River-Sea Chocolate Factory is making progress on its plans to open a production facility in Reston.
The company, which has a retail store and hot chocolate cafe in Chantilly, is seeking to add a location near Reston Station at 11495 Sunset Hills Road, according to county permits.
While River-Sea co-founder Krissee D’Aguiar didn’t indicate exactly when the factory will open this year, she noted that Reston is officially home for her and her business.
“I grew up in Reston and we live in Reston, love Reston,” D’Aguiar wrote in a statement. “Also, as D.C.’s Bean-to-Bar chocolate maker, we wanted to be closer to Metro to be more accessible to customers and visitors in the D.C. area.”
Krissee and Mariano D’Aguiar started making chocolate in 2017 after visiting family in northern Brazil, where they saw the potential of using food to act as a “connecting bridge” between their life in D.C. and Brazil, according to the company’s website.
River-Sea has said that it will maintain its retail shop and cafe at 4520 Daly Drive, Suite 100, in Chantilly after the Reston site opens.