This chocolate will have you inching toward happiness

Spreading a little ‘chocolate happiness’ as a company mission may sound corny but it was, and still is, Paul McMahon’s goal when he started The Happy Chocolatier in 2011

The Happy Chocolatier.Handout

Spreading a little “chocolate happiness” as a company mission may sound corny but it was, and still is, Paul McMahon’s goal when he started The Happy Chocolatier in 2011. His product is also cleverly designed to stand out in the competitive chocolate world. McMahon’s bonbons are cube-shaped chocolate truffles — cutely called Cubze — that come with a message. About, you guessed it, happiness. “Cubze are what made us different and unique,” says McMahon, who began making truffles as a hobby while he worked in corporate marketing. The hobby turned into a retail store where he sold all kinds of chocolates; two years ago he closed the Acton shop to focus just on the Cubze.

The one-inch square truffles come in nine flavors, coated in either milk or dark chocolate, and are hand-wrapped in colorful foils. (Three-piece Cubze gift bags are $6.25; Petite Sampler Box of 4 Cubze $8.95; and Sampler Box of 9 Cubze $20.95.) Popular flavors include original dark, dark sea salt, milk chocolate, and peanut butter. The fillings are firmer than regular ganache truffles, which makes them easy to cut in half or quarters to share or savor slowly. Each wrapped Cubze contains a tiny card with a happiness message on it. McMahon has collected about three dozen fun and inspirational sayings, a mix of messages from famous people, books, and a few contest winners among local high school students. His favorite: “Some pursue happiness, others create it.” As part of the mission to spread cheer, McMahon donates 5 percent of profits to the national hunger relief organization Feeding America. The colorful foil-wrapped cubes, in boxed sets or cellophane bags, are perfect for business or personal gifts, practically guaranteed to make someone happy.

Available online at www.thehappychocolatier.com, as well as Idylwilde Farms, 366 Central St., Acton, 978-263-5943; Wagon Wheel, 927 Waltham St., Lexington, 781-862-2112; and Concord Flower Shop, 135 Commonwealth Ave., Concord, 978-369-2404.

LISA ZWIRN