When your family owns a company older than the United States—founded in Paris in 1668 as chocolatier to King Louis XIV—you don’t just make candy. You guard a legacy. Dan Abel Jr., CEO and “Chief Chocolate Officer,” carries forward Bissinger’s centuries-old recipes while reinventing chocolate for a new age. 

From childhood Valentine’s strawberry rushes to leading 150 employees today, Dan has lived inside the chocolate factory his whole life. But growth wasn’t all sweet. A multimillion-dollar expansion pushed the company into high-volume contract work, only to discover that mass production drained its soul. Dan’s decision to walk away from seven-figure deals restored the company’s heart—and reignited its growth. 

Listen now to hear how a great, modern chocolatier leads craft and crisis, culture and commerce, family and future. See more @ MarkSpencerCook.com 

Discover the hidden truth of leadership that Dan learned the hard way: scaling without soul is failure, no matter the numbers. 

“Culture is the ingredient you can’t fake.” 
“Hands-on leadership tastes better than corner-office theory.” 
“Losing millions is safer than losing your soul.” 
This is chocolate as calling, not candy. 

Questions Explored: 
• How do you run a company older than America? 
• What happens when growth steals a business’s soul? 
• How do you scale artisan craft in a mass-production world? 
• What does a cocoa crisis teach about leadership and values? 

Lessons Learned: 
• Never compromise your recipe for profit. 
• Ideal clients restore morale and culture. 
• Hands-on leadership builds trust faster than strategy decks. 
• Data obsession fuels innovation—but only when tied to craft. 

Guest Links: 
Website: https://bissingers.com 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-abel-jr-15541765/ 

Host Links: 
Website: https://MarkSpencerCook.com 
Consulting: https://WindfallPartners.com 
YouTube: Bold Encounters, Mark Spencer Cook 
All Socials: @MarkSpencerCook 

Chapters: 
00:00 From Paris to St. Louis 
03:16 A family of modern candy makers 
10:43 Why Dad risked everything to start fresh 
19:48 Wholesale disruption and bold decisions 
24:42 Losing soul in mass production 
27:42 Walking away from seven-figure deals 
33:49 Surviving the cocoa crisis 
40:37 Why beans taste different around the globe 
44:31 Chocolate tastings and the craft revival 
49:44 The five-o’clock exit: family first 
50:46 Advice for the next generation 

Keywords: Dan Abel Jr., Bissinger’s, Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company, King Louis XIV, Paris chocolatier, cocoa crisis, artisan chocolate, family business, resilience, craft vs mass production, legacy leadership