LEONARDTOWN, Md. — When Thereasa Black walked onto the set of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” she carried more than samples of date-sweetened chocolate. She carried years of risk, faith, motherhood and an unshakable belief that business could be built around people, especially the ones too often overlooked. With determination and faith, she continues her journey inspiring moms and women all over the world and introducing chocolate in new and better ways.
In a recent interview with The BayNet, the Leonardtown-based founder of Bon AppéSweet reflected on the moment that changed everything, the whirlwind that followed, and the long view she is now taking as her chocolate company continues to grow far beyond Southern Maryland.
Since her episode aired, Black has watched orders pour in at a pace she never anticipated. More than 6,000 orders flooded her system in the weeks following the broadcast, and they continue to arrive daily. The attention has been thrilling, she said, but also daunting.
“Ultimately, for the next three months, honestly what we’re doing right this moment is trying to get through over 6,000 orders that are continuing to come every day. It’s been crazy,” Black said.
At the time her episode aired, Black was living in Germany with her family. She returned home to Maryland almost immediately to help manage the sudden demand, leaning heavily on family members to keep production moving.
“Trying to find team members has been very difficult,” she said. “People interview, they’re hired, and then they don’t show up. So I’ve been recruiting family, ‘Hey, can I hire you for a few days to help me?’ That’s pretty much how we’re getting through it.”
Black also wanted to clarify confusion some viewers expressed online following the episode, particularly surrounding the closure of a coffee shop once associated with her work. She emphasized that the closure was not a reflection of Bon AppéSweet’s success or stability.
The coffee shop, she explained, was a separate venture from her chocolate company.
“My factory, yes,” Black said when asked whether Bon AppéSweet remains based in Leonardtown. “But to clarify that, no. My husband and I actually started Better Black Coffee together. When I got my factory, I had a front-end portion that I was going to use for retail, and he asked if we could do a coffee collaboration, so that’s what we did up front.”
“But before we left, we had to move to Germany, we tried out one of the long-term employees to see if he could run it while we were gone, and he could not,” she said. “My team member that manages the factory, I couldn’t have her do both, because it’s too much for one person. So we made the decision to shut down the coffee shop. Bon AppéSweet and Better Black Coffee are not the same company.”
While viewers often assume “Shark Tank” deals are finalized the moment the cameras stop rolling, Black said the reality is more complex. She confirmed she is still in the legal and due-diligence phase with the Sharks.
“Yes, I’m still in the legal process,” she said. “That part takes time, and a lot of people don’t realize that just because the episode airs, it doesn’t mean everything is finalized immediately. There’s still due diligence, contracts and legal steps that have to happen.”
Despite the uncertainty, Black is already planning ahead. Over the next six months, she hopes to expand Bon AppéSweet’s presence in grocery stores, though shipping remains a significant hurdle, especially when it comes to chocolate.
“Shipping chocolate across the country in the summer, especially with refrigerated freight, it’s just not possible if you don’t want to lose money,” she said. “So the hope is to open a second facility on the West Coast that’s responsible for shipping, while Leonardtown remains our base.”
Leonardtown, she emphasized, will always play a central role in her vision. In fact, the town is key to a long-term plan rooted in inclusion, a value that has shaped Bon AppéSweet from the beginning.
Some of the company’s current products contain nuts, but Black’s daughter, Isabella, has a soy allergy. Years ago, a moment at Costco left a lasting impression.
“When she was younger, we were at Costco and she could never have samples because they all had soy,” Black said. “One day she looked like she was about to cry and said, ‘Why does nobody think about me when they’re making food?’”
That question, Black said, became part of her mission. While Bon AppéSweet’s products are already gluten-free and dairy-free, a second facility would allow the company to create a completely nut-free line.
“When we open the next facility, Leonardtown will remain the nut-based facility,” she said. “The second facility will be nut-free. That way, we finally have a chocolate that’s for all kids, so that every kid is thought about.”
As Bon AppéSweet grows, Black is intentional about protecting the heart of the brand. Each chocolate bar includes social justice facts on the back, a choice she says is meant to educate without dividing. Her website states that “Standing up for what is right isn’t always easy, but it is always NECESSARY. We have stood on the side of justice since our founding and each of our points helps to raise awareness of important social issues. Together we can make change for good.”
“They’re bipartisan facts, because the idea isn’t to make people fight, it’s to make change,” she said. “When someone buys a bar and turns it around, they know what we stand for. You can’t steal that. You can copy a product, but you can’t copy motivation.”
Black also takes pride in how her chocolate is made, noting that many American chocolate companies do not produce chocolate from scratch.
“Most chocolate companies in the United States don’t actually make their own chocolate. They buy it and melt it down,” she said. “We actually make it.”
A video below offers a look at Black making the shop’s homemade chocolate:
That commitment to craftsmanship connects to another dream: creating spaces where people can see and experience the process firsthand.
“I grew up near Hershey, and getting to see how chocolate is made is such a cool experience,” she said. “I wanted people to be able to look into the factory and see the process. That vision is still there.”
Baking, Black said, has always been her first love, a passion that eventually led her to gelato, then chocolate, and now coffee infused with cacao.
“I created a coffee with cacao, actual cacao, so it thickens the coffee and gives you chocolate flavor without sweetening it,” she said. “Cacao gives you that boost without the crash.”
Her long-term vision includes opening chocolate or cacao cafés across Maryland, partnering with local programs and potentially franchising the concept.
When asked what she hopes this chapter ultimately provides beyond business success, Black’s answer returned to the role that started it all: being a mother.
“Honestly, I hope that it gives Isabella hope,” she said. “I don’t know what struggles she’s going to deal with in life.
“I hope she can look back at my journey, and there’s a lot of record of it, and if one day she’s feeling down and thinks she can’t do it, she can look at this and say, ‘Yes, I can.’”
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