South Bend Chocolate Company

Our team helped finance, plan and coordinate the complex. mix of attractions, guiding the project through development hurdles so the vision could come to life.

South Bend Chocolate Company founder Mark Tarner combined his confectionery business with a lifelong passion for paleontology to create a 90-acre agritourism destination near South Bend International Airport. Opened in 2024, the campus brings together a large-scale chocolate factory and café, the Indiana Dinosaur Museum, a restaurant, farmers market, artisan village, bison pastures and hiking trails connected to the Continental Divide Nature Park. The museum is built around one of the largest private collections of dinosaur bones in the United States, while the factory anchors the site with tours and hands-on chocolate-making experiences that draw visitors year-round.

Visit The Website

The Challenge

Building a multi-use destination required significant capital and complex coordination. The owner faced pandemic‑related setbacks that nearly wiped out the candy business and the museum, and he needed to knit together infrastructure, permitting and programming for six distinct attractions. No single entity was positioned to secure funding, align public and private partners or manage the long‑term vision for the campus.

HOW COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT MADE A DIFFERENCE

THE SOLUTION:

Our team helped move the project from concept to completion by securing critical funding, navigating land-use and infrastructure challenges, and coordinating the many moving pieces required for a large, multi-use destination. We aligned public, private and philanthropic partners and helped integrate trails, tourism assets and site amenities into a cohesive development that could open and grow over time.

WHAT WE ACHIEVED:

The South Bend Chocolate Company campus has become a year-round destination that is reshaping the city’s west side. By bringing together tourism, manufacturing, agriculture and outdoor recreation in one place, the project has strengthened quality of place, attracted new visitors and supported long-term economic activity in an area poised for reinvestment.

COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT’S IMPACT

150,000

Estimated visitors annually

150

Jobs created across tourism, hospitality, agriculture and manufacturing

$14 million

Secured in tax credits and other incentives

90-acre

Agritourism campus near South Bend International Airport

The Right Partners

“South Bend is home for us, and during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shawn and his team became part of our dream team. They understand financing, they build real relationships and they are completely dedicated to the communities they serve. Through COVID and some truly impossible moments, Shawn helped navigate our project forward with confidence and clarity. South Bend and I will always be in his debt.”

Mark Tarner, Founder and CEO | South Bend Chocolate Company, Indiana Dinosaur Museum