#176: Mike Malley (Malley’s Chocolates) — Coco, Milk, Sugar, and Cleveland

Lay of The Land

Mike Malley, President and CEO of Malley's Chocolates.

If you grew up in northeast Ohio it’s very likely you know of Malley’s Chocolates, a staple of this community, providing delicious chocolate candies & treats for over eight decades now with nearly two dozen retail stores across the region and a modern chocolate-making 60,000 sq foot factory off Brookpark Road in Southwest Cleveland!

Under Mike’s leadership, the company has not only preserved its cherished traditions, but also embraced innovation and growth as it approaches its 90th anniversary.

In this very fun and insightful conversation, we'll dive into the fascinating history of Malley's Chocolates from its roots in the mid-1930s, explore the challenges and dynamics of running a family business over multiple generations, cultivating Malley Moments, the decision to raise outside private capital in 2023 to expand the business, how Mike thinks about legacy, Cleveland, and a whole lot more!

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LINKS:
https://malleys.com/
https://www.instagram.com/Malleyschocolate/
https://x.com/MalleysCHOC

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Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and many more.

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