At the end of each Red Elephant chocolate figurine’s trunk is a heart.

Fittingly, the new chocolate cafe on the 100 block of State Street will open just in time for the season of love.

Richard Koenigs, owner of Red Elephant Chocolate Cafe, said he is always happy to talk about chocolate and his company.

The cafe’s namesake is the creative brainchild of its owner.

Red stands for the iconic color of the two biggest holidays for chocolate sales: Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Koenigs said. He chose the elephant for the animal’s nurturing, loving and social nature because that represents the “type of people” he wants to attract to his business.

“I started thinking about chocolate as a universal product around which [people] could create a social setting for enjoyment of an incredible food product that’s just plain mysterious and wonderful,” Koenigs said.

Koenigs’ project before Red Elephant was to revive Milwaukee-based chocolate company Buddy Squirrel. After successfully fulfilling this project, Koenigs thought about what his next venture may be, but his mind stayed with chocolate.

Koenings was looking to expand the company, and Madison seemed like a logical choice. His demographics fit the bid, as he is a Wisconsin native and University of Wisconsin alumnus.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he is pleased Red Elephant chose downtown Madison as their second location.

“Everything I know about the business is extremely positive,” Verveer said. “I’m excited for them to open on State Street.”

Koenigs said he is hopeful that their location is ideal for their clientele as it sits across from the Overture Center.

“Those people are the kind of patrons that will appreciate and take the time to dine on desserts,” Koenings said.

Red Elephant is not about food, Koenings said; it is about fine chocolates as a treat. If people are willing to spend money on a piece of chocolate that looks and tastes good, they will come to this cafe, he added.

The food menu is full of variety, including truffles, sea salt caramels, mint meltaways and more, Koenings said. On top of the types of chocolates, Red Elephant has bakery items that feature chocolate on or in them. The drink menu is made up of natural chocolate coffee drinks with no added preservatives. 

“[The company is] a chocolate cafe, and what [it] intends by that is a place you come in and can sit down and have chocolate in a number of traditional and non-traditional forms,” Koenings said.

When the cafe comes to Madison, wine and cheese will be added to the menu, Koenings said.

Verveer said Red Elephant’s application for a wine license was completely non-controversial.

There are very few establishments in Madison that have only asked for a wine license, Verveer said. Most alcohol-licensed establishments have a license to cover a minimum of beer and wine.

“It was an absolute no-brainier for the Alcohol License Review Committee,” Verveer said.

The wine license will be on the next city council agenda, and Verveer said he has no concerns about the license’s approval.