EVENTS: Chocolate for Christmas: Craft vs Big Chocolate
Chocolate for Christmas? If this is a subject on your mind as we’re coming up to Christmas, probably the biggest annual event for chocolatiers and the chocolate industry, this could be a date for diary. We’re talking to craft producers and retailers of specialty or artisanal chocolate who have very different goals to the big, mass produced, highly sweetened chocolate brands that make up the majority of the chocolate consumed at Christmas.
Our next event takes place on Monday 21st October 2024 from 6pm-8.30pm. In Chocolate for Christmas: Craft vs Big Chocolate along with experts in the field, we will discuss a number of important issues relating to buying chocolate at Christmas.
For this new discussion we have brought together a fascinating panel of expert speakers including – leading chocolatiers in the UK chocolate industry Chantal Coady & Paul Young. They will be joined by two leading craft chocolate retailers Spencer Hyman – Co-founder and Chair of Chocolate at Cocoa Runners & Nathan Coyte – UK Sales Lead at Original Beans Chocolate.
Our illustrious panel will share their thoughts on how we should we be eating and savouring our chocolates this Christmas, to get the best out of them, and there will, of course, be samples to taste.
Chantal Coady, founder of British chocolatiers and cocoa growers Rococo, started the business after graduating from art school in 1983. She has been pivotal in changing the UK chocolate scene, weaning people away from sugary confectionery to single estate dark chocolate. Working with the Grenada Chocolate Company has inspired a radically different approach: ‘Tree to Bar’, adding value all the way back to the place where it grows. In 2021 Chantal launched The Chocolate Detective, a business that works with cocoa farmers in Grenada to highlight sustainable chocolate. Chantal is the first person to be awarded an OBE for “Services to Chocolate Making”.
When Cookery School started twenty years ago, a youthful aspiring chocolatier, Paul Young, had just left working as Head Pâtissier for Marco Pierre White, with ambitions to start a first rate chocolate business, joined us running our chocolate making classes. The rest is history as Paul established himself a chocolatier par excellence with a now very distinguished career and many awards to bear this out.
Paul is curating a new consumer chocolate show called Chocolate Unwrapped taking place on October 19th 2024 as part of Chocolate Week 2024.
Spencer co-founded Cocoa Runners over a decade ago, expanding his knowledge and passion for craft chocolate. Spencer has a background leading operations across retail, technology and startups — setting up Hasbro in Japan, launching Amazon’s Software, Video Games and Electronics stores in the UK and COOing Last.fm’s music service. And he is passionate about saving, and savouring, the world through Craft Chocolate. He often appears on TV, media and at conferences, including Sunday Brunch, World Cocoa Conference, International Wine Challenge, Barista Connect, Academy of Chocolate, Great Taste Awards and more. Spencer is always on the hunt for great new craft chocolate makers and farmers, exploring how cocoa is grown and crafted — and understanding more about flavour, and how Craft Chocolate pairs with other great craft experiences like wine and coffee. A tasting event with Spencer brings new perspectives to savouring and tasting experiences, it’s not to be missed.
Agenda
6pm – 7pm: Enjoy welcome drinks, networking & canapes
7pm – 8pm: Panel Discussion with a Q&A
8pm – 8.30pm: Drinks & networking
This Christmas chocolate food talk & event will cover topics including:
* What is craft chocolate, how is it defined?
* Why is craft chocolate considered good for gut health?
* How does the panel ensure the chocolate they produce or buy is ethically produced?
* Can savouring chocolate be good for our health and the planet?
* How is chocolate marketed over the festive season to try to ensure the true cost of some chocolate is clear? In whose interest is it to hide the true costs of chocolate?
How to book:
Places are limited, so book now to make sure you don’t miss out on this fascinating Christmas chocolate event.
Category
Events