Frank Crail had a dream to raise a family in a quiet, small town environment.
Not having a plan to support his dream in Durango, Colorado,
the quaint Victorian-era town in which they had chosen to settle, he began surveying the town's local residents
and merchants. "It came down to either a car wash or a chocolate shop," recalls the father of seven. "I think I
made the right choice."
Today, a shop
still stands on Main Street, with its sights and smells tempting tourists and locals alike to experience a
cornucopia of chocolatey treats before a breath-taking ride on the scenic Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge
Railroad or after a half-day white water rafting trip through town. Twenty one years later, from that tiny shop
downtown emerged the need for a 53,000 square foot factory located on the town's outskirts, built to supply
hundreds of franchised stores throughout the United States and the world.
Crail gives credit to the
growing number of independent franchise operators that bought in to his concept. They are the ones that
really make this company a success, he remarks. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory continues to claim high
marks in surveys that rate various franchise opportunities.
In 1985, Crail took the Company public where it
is now found on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol RMCF. "A great deal has happened over the
years, recounts Crail with a twinkle in his eye. I never imagined that in my search for a place to
raise a family things would turn out so sweet!"