BROOK PARK, Ohio — if you grew up in Northeast Ohio, chances are Malley’s Chocolates were a part of each holiday. 

  • More than 20 stores across Northeast Ohio
  • Every year, they sell out of chocolate-covered strawberries on Valentine’s Day
  • They also have an online store

“We've been a part of people's Christmases where they have Malley’s Chocolates in their stocking. We have Malley’s Chocolates, wouldn't be the same if they didn't have a big chocolate Easter Bunny and their Easter basket and now as you can see with Valentine's Day, it's a part of that Sweetest Day in October.

For 85 years, the Malleys have been delivering joy. And for Mike Malley, a third-generation owner, it means the world.

“We've developed over three generations to be —I hope I'm not too far ahead of myself on this — an iconic brand in Cleveland, and we're a part of people's joyful experiences, so that means a lot, you know, and for us, we take great pride in that and we want to make sure that we maintain that legacy and take great care of the brand and continue to deliver great chocolates for people,” Mally said.

It all started with Mike’s grandfather, Mike, a syrup salesman from Pennsylvania who moved his family to Cleveland and opened a shop that doubled as the family home. 

“It's kind of a funny urban legend is that it was also a delicatessen. And my grandfather scraped enough money together to take the trolley downtown to the cold storage facility and get his first block of chocolate, came back and made some candies and folks kind of joked, and his name was Elbert, but everyone called him Mike, and they said, Mike you make much better chocolates than you do corned beef sandwiches.”

When the Malley’s storefront opened in Lakewood more than 8 decades ago, the Malleys say there was a line out the door. Today, they have more than 20 stores across Northeast Ohio and Clevelanders love them even more.

“We use a very high premium blend of chocolate. So, we don't skimp on the, the commodities. We make sure we're getting the best cocoa, the best cream, to put together the best product and that's where it really starts, is the quality of what you're making,” said Malley.

That quality continues into their limited-edition holiday items — like their coveted chocolate-covered strawberries. 

“Probably gonna make over 30,000, 38,000 units of strawberries,” said Malley.

They sell out on Valentine’s Day every year — made overnight to be as fresh as you can get. 

“They’re meant to be consumed right away because we don't dip them in a sugar fondant, which would preserve them longer. We just don't do that, we just, it's just sort of the naked berry dipped in the chocolate,” said Malley.