Morag Reid

Owner/Chocolateer at Banyan Tree Chocolate & Cafe

Morag Reid loves chocolate. So much so, in fact, that when she and her husband moved to Sarasota in 2016, he joked, “Why don’t you run a chocolate shop?” Though her career background was in accounting, graphic design, web design, and theater, she said “Yes!”

In July 2017, Morag bought Sirard’s Chocolates and turned it into Banyan Tree Chocolate and Café. The café side came with the business, so she kept that going. “We do soup, salads, and sandwiches. Like our chocolate, it’s all made from scratch.” Using top-level, fresh ingredients is vital to everything she does.

“We’re still the only chocolate shop in Sarasota that makes everything on site,” she notes. People don’t always realize that making fine chocolates means working with small batches. There’s no warehouse in the back stacked high with more. All of the products are handcrafted by Morag herself or one of her two assistants. Quality takes time, too—a batch of 100 bonbons can take three days to create. Sometimes, this means demand outpaces supply, so wise chocolate shoppers will beat the holiday rush. “The Father’s Day ‘Beer Box’ bon bons, in particular, go fast!” she warns.

Thanks to Morag’s training at the renowned Ecole Chocolat school in Canada, she’s well-equipped to pair specific chocolates—like Guittard, Cocoa Barry, or Valrhona—with classic or modern ingredients and flavors. That expertise earned Morag’s chocolates awards at this year’s The International Chocolate Salon contest. Her “Miss Betsy” caramel—flavored with passion fruit and jasmine tea—won two medals. The “Hot and Fuzzy” chocolate truffle similarly earned two medals.

Morag continues to explore new flavors and chocolate options, with a vegan line likely being introduced this fall. 

“We just love the arts and the food scene in Sarasota,” Morag says. “The vibe here is perfect.”

Morag Reid
Owner/Chocolateer
Banyan Tree Chocolate & Cafe
5170 Palmer Plaza Blvd, 
Sarasota, FL 34233
(941) 923-2462
morag@banyantreechocolate.com
banyantreechocolate.com