Our Story

🌿 Meet the Chocolatier

I’ve always seen the world in color, texture, and pattern — tiny pieces coming together to make something whole.

I’m Jewel Lerato, an artist long before I ever became a chocolatier. Over the years, I’ve worked in many mediums — from wire-wrapped jewelry and paper quilling to intricate micro-mosaics — and I’ve always been drawn to the quiet beauty of small details. There’s something deeply satisfying about creating harmony from hundreds of tiny parts, watching them fall into place until they form something luminous and complete.

That same impulse guides me in chocolate. Each bonbon begins like a miniature artwork — carefully layered flavors, precise textures, and colors that tell a story. My personal philosophy has always been that art is anything you put a frame around — and chocolate, to me, is just another canvas.

My love of flavor started much earlier, in the kitchen with my mom. She had a way of bringing the world home through food — curries simmering on the stove, spices from distant places, the joy of tasting something new. Those moments taught me that food isn’t just nourishment; it’s a way to connect, to explore, and to express love.

When I founded Lerato Luxe, I wanted to bring all those influences together — art, travel, memory, and emotion — into something you could hold in your hand and taste. The name Lerato means love, and every piece I make is an offering of that love: small, vibrant mosaics of flavor that invite you to slow down, savor, and see beauty in the details.

Here in Southern Oregon, surrounded by mountains, creativity, and the rhythm of nature, I craft each bonbon with intention. Every swirl of color, every burst of flavor, every quiet imperfection tells a story — of art, of heart, and of home.