ABOUT THE COMPANY

Back in the 90’s, I drew a quick gestural of my chocolate labrador, Zoey—my chocolate peanut. That became my original logo for Chocolate Peanut. In 2001, the company began in San Diego as a marketing tool for pet portraits and an online café with articles and useful information before it became the online shop it is today.

I had a fleece tubed scarf I used to wear in the early 90s when I lived in Washington DC. I’d often put it on Zoey, and it looked much better on her. I bought another one for me so that we could be twinning. My peanut and I moved to San Diego in 1996, and in 2000 I bought the domain—her nickname—and created a website that was mainly used for booking pet portraits with a few articles written by local dog enthusiasts. We moved to Connecticut in 2002 and enjoyed the country life with warm summer days, the colors of fall, a few snowfalls, until she passed in November.

Through the years the site was still used to book pet portraits, however in 2008, I wanted to create and sell dog apparel. I started off with a simple knitted tube scarf. I got the knitting bug at a local yarn shop, and once a week several knitters would gather and knit. At that time I had a German Shorthair, Cali, and a French bulldog, Miles. They enjoyed their yellow/purple scarf prototypes. Later that year, I met a knitter from Maine who visited the yarn shop, and she worked with me to knit the Candycane scarves (striped scarves) and eventually the signature product—the “My Favorite Sweater.” Over the years, I experimented with bulky yarns and created tube scarves (snoods) of different sizes and colors.

DESIGNS THROUGH THE YEARS

I also worked on a prototype for a cotton reversible scarf. Cali wore the stars and stripes cotton scarf for so long and looked so regal in it. I loved the design and brought it back into production years later with a selection of different prints and colors from the bandana fabrics and more of a functional approach to the bandana including a small pocket on one side for doggie bags.

Betty, a small French bulldog and my heart dog of 13 years, graces the website and inspired the brand. As the official mascot, she was the first to model much of the apparel, and I designed the current logo in her image. But like most models, she demanded pay when the photoshoot was over, luckily in the form of good treats.

The “My Favorite Sweater” has been a signature product since 2008, and is one of the most comfortable sweaters on the market. In 2008, a knitter I had met at a yarn shop in Connecticut who lived in Maine worked with me and helped my sweater design become a reality—a knitted dog sweater inspired by the classic traditional crew sweater. I was staring at one of my old cotton crews thinking that there’s a dog sweater in that. Not seeing anything I had envisioned anywhere, I decided to create a version for dogs. She and I went over several iterations until I was happy with the results. The first sweater prototype was sold later that year. Over the years, I’ve worked with professional knitters reworking the sweater for a better fit, an expanded color palette, and a wider selection of yarns. Unfortunately, the sweater is unavailable at this time due to lack of inventory as I search for a skilled knitter to help bring this staple back into production.

In 2021, I expanded my creations to include the tie-dyed and sporty baseball hoodie, super-soft and sophisticated pullovers—practical comfort wear for all occasions and seasons. I also knit buttoned scarves in a bulky yarn available soon. Customers say their dogs—and cats—enjoy the style and cozy comfort each one-of-a-kind piece provides, all handmade in Rhode Island.

I created chocolatepeanut.com in 2000 not realizing at the time what the site would consist of, but I was leaning towards an online café—a dog-friendly joint for fellow dog lovers to connect—read helpful articles, buy a few things, and book pet portraits. In 2008, I created an online boutique selling comfy dog apparel. I can also be found at markets and adoption events throughout Rhode Island.

OUR COLLECTION

The first piece of apparel introduced in 2008 were dog scarves in various yarns and cottons. While they’ve always been a staple, new designs are introduced periodically including bulky and medium weight yarns as well as lightweight cottons with fun prints. The “My Favorite Sweater” was also introduced later that year and was our signature product and bestseller for over a decade. In 2021, the tie-dyed hoodie was added and quickly became another bestseller. Hand-dyed and one-of-a-kind, each colorful piece offers an element of surprise and vibrance. The collection continued to expand to include our popular and stylish pullovers offering a versatile, loose drape to fit any breed’s neckline. Hoodies are available in cozy flannels and baseball-style raglan shirts. Pullovers are made from a various assortment of versatile fabrics including a lush French terry, stunning knits, comfy lightweight cottons, several varieties of fleece, and a compression material with UV protection.