The artisanal chocolatier called Cocopotamus is on a roll again. Cupid has kept them busy for Valentine's Day, but the rest of February will be even more hectic in what they call "the CocoKitchen." That's because Cocopotamus dark chocolate fudge truffles have been chosen for the Celebrity Gift - also known as the coveted "swag bag" - for the 83rd Academy Awards held later this month.

"This is a huge honor for us," says Cocopotamus Chocolate CEO Maxwell Sinclair. "We are very excited." Cocopotamus will also be taking the handmade chocolate truffles live to the celebrities for a charity event at The W Hotel in Los Angeles during the two days preceding the actual Oscars ceremony.

Celebrities are nothing new to Cocopotamus, based in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area which is brimming with stars who are filming or taping or who reside in the area. Local productions include TV hits "Breaking Bad," "In Plain Sight," and the feature film "Terminator 3." Cocopotamus has previously been lauded on TV by Lifetime Network. Their handmade dark chocolate fudge truffles have also been featured in Rachael Ray's holiday gift guide and publications including Health, American Lifestyle, and Edible Santa Fe.

Whole Foods Market has recently expanded the number of states where it sells Cocopotamus, to include Colorado, Utah and Kansas. Several best-selling flavors of Cocopotamus chocolate truffles are on sale at Whole Foods throughout February and March, with the lowest price in the nation. The sale applies in the new states as well as in their home state of New Mexico.

The 23 Cocopotamus flavors range from classic dark fudge "Cupcake" and the popular "Holy Cow" (their only milk chocolate fudge truffle, hand-dipped in dark chocolate) to the exotic "Hottie," with cinnamon and chili, and "Lemon Shiver," infused with zesty organic California lemon. For lovers of ultra dark chocolate, there is "Bo Beep," an 88% intense dark chocolate fudge with organic black raspberry. 

And for Valentine's Day, Cocopotamus has a special flavor called "Love Potion #10" which is a dark chocolate fudge truffle infused with strawberry and Mexican cinnamon.

"We put a new twist on old-fashioned American fudge, honoring our grandmothers by keeping a tradition alive," Sinclair explains. "Taste is very important to us. But we're also label readers." Cocopotamus adds Vitamin C to each batch, and only uses antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. The truffles are also less sweet, and Cocopotamus won't use corn syrup.

Cocopotamus ships its handmade dark chocolate fudge truffles nationwide from http://www.cocopotamus.com, including gift, party, corporate and wedding chocolate. Cocopotamus is also sold in 28 states at retailers including Whole Foods Market, Mother's Natural Kitchen and Hy-Vee, and in 3 provinces in Canada.