About Us

Van Otis has been in the McCarthy family for over 35 years. The owner Jack McCarthy and his wife Mary Lou bought the business in Boston and had a factory in Winthrop for many years. The family is from Lawrence and opened a store there as well. Originally, they had over 100 different varieties of hand-dipped chocolates. In later years, the McCarthys decided to specialize in their famous “Swiss Truffles” – small squares of rich, pure chocolate that melt in your mouth.

Two of their daughters took over the business in the late 1980s, and they have been busy since – filling orders and shipping Van Otis truffles all over the United States.

This product is very simple. It is made in Milk, Dark and White chocolate varieties, either with pecans or without. Our chocolate is very delicate and needs to be kept at room temperature or cooler. This is part of the reason why we are closed in the summer.

We also do quite a bit of orders for party favors, weddings, and showers. Van Otis Truffles are also a great idea for a corporate gift for the holidays.

Our North Andover store (and this website) is currently the only location that you can buy the truffles. You have to experience the taste of this simple product in order to truly appreciate it. Please stop by and try our samples!

Hours of Operation:

Our normal operating hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekends (we are open on both Saturdays and Sundays).

After Valentine’s Day, we are open Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays).

Van Otis is closed during the summer, from mid-May through early September. Each year, we open to the public on or around September 15th, and close again around May 15th.