Blog - 05 February, 2018

My new shop!

On 27th December 2017, I finally received the keys to my new premises. After months of hard work developing my products in a test kitchen, I finally had a place to call my own, a home to curate into a cocoa heaven. Filled with both excitement and nerves, I was faced with the daunting task of creating the perfect shopfront which would complement the chocolates I’d spent so long mastering. My dreams were finally coming to fruition, and a dream becoming reality.

I set out to create a space which would be both a theatre for showcasing my decadent delights, but also a functional space where I could produce the chocolates, continuously testing and experimenting in order to push the boundaries of my precious Solomon Island cacao beans. I’ve always strived to create the best chocolate that I can through using natural ingredients and the bean-to-bar process. Whilst I no longer produce so called "raw" (which I later found to be a myth!) chocolates as I initially set out to do, the minimal ingredient mission that I started out with still remains. I feel proud to have taken a product that once had a limited shelf life, due to the low melting point of the coconut butter, to one that is now able to survive in stores where I feel it belongs, enabling me to bring these quality vegan products to a wider audience. Now sold in a variety of coffee shops and delicatessens around Nottingham, it feels great that I will soon be able to sell the chocolates not only online but in my own store, enabling me to witness the reactions of customers as they delve into discovering chocolate in a whole new way.

After moving all my equipment from my old test kitchen to the new store, I was faced with starting all over again once more, turning this empty shell into a premises I could be proud of. After weeks of manual labour, I returned home one day to find the initial versions of my new bars on my doorstep, stamped with my signature which has now become a brand in itself. I suddenly realized that everything was coming together, and my chocolates had taken on a life of their own. I hope to see you at my store soon.

Luisa x

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