PORTLAND, Ore. — June 12, 2024 — Gourmet chocolate retailer Chocolat-e has been named one of 50 America’s Retail Champions by the National Retail Federation, the Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates for the nation’s 4.6 million retail establishments. The America’s Retail Champion program, “celebrates small retailers who are exceptional advocates for retail and the communities they serve,” according to the NRF. Sandy-based Chocolat-e was cofounded by French-born Jeanyves Verdu, who couldn’t