Le Rouge Turns Blue

The name of the business is Le Rouge Aartisan Chocolates.

It’s as clever — a play on owner Aarti Khosla’s name — as her creations are good.

Since opening in 2014 at 190 Main Street — just past Avery Place, underneath the old Sally’s Place — the store has satisfied Westporters’ sweet teeth with amazing flavors. Aarti has also been a great neighbor, helping countless charitable causes here and in Bridgeport.

Aarti Khosla

Her store and packaging are known for their distinctive black (for chocolate) and red (her favorite) colors.

So why has “Le Rouge” now turned to blue?

For a while, designer friends have told Aarti that her polka dot and red packaging — though bold and eye-catching — distracted customers from the beauty of her hand-painted chocolates.

She hired The Visual Brand — around the corner on Church Lane — for her brand redesign.

As she talked with them about her childhood — her parents are from Punjab; her father would bring back amazing chocolates from his travels to France — they came up with the line “Flavors from Paris to Punjab.” It’s incorporated into artwork depicting the skylines of both countries, and is the “crown jewel” of the new design.

The design was finalized in late 2019. But there were issues producing the new boxes locally. With the holidays approaching, Aarti put the project on hold.

One day, she saw an Instagram post about a packaging company based in New Delhi. She was headed there soon, for a wedding. At the factory she met a young woman named Arti. They worked long distance with our Aarti, after she returned home.

That’s where the royal blue came in. The first design made in that color palate was for the “Give a Little Love” chocolate hearts.

During the pandemic, Aarti and Arti finalized 27 new package designs. They arrived right before Valentine’s Day.

You can see the new blue at Le Rouge Aartisan Chocolates. She has no plans to change that evocative, colorful name.