Dan Abel: Does Scaling Up Mean Selling Out?

Dan Abel is the third-generation chocolatier and CEO behind one of America’s most storied confections legacies, Bissinger’s - and we spoke about legacy, leadership, and the bitter lessons that come with chasing sweet success.

From sweeping chocolate floors as a child to navigating a multimillion-dollar expansion during the steepest cocoa crisis in modern history, Dan shares what it really takes to honor 350+ years of craftsmanship while facing today’s pressures of scale, automation, and authenticity.

What happens when small-batch artisanship meets big-box temptation? How do you hold onto soul when speed and volume try to tear it away?

“We thought we wanted to touch the sun… but we really didn’t. We wanted to make really small batch artisan chocolates.”

We unpack how Dan’s family went from dreaming about massive wholesale contracts to walking away from robotic production lines—because even success can become a trap. With raw honesty, he reveals the emotional toll of high-speed growth, the cost of losing creative purpose, and the deep reset COVID unexpectedly allowed.

And then there's the cocoa crisis. With cocoa futures spiking 3–4x historic highs, Dan offers a masterclass in principled pricing and long-term thinking:

“Our customers are our family… If we have an extra $3 of raw materials in a gift box, we’re just going to raise the price by $3.”

This episode also explores how Dan and his siblings—each leading different business pillars—built a rare family business culture that actually works.

“At 12 o’clock every day, my brother, sister and I sit down and have lunch together... probably 245 days a year.”

What you’ll learn:

• Why growth can be seductive—and destructive—without purpose
  
  
• How to use crisis moments (like COVID or a global cocoa shortage) to reset your business model
  
  
• The difference between scaling for ego vs. scaling with legacy
  
  
• How a 350-year-old heritage still shapes modern product decisions
  
  
• What it takes to build a family business that thrives emotionally and operationally
  
  

Whether you're building a brand, wrestling with scale, or wondering when to double down, this episode is filled with hard-earned wisdom—plus a reminder that even in chocolate, not everything sweet is good for you.