are these little fluffy marshmallow strawberry flavoured gummies and they're just amazing and delicious. They're covered in this beautiful gold foil packaging. We also have our 24-Karat gold swizzle sticks, which is rock candy, but covered in 24-Karat gold flakes, so really just luxurious and over the top, perfect for Beverly Hills."??48. Mid of Diane Krön Chocolatier exterior in Beverly Hills?49. Mid of rose flower Easter treats box?50. Wide of interior, clerk serving client Easter chocolates?51. Mid of client trying chocolate samples?52. Close of framed People magazine cover with Jacqueline Kennedy who liked Diane Krön Chocolatier truffles ?53. Tilt down of rose Easter boxes?54. Wide of rose Easter boxes and Easter eggs?55. Close of milk and dark chocolate 'solid' Easter bunnies ?56. Pull out from Easter bag to store shelves ?57. Close of chicken Easter basket ??LEADIN:

24-Karat gold-painted chocolate bunnies, sky-high Easter cakes and designer milkshakes.

It could only be Easter Los Angeles style.

STORYLINE:

This year, chocolatiers and candy makers in Los Angeles are pulling out all the stops in order to make the Easter holidays that little bit more luxurious.

A twenty-four-Karat gold eggs is trending this years, as are artisan, hand-crafted chocolates are quite a trend in L.A.??According to the National Confectioner's Association (NCA), around 90 percent of Easter baskets will include chocolate or candy of some kind this year.??Todd Johnson, the CEO of Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, claims the Easter trends started here are adopted round the globe.??"Many different cultures want to have sweets at this time of the year and certainly in Los Angeles and L.A. and Beverly Hills are just big trendsetters for this," he says. ??"And chocolates and crepes and all these flavours and sugars and fantastic, unique, put together items are so big in this area and they're starting to spread not only throughout Los Angeles, but throughout the whole country and the world."??Here at Compartés Chocolates, a hip chocolate store in Los Angeles, gourmet chocolates are made from scratch by hand every day.??The store has become known for fusing chocolate with art, style, design and fashion.??It makes these handcrafted 24-Karat gold-covered chocolate Easter bunnies and gold-covered baskets.??But it's not just Easter treats, there are also these chocolate-dipped matzos for those celebrating Passover.??"We always have to do something special, something unique," says Jonathan Grahm, the founder and owner of Compartés Chocolates. ??"Create chocolate as art. Create an experience. Being in Los Angeles, we also want out chocolates to look like they're from Los Angeles. We have tons of celebrities. Everything here is decked out in gold and Bentleys and Rolls Royce, so you have to have the Rolls Royce of chocolate."??Le Mervetty Beverly Hills is a 19th century-inspired gourmet French pastry shop - it specialises in cloud-like meringue treats.??The designer milkshakes here feature Easter bunnies and matzo.??The extravagant 'shakes' are made using whipped cream, fresh raspberries, ice cream, milk and sweet sprinkles. They're priced at $16 USD.??The milkshakes are offered alongside these elaborate Easter cakes made solely from meringue, priced at $150 USD.??The Passover Matzo milkshake and Matzo Passover meringue cake are popular options for those aiming to avoid flour this Easter.??This year's Easter slogan for Beverly Hills candy maker, Sugarfina is 'Sun's Out, Buns Out.'??Manager Maritza Murguia says this year they've created miniature golden truffle eggs and marzipan eggs.??There's also a Springtime Candy Bento Box that boasts nine different boxes of eggs, plus designer bunny gummy bears.

?"Our Easter candy for 2017 is really over the top," says Murguia. ??"This is Beverly Hills, so we like to do things in a more luxurious, sophisticated manner and that's really what we stand out for here. So, just to give you an example of that, we have our Sun's Out, Buns Out fluffy bunny tails which are these little fluffy marshmallow strawberry flavoured gummies and they're just amazing and delicious. They're covered in this beautiful gold foil packaging. We also have our 24-Karat gold swizzle sticks, which is rock candy, but covered in 24-Karat gold flakes, so really just luxurious and over the top, perfect for Beverly Hills."??Diane Krön Chocolatier in Beverly Hills is offering creative paper rose gift boxes to fill with a combination of chocolates chosen by the customer. They're priced at $130 USD.??The business began back in the 1970's and soon became a well-known luxury name.??The company claims devoted clients over the years have included First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, artist Andy Warhol, actress Katharine Hepburn, Henry Ford and Estee Lauder.

This year, some of its Easter bunnies are made from solid milk and dark chocolate. ??Elsewhere, there are Easter and chicken themed bags filled with chocolate Easter eggs and various individual chocolates.

====

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LEADIN:

Chocolatiers across Beverly Hills and Hollywood are gearing up for Easter with their latest, high-end creations.

It comes as annual global chocolate sales are expected to top more than 100 billion US dollars for the first time.

STORYLINE:

Easter is fast approaching, a time for chocolatiers to bring out their most impressive and expensive creations.

And in Beverly Hills and Hollywood, the Easter delights are at their most luxurious.

From 18 karat gold bunnies to Jackson Pollock-inspired eggs, there is plenty to tempt customers, as long as they've got a budget to match.

Ed Engoron, President and CEO of Perspectives/The Consulting Group, an international food and restaurant consulting firm, says chocolate sales are at an all time high worldwide:

"Well the chocolate industry right now is very exciting both for consumers and processors because we are going broach over 100 billion dollars this year and that's the first time. That's up about 8 percent in the last 10 years. The Swiss continue to consume the most chocolate and that's right about 10 kilos a year. The Austrians and the Germans follow very closely behind and that is about 9 kilos a year and America is right around, somewhere around 5 kilos a year," he says.

The market research agency Statista says that increased consumption from India, China and Asian Pacific countries is driving the industry, as those consumers grow more accustomed to 'Western' tastes, along with a belief in the health benefits of eating dark chocolate.

The appetite for chocolate has been growing so much that analysts predict a 30 percent increase in global cocoa demand by 2020.

Edelweiss Chocolates of Beverly Hills has been a chocolate institution since 1942.

During the golden Age of Hollywood, it catered to Hollywood royalty, including the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Katherine Hepburn.

The store is filled with handmade premium artisan chocolates, made using traditional techniques and sold in Hollywood and abroad.

Owned by the Zahir family, Edelweiss has enjoyed a unique place in the fabric of Beverly Hills history for many years.

Lucille Ball was a regular customer of Edelweiss and used to enter through the backdoor, passing the conveyor belt.

Rumour has it the infamous chocolate conveyer belt episode in I Love Lucy was inspired by Edelweiss.

Danny Zahirpour, the creative director and head chocolatier, says vibrant colours on chocolate eggs are the big trend this year.

In line with that trend, he's created a modern speckled painted Easter egg made from scratch with a splatter technique.

Each cost 59.95 US Dollars and are in big demand this season.

"They are hand molded and we speckle them with coloured coco butter by hand so it's almost like a handpainted design," he says.

"Think about Jackson Pollack, splattering the paint on the molds. Then we shell the egg and then we demold them and put them together in a 3D fashion and then they stand on a platform and then they are boxed with a beautiful Spring ribbon."

He also hand brushes and paints 18-karat gold chocolate bunnies which sell for 24.95 US Dollars each.

He says Easter is a time people will spend more money on fine, handcrafted chocolates.

Katherine Spiers, food critic at KCRW, NPR public radio agrees.

"People like to eat fancy chocolate around Easter. This is the holiday where you will see people spending more of their money on the high-end chocolates so the expensive chocolatiers are going to see a big bump in business around Easter compared to say Valentine's Day and Halloween," she says.

Kelly Green and John Kelson (aka John Kelly Chocolates) cater to Hollywood's elite and are known for some of the finest chocolates.

They specialise in handmade, ultra luxurious gift boxes and presentations, making their chocolates with natural ingredients in small batches.

One of their most popular items at Easter is the combined dark and milk chocolate bunnies in small round gift boxes (10.50 US Dollars for two bunnies).

They say they sell thousands of these bunnies each Easter.

Kelson says artisan, high quality chocolates are the biggest growing segment and are hugely popular with corporate Hollywood and VIPS.

"We have a big celebrity clientele. We're located in the heart of Hollywood in Los Angeles. I mean you can't get anymore in the centre of entertainment that that. So we do a lot of business with the studios. We have a lot of celebrities that do come directly to our stores and buy from us," he says.

Kelson says their business keeps growing and there is always a peak in business around holiday times.

He says e-commerce is also growing in leaps and bounds as people want the convenience of shopping online.

Beverly Hills, California, US - 15 March 2018

1. Pull out of Easter eggs and chocolates

2. Various of Easter eggs and chocolates

3. Close of spinning chocolate on enrober

4. Pull out from picture on wall to wide of assembly line cooling tunnel

5. Close of Easter chocolates moving along assembly line

6. Various of Easter candy designs being placed on chocolates

7. Set up of Ed Engoron, President and CEO of Perspectives/The Consulting Group

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ed Engoron, President and CEO of Perspectives/The Consulting Group:

"Well the chocolate industry right now is very exciting both for consumers and processors because we are going broach over 100 billion dollars this year and that's the first time. That's up about 8 percent in the last 10 years. The Swiss continue to consume about the most chocolate and that's right about 10 kilos a year. The Austrians and the Germans follow very closely behind and that is about 9 kilos a year and America is right around, somewhere around 5 kilos a year."

9. Pull out of Edelweiss Chocolates exterior

10. Close of Edelweiss Candy Kitchen sign

11. Wide interior with customer buying Easter bunnies

12. Wide tilt down of Easter chocolates on shelves

13. Mid of Easter baskets on shelves

14. Wide of Zahir family working on chocolates in kitchen

15. Pull out of Danny Zahirpour, Creative Director and head chocolatier, Edelweiss Chocolates

16. Wide of the hand painted speckled eggs

17. Various of Zahirpour splattering colouring into speckled egg molds

18. Pull out of chocolate being poured in speckled egg mold

19. Mid of Zahirpour flipping mold and tapping out excess chocolate

20. Mid of Zahirpour scraping excess chocolate from speckled egg mold

21. Wide tilt up of Zahirpour putting two speckled eggs halves together

22. Close of sealed speckled egg completed

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Zahirpour, creative director and head chocolatier, Edelweiss Chocolates:

"This year for us we are doing something new, we are doing our handmade speckled eggs. They are about 7 inches long and they are hand molded and we speckle them with coloured coco butter by hand so it's almost like a hand painted design. Think about Jackson Pollack, splattering the paint on the molds. And then we shell the egg and then we demold them and put them together in a 3D fashion and then they stand on a platform and then they are boxed with a beautiful spring ribbon."

24. Mid of gold chocolate bunny and gold egg

25. Close of gold chocolate egg

26. Various of Zahirpour hand creating gold chocolate bunny

West Hollywood, California, US - 15 March, 2018

27. Pull out of Katherine Spiers, food critic at KCRW, NPR public radio

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Katherine Spiers, food critic at KCRW, NPR public radio:

"People like to eat fancy chocolate around Easter. This is the holiday where you will see people spending more of their money on the high-end chocolates so the expensive chocolatiers are going to see a big bump in business around Easter compared to say Valentine's Day and Halloween where people are buying sort of more inexpensive chocolate candy, which might come in a bulk bag, that sort of thing. It's less elegant than Easter chocolate."

29. Pull out of John Kelly Chocolates exterior

30. Close of John Kelly Chocolates sandwich board

31. Pull out of interior

32. Wide of John Kelson with client offering chocolate sample

33. Close of client eating Easter chocolate sample

34. Mid pan of framed press articles

35. Wide of shelves with chocolate boxes

36. Close of milk chocolate bunnies gift box

37. Pan of dark and milk chocolate bunnies on trays

38. Close dark and milk chocolate bunnies on trays

39. Wide of John Kelson, Kelly Green and chocolatier working in kitchen

40. Wide of John and Kelly preparing Easter bunnies

41. Mid of three Easter gift boxes

42. Mid of awards and Tower gift boxes

43. Close of 24 piece Assortment Boxes

44. Set up of John Kelson, CEO and co-owner of John Kelly Chocolates

45. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelson, CEO and co-owner of John Kelly Chocolates:

"We have a big celebrity clientele. We're located in the heart of Hollywood in Los Angeles. I mean you can't get more in the centre of entertainment that that. So we do a lot of business with the studios. We have a lot of celebrities that do come directly to our stores and buy from us."

46. Wide of chocolate conveyer belt

47. Mid of chocolatier putting chocolate on conveyer belt

48. Close of melted chocolate

49. Close of chocolates on conveyer belt

US EASTER CHOCOLATE

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6:29

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Beverly Hills, California, US - 15 March 2018

1. Pull out of Easter eggs and chocolates

2. Various of Easter eggs and chocolates

3. Close of spinning chocolate on enrober

4. Pull out from picture on wall to wide of assembly line cooling tunnel

5. Close of Easter chocolates moving along assembly line

6. Various of Easter candy designs being placed on chocolates

7. Set up of Ed Engoron, President and CEO of Perspectives/The Consulting Group

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ed Engoron, President and CEO of Perspectives/The Consulting Group:

"Well the chocolate industry right now is very exciting both for consumers and processors because we are going broach over 100 billion dollars this year and that's the first time. That's up about 8 percent in the last 10 years. The Swiss continue to consume about the most chocolate and that's right about 10 kilos a year. The Austrians and the Germans follow very closely behind and that is about 9 kilos a year and America is right around, somewhere around 5 kilos a year."

9. Pull out of Edelweiss Chocolates exterior

10. Close of Edelweiss Candy Kitchen sign

11. Wide interior with customer buying Easter bunnies

12. Wide tilt down of Easter chocolates on shelves

13. Mid of Easter baskets on shelves

14. Wide of Zahir family working on chocolates in kitchen

15. Pull out of Danny Zahirpour, Creative Director and head chocolatier, Edelweiss Chocolates

16. Wide of the hand painted speckled eggs

17. Various of Zahirpour splattering colouring into speckled egg molds

18. Pull out of chocolate being poured in speckled egg mold

19. Mid of Zahirpour flipping mold and tapping out excess chocolate

20. Mid of Zahirpour scraping excess chocolate from speckled egg mold

21. Wide tilt up of Zahirpour putting two speckled eggs halves together

22. Close of sealed speckled egg completed

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Zahirpour, creative director and head chocolatier, Edelweiss Chocolates:

"This year for us we are doing something new, we are doing our handmade speckled eggs. They are about 7 inches long and they are hand molded and we speckle them with coloured coco butter by hand so it's almost like a hand painted design. Think about Jackson Pollack, splattering the paint on the molds. And then we shell the egg and then we demold them and put them together in a 3D fashion and then they stand on a platform and then they are boxed with a beautiful spring ribbon."

24. Mid of gold chocolate bunny and gold egg

25. Close of gold chocolate egg

26. Various of Zahirpour hand creating gold chocolate bunny

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

West Hollywood, California, US - 15 March, 2018

27. Pull out of Katherine Spiers, food critic at KCRW, NPR public radio

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Katherine Spiers, food critic at KCRW, NPR public radio:

"People like to eat fancy chocolate around Easter. This is the holiday where you will see people spending more of their money on the high-end chocolates so the expensive chocolatiers are going to see a big bump in business around Easter compared to say Valentine's Day and Halloween where people are buying sort of more inexpensive chocolate candy, which might come in a bulk bag, that sort of thing. It's less elegant than Easter chocolate."

29. Pull out of John Kelly Chocolates exterior

30. Close of John Kelly Chocolates sandwich board

31. Pull out of interior

32. Wide of John Kelson with client offering chocolate sample

33. Close of client eating Easter chocolate sample

34. Mid pan of framed press articles

35. Wide of shelves with chocolate boxes

36. Close of milk chocolate bunnies gift box

37. Pan of dark and milk chocolate bunnies on trays

38. Close dark and milk chocolate bunnies on trays

39. Wide of John Kelson, Kelly Green and chocolatier working in kitchen

40. Wide of John and Kelly preparing Easter bunnies

41. Mid of three Easter gift boxes

42. Mid of awards and Tower gift boxes

43. Close of 24 piece Assortment Boxes

44. Set up of John Kelson, CEO and co-owner of John Kelly Chocolates

45. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelson, CEO and co-owner of John Kelly Chocolates:

"We have a big celebrity clientele. We're located in the heart of Hollywood in Los Angeles. I mean you can't get more in the centre of entertainment that that. So we do a lot of business with the studios. We have a lot of celebrities that do come directly to our stores and buy from us."

46. Wide of chocolate conveyer belt

47. Mid of chocolatier putting chocolate on conveyer belt

48. Close of melted chocolate

49. Close of chocolates on conveyer belt

LEADIN:

Chocolatiers across Beverly Hills and Hollywood are gearing up for Easter with their latest, high-end creations.

It comes as annual global chocolate sales are expected to top more than 100 billion US dollars for the first time.

STORYLINE:

Easter is fast approaching, a time for chocolatiers to bring out their most impressive and expensive creations.

And in Beverly Hills and Hollywood, the Easter delights are at their most luxurious.

From 18 karat gold bunnies to Jackson Pollock-inspired eggs, there is plenty to tempt customers, as long as they've got a budget to match.

Ed Engoron, President and CEO of Perspectives/The Consulting Group, an international food and restaurant consulting firm, says chocolate sales are at an all time high worldwide:

"Well the chocolate industry right now is very exciting both for consumers and processors because we are going broach over 100 billion dollars this year and that's the first time. That's up about 8 percent in the last 10 years. The Swiss continue to consume the most chocolate and that's right about 10 kilos a year. The Austrians and the Germans follow very closely behind and that is about 9 kilos a year and America is right around, somewhere around 5 kilos a year," he says.

The market research agency Statista says that increased consumption from India, China and Asian Pacific countries is driving the industry, as those consumers grow more accustomed to 'Western' tastes, along with a belief in the health benefits of eating dark chocolate.

The appetite for chocolate has been growing so much that analysts predict a 30 percent increase in global cocoa demand by 2020.

Edelweiss Chocolates of Beverly Hills has been a chocolate institution since 1942.

During the golden Age of Hollywood, it catered to Hollywood royalty, including the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Katherine Hepburn.

The store is filled with handmade premium artisan chocolates, made using traditional techniques and sold in Hollywood and abroad.

Owned by the Zahir family, Edelweiss has enjoyed a unique place in the fabric of Beverly Hills history for many years.

Lucille Ball was a regular customer of Edelweiss and used to enter through the backdoor, passing the conveyor belt.

Rumour has it the infamous chocolate conveyer belt episode in I Love Lucy was inspired by Edelweiss.

Danny Zahirpour, the creative director and head chocolatier, says vibrant colours on chocolate eggs are the big trend this year.

In line with that trend, he's created a modern speckled painted Easter egg made from scratch with a splatter technique.

Each cost 59.95 US Dollars and are in big demand this season.

"They are hand molded and we speckle them with coloured coco butter by hand so it's almost like a handpainted design," he says.

"Think about Jackson Pollack, splattering the paint on the molds. Then we shell the egg and then we demold them and put them together in a 3D fashion and then they stand on a platform and then they are boxed with a beautiful Spring ribbon."

He also hand brushes and paints 18-karat gold chocolate bunnies which sell for 24.95 US Dollars each.

He says Easter is a time people will spend more money on fine, handcrafted chocolates.

Katherine Spiers, food critic at KCRW, NPR public radio agrees.

"People like to eat fancy chocolate around Easter. This is the holiday where you will see people spending more of their money on the high-end chocolates so the expensive chocolatiers are going to see a big bump in business around Easter compared to say Valentine's Day and Halloween," she says.

Kelly Green and John Kelson (aka John Kelly Chocolates) cater to Hollywood's elite and are known for some of the finest chocolates.

They specialise in handmade, ultra luxurious gift boxes and presentations, making their chocolates with natural ingredients in small batches.

One of their most popular items at Easter is the combined dark and milk chocolate bunnies in small round gift boxes (10.50 US Dollars for two bunnies).

They say they sell thousands of these bunnies each Easter.

Kelson says artisan, high quality chocolates are the biggest growing segment and are hugely popular with corporate Hollywood and VIPS.

"We have a big celebrity clientele. We're located in the heart of Hollywood in Los Angeles. I mean you can't get anymore in the centre of entertainment that that. So we do a lot of business with the studios. We have a lot of celebrities that do come directly to our stores and buy from us," he says.

Kelson says their business keeps growing and there is always a peak in business around holiday times.

He says e-commerce is also growing in leaps and bounds as people want the convenience of shopping online.

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LEADIN:

North America's chocolate market is growing and this Easter luxury chocolate stores are cashing in.

They're offering traditional and modern hand-painted eggs at hundreds of dollars, flavoured with organic ingredients such as rose petal, verbena and champagne.

STORYLINE:

LA's luxury chocolate stores are gearing up for the Easter holidays with a range of tempting treats.

This year, about eight in ten U.S. adults plan to celebrate, spending an average of $151 USD per person, on everything from candy and clothing, to cards and flowers, according to a report by the country's National Retail Federation.

Total spending on Easter in the United States is projected to hit $18 billion.  

And chocolate is a big part of the festivities - especially for the under-35s.

This Easter, andSons Chocolatiers in Beverly Hills is continuing 35 years of family tradition, making luxury eggs.

But this year, the designs and flavours are being modernised for the Instagram generation.

Renowned pastry chef, Kriss Harvey, known as one of America's top ten pastry chefs, left five-star restaurants and hotels to create fine chocolates.

This season, he's specialising in hand-made dripped chocolate eggs.

Some andSons chocolates are made to a recipe with 15 different steps.

Phil Covitz, founder of andSons Chocolatiers, says this Easter people are looking for customized eggs and inventive flavors.

"We have two lines of chocolate - both are very interesting," he says.

"Our first line's modern take on classic chocolates, where we do molded pieces. They're all hand painted, and we use very interesting flavors on the inside. A Yuzu Verbena is one of our most popular items.

"We do salted caramels, we have speculoos cookie (Belgium cookie with hazelnuts and milk chocolate), so they all have very interesting flavor combinations with beautiful appearances."

They use organic ingredients from speciality providers around the world, including the local farmers market in Santa Monica, California.

Monogrammed Easter baskets go for $65 to $120 USD a piece.

At the newly-opened Beverly Hills Teuscher, Chocolates of Switzerland, a luxurious Easter is on the menu.

The Swiss company has nineteen stores worldwide, its Beverly Hills location is co-owned by actor Tom Gallop and Tara Margolin.

Known as one of the world's most luxurious chocolate brands, the shop attracts some of Hollywood's leading celebrities.

Every Monday, shipments of old-world artisan chocolates arrive from Switzerland.

They include chocolate eggs with Dom Perignon Champagne cream centers, as well as marzipan eggs and handmade chocolate bunnies.

Margolin designs the handmade basket creations, with prices ranging from just over $200 to just over $650 USD.

The "Butterfly Basket" at $656 USD is the most expensive, and includes truffles, dark chocolate thins and pralines.

The "All Our Eggs in One Basket" at $430 USD, includes chocolate bunnies and a dark champagne truffle egg.

They also offer the "Chicks & Eggs Basket" at $248 USD and the "Dark Chocolate Basket" at $206 USD.

Each day, Gallop can be seen with a tray of sipping chocolate in front of his store, offering tastings to passersby.

He says Teuscher focuses on quality.

"We use the milk of Swiss dairy cows, we source our ingredients from all over the world," he says.

"So, our salt comes from the west coast of France. We have our rose oil in our rose truffles that comes... it's actually a trade secret, but let's just say it's somewhere in Northern Africa.

"We have our oranges, all of our citrus comes from Sicily. So, the fact that they've been doing this for this long... Our champagne truffles are the only truffle in the world with Dom Perignon."

In 2017, the global chocolate market was valued at around $103.28 USD billion dollars, according to Zion Market Research.

It's expected to reach about $161.56 billion USD by 2024.

Los Angeles, California, US - 15 April 2019

1. Mid of large hand painted Easter egg

2. Wide of kitchen staff

3. Close of melted chocolate in pot

4. Wide of chocolate and pastry chef Kriss Harvey making chocolate eggs in kitchen

Beverly Hills, California, US - 15 April 2019

5. Wide of "andSons Chocolatiers" store interior

6. Wide of customers in store

7. Tilt down from egg display to chocolate showcase

8. Close of 24-carat gold leaf egg

9. Wide of store exterior

10. Setup shot of Phil Covitz, andSons Chocolatiers, Beverly Hills

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Covitz, andSons Chocolatiers, Beverly Hills:

"We have two lines of chocolate - both are very interesting. Our first line's modern take on classic chocolates, where we do molded pieces. They're all hand painted, and we use very interesting flavors on the inside. A Yuzu Verbena is one of our most popular items. We do salted caramels, we have speculoos cookie (Belgium cookie with hazelnuts and milk chocolate), so they all have very interesting flavor combinations with beautiful appearances."

12. Mid of classic chocolates in showcase

13. Wide of modern chocolate showcase

14. Close of passion fruit caramel

15. Close of speculoos cookie

16. Pull out to wide of modern colourful chocolate gift boxes

17. Close of vegan chocolates

18. Pull out of baskets

19. Close of three hand painted eggs

20. Mid of hand painted eggs

Los Angeles, California, US – 15 April 2019

21. Mid of chef making handprinted eggs in kitchen

22. Mid of tray used to smooth out chocolate

23. Wide of chef spraying eggs

24. Close of chef spraying eggs

25. Close of egg tray being flipped over

26. Close of chocolate being poured into egg tray

27. Close of filling being poured into egg

28. Mid of chef putting filling into egg

29. Close of filling egg

30. Mid of chef taking eggs out of tray

31. Mid of chef placing eggs on table

32. Close of chef slicing egg open to show inside

33. Close of inside of egg, showing layers of filling

Beverly Hills, California, US - 15 April 2019

34. Pull out of Beverly Hills Teuscher, Chocolates of Switzerland store exterior

35. Wide of store interior

36. Pull out from chandelier to interior and Easter display case

37. Setup shot of Tara Margolin (left) and Tom Gallop (right), Co-Owners of Beverly Hills Teuscher, Chocolates of Switzerland

38. Close of Margolin

39. Mid of magazine article

40. Pan left of boxes being delivered

41. Mid of table with all types of eggs

42. Close of champagne truffle eggs

43. Close of marzipan eggs

44. Mid of decorative nostalgia eggs

45. Close of chocolate rabbit

46. Close of low relief sculpture bunny chocolate bar

47. Mid of Margolin making basket

48. Close of Margolin placing bunny in basket

49. Pull out of four different baskets

50. Close of butterfly basket

51. Close of "all our eggs" basket

52. Close of chicks basket

53. Close of dark chocolate basket

54. Tilt down of Gallop to mixing chocolate

55. Wide of Gallop handing out samples to pedestrians

56. Tilt up of pedestrians trying samples

57. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Gallop, Co-Owner Beverly Hills Teuscher, Chocolates of Switzerland:

"We use the milk of Swiss dairy cows, we source our ingredients from all over the world. So, our salt comes from the west coast of France. We have our rose oil in our rose truffles that comes... it's actually a trade secret, but let's just say it's somewhere in Northern Africa. We have our oranges, all of our citrus comes from Sicily. So, the fact that they've been doing this for this long... Our champagne truffles are the only truffle in the world with Dom Perignon. It came to Dolf Teuscher in a dream, I mean there's all this folklore and fable that comes along with Teuscher. So, for us to be able to kind of continue the tradition - it's just a real honor."

58. Mid of woman tasting chocolate

59. Close of milk and dark chocolate bunnies

60. Wide of display case with chocolate bunnies in milk, dark and white chocolate

LEADIN:

North America's chocolate market is growing and this Easter luxury chocolate stores are cashing in.

They're offering traditional and modern hand-painted eggs at hundreds of dollars, flavoured with organic ingredients such as rose petal, verbena and champagne.

STORYLINE:

LA's luxury chocolate stores are gearing up for the Easter holidays with a range of tempting treats.

This year, about eight in ten U.S. adults plan to celebrate, spending an average of $151 USD per person, on everything from candy and clothing, to cards and flowers, according to a report by the country's National Retail Federation.

Total spending on Easter in the United States is projected to hit $18 billion.  

And chocolate is a big part of the festivities - especially for the under-35s.

This Easter, andSons Chocolatiers in Beverly Hills is continuing 35 years of family tradition, making luxury eggs.

But this year, the designs and flavours are being modernised for the Instagram generation.

Renowned pastry chef, Kriss Harvey, known as one of America's top ten pastry chefs, left five-star restaurants and hotels to create fine chocolates.

This season, he's specialising in hand-made dripped chocolate eggs.

Some andSons chocolates are made to a recipe with 15 different steps.

Phil Covitz, founder of andSons Chocolatiers, says this Easter people are looking for customized eggs and inventive flavors.

"We have two lines of chocolate - both are very interesting," he says.

"Our first line's modern take on classic chocolates, where we do molded pieces. They're all hand painted, and we use very interesting flavors on the inside. A Yuzu Verbena is one of our most popular items.

"We do salted caramels, we have speculoos cookie (Belgium cookie with hazelnuts and milk chocolate), so they all have very interesting flavor combinations with beautiful appearances."

They use organic ingredients from speciality providers around the world, including the local farmers market in Santa Monica, California.

Monogrammed Easter baskets go for $65 to $120 USD a piece.

At the newly-opened Beverly Hills Teuscher, Chocolates of Switzerland, a luxurious Easter is on the menu.

The Swiss company has nineteen stores worldwide, its Beverly Hills location is co-owned by actor Tom Gallop and Tara Margolin.

Known as one of the world's most luxurious chocolate brands, the shop attracts some of Hollywood's leading celebrities.

Every Monday, shipments of old-world artisan chocolates arrive from Switzerland.

They include chocolate eggs with Dom Perignon Champagne cream centers, as well as marzipan eggs and handmade chocolate bunnies.

Margolin designs the handmade basket creations, with prices ranging from just over $200 to just over $650 USD.

The "Butterfly Basket" at $656 USD is the most expensive, and includes truffles, dark chocolate thins and pralines.

The "All Our Eggs in One Basket" at $430 USD, includes chocolate bunnies and a dark champagne truffle egg.

They also offer the "Chicks & Eggs Basket" at $248 USD and the "Dark Chocolate Basket" at $206 USD.

Each day, Gallop can be seen with a tray of sipping chocolate in front of his store, offering tastings to passersby.

He says Teuscher focuses on quality.

"We use the milk of Swiss dairy cows, we source our ingredients from all over the world," he says.

"So, our salt comes from the west coast of France. We have our rose oil in our rose truffles that comes... it's actually a trade secret, but let's just say it's somewhere in Northern Africa.

"We have our oranges, all of our citrus comes from Sicily. So, the fact that they've been doing this for this long... Our champagne truffles are the only truffle in the world with Dom Perignon."

In 2017, the global chocolate market was valued at around $103.28 USD billion dollars, according to Zion Market Research.

It's expected to reach about $161.56 billion USD by 2024.

Los Angeles, California, US - 15 April 2019

1. Mid of large hand painted Easter egg

2. Wide of kitchen staff

3. Close of melted chocolate in pot

4. Wide of chocolate and pastry chef Kriss Harvey making chocolate eggs in kitchen

Beverly Hills, California, US - 15 April 2019

5. Wide of "andSons Chocolatiers" store interior

6. Wide of customers in store

7. Tilt down from egg display to chocolate showcase

8. Close of 24-carat gold leaf egg

9. Wide of store exterior

10. Setup shot of Phil Covitz, andSons Chocolatiers, Beverly Hills

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Covitz, andSons Chocolatiers, Beverly Hills:

"We have two lines of chocolate - both are very interesting. Our first line's modern take on classic chocolates, where we do molded pieces. They're all hand painted, and we use very interesting flavors on the inside. A Yuzu Verbena is one of our most popular items. We do salted caramels, we have speculoos cookie (Belgium cookie with hazelnuts and milk chocolate), so they all have very interesting flavor combinations with beautiful appearances."

12. Mid of classic chocolates in showcase

13. Wide of modern chocolate showcase

14. Close of passion fruit caramel

15. Close of speculoos cookie

16. Pull out to wide of modern colourful chocolate gift boxes

17. Close of vegan chocolates

18. Pull out of baskets

19. Close of three hand painted eggs

20. Mid of hand painted eggs

Los Angeles, California, US – 15 April 2019

21. Mid of chef making handprinted eggs in kitchen

22. Mid of tray used to smooth out chocolate

23. Wide of chef spraying eggs

24. Close of chef spraying eggs

25. Close of egg tray being flipped over

26. Close of chocolate being poured into egg tray

27. Close of filling being poured into egg

28. Mid of chef putting filling into egg

29. Close of filling egg

30. Mid of chef taking eggs out of tray

31. Mid of chef placing eggs on table

32. Close of chef slicing egg open to show inside

33. Close of inside of egg, showing layers of filling

Beverly Hills, California, US - 15 April 2019

34. Pull out of Beverly Hills Teuscher, Chocolates of Switzerland store exterior

35. Wide of store interior

36. Pull out from chandelier to interior and Easter display case

37. Setup shot of Tara Margolin (left) and Tom Gallop (right), Co-Owners of Beverly Hills Teuscher, Chocolates of Switzerland

38. Close of Margolin

39. Mid of magazine article

40. Pan left of boxes being delivered

41. Mid of table with all types of eggs

42. Close of champagne truffle eggs

43. Close of marzipan eggs

44. Mid of decorative nostalgia eggs

45. Close of chocolate rabbit

46. Close of low relief sculpture bunny chocolate bar

47. Mid of Margolin making basket

48. Close of Margolin placing bunny in basket

49. Pull out of four different baskets

50. Close of butterfly basket

51. Close of "all our eggs" basket

52. Close of chicks basket

53. Close of dark chocolate basket

54. Tilt down of Gallop to mixing chocolate

55. Wide of Gallop handing out samples to pedestrians

56. Tilt up of pedestrians trying samples

57. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Gallop, Co-Owner Beverly Hills Teuscher, Chocolates of Switzerland:

"We use the milk of Swiss dairy cows, we source our ingredients from all over the world. So, our salt comes from the west coast of France. We have our rose oil in our rose truffles that comes... it's actually a trade secret, but let's just say it's somewhere in Northern Africa. We have our oranges, all of our citrus comes from Sicily. So, the fact that they've been doing this for this long... Our champagne truffles are the only truffle in the world with Dom Perignon. It came to Dolf Teuscher in a dream, I mean there's all this folklore and fable that comes along with Teuscher. So, for us to be able to kind of continue the tradition - it's just a real honor."

58. Mid of woman tasting chocolate

59. Close of milk and dark chocolate bunnies

60. Wide of display case with chocolate bunnies in milk, dark and white chocolate