Do you make your own chocolate from the bean?
No. Like 99% of every other chocolate business in this country we buy our chocolate in the form of callets or blocks (some companies buy their chocolate in liquid form) which we melt then pre-crystallise in preparation to use.
There are very few ‘bean to bar’ makers in this country. Big boys like Callebaut and ADM, and new kids on the block like Duffy’s Red Star Chocolates and William "Willie" George Harcourt-Cooze are amongst the few.
Cocoa is generally grown 22 degrees north and south of the Equator. Although cocoa originated in the Americas (Venezuela, Ecuador, Columbia), the largest grower is now the Ivory Coast. Cocoa is grown in this region of the planet and normally processed in Europe and the US. This is why you end up with Belgian, French, Italian chocolate etc.
Is your chocolate organic?
No. Though we do sometimes use non certified organically grown chocolate and ingredients in our recipes. At the end of the day we are trying to sell our products as cheaply as possible. Times are hard and we want our products to be affordable to everybody. If you want organic or ‘raw’ chocolate then there are plenty of producers out there.
Do you use Organic ingredients?
Sometimes…it depends what’s on offer! We also forage for blackberries, nettles, rowanberries, bilberries, rose hips, elderberries etc We use various herbs and plants we have grown ourselves or from what others have grown in the valley and donated to us usually via the postman. eg Rhubarb. We grow Gooseberries, angelica, pears, apples plums, corn flowers, mint leaves. Obviously the various produce we forage have NOT been certified organic ..they just grow wild. Does this make them organic? I know they cost me nothing but my time in picking and they taste great!
If you are interested in foraging this is a good place to start www.wildmanwildfood.com/
We use local milk, cream (Peak District Dairy) in some of our recipes and even local beer (Thornbridge Brewery) in our Jaipur IPA flavoured truffles. We try and put a little bit of Derbyshire in our chocolates.
Do you sell sugar-free chocolate?
No. As far as I know the Food Standards Agency and Diabetes UK are advising against the use of the terms as they may mislead diabetics into thinking that these foods are safe to be eaten in any quantity.
As Diabetes UK mentions on their website…
“Don’t use diabetic foods or drinks.
They offer no benefit to people with diabetes. They will still affect your blood glucose levels, contain just as much fat and calories as the ordinary versions, can have a laxative effect and are expensive”.
If you have diabetes please click on the links below to find out much more on your condition.
So whose chocolate do you use in your products?
Throughout the year we use up to 8-9 different dark couvertures, 5-6 different milk couvertures and 3-4 different white chocolates. The origin of the bean which makes these chocolates come from far and wide including Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Java etc
As well as these great couvertures we would also love to use some premium couvertures produced by companies such as Amedei or Michel Cluizel but then I’d have to TRIPLE my prices! If you want to purchase these brands then you can’t go wrong by clicking here www.chocolatetradingco.com who sell a great range of premium chocolates.
PLEASE, please don’t just judge a chocolate by its minimum cocoa solid content. It’s like judging a wine by its alcohol strength.
Is any of your chocolate Fair Trade?
No. Though all our chocolate suppliers have signed up to the World Cocoa Foundation (This organisation aims to encourage responsible sustainable cocoa farming and raise farmers' incomes) and the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) (Working Towards Responsible Labour Standards for Cocoa Growing). It's a slow process but eventually they will get there.
Again this comes down to personal taste and the final price to you the consumer. As a business it would price us out of much of the market. We would like to use more couverture which has actually been processed in the country of origin though. Most profit in the chocolate industry is made in the processing, not in the growing.
Allergies?
I have to take anti histamine every day of the year. Suffer from asthma and for some reason…developed an allergy to certain shell fish about 5 years ago. I really get it! But I can’t always guarantee, hand on heart about my supplies and if they are allegin free.
All our products are clearly labeled. We don't work in a nut free environment therefore we can't guarantee any of our products are 100% nut free. Sorry!
The same must be made clear about milk solids as well. Although dark chocolate should not contain any milk solids, this can not be guaranteed by us. Because of the way society has become, all producers have to watch their backs!
The majority of our products are Gluten free.
Soya Lecithin is contained in most of our couvertures.
Meat. Sometimes (marshmallows, liquorish, various sweets) we use products which contain gelatine (Science still hasn’t come up with anything stable enough to replace beef/pork gelatine) but the majority of our products are suitable for vegetarians.
Artificial Colours. I reckon in the next couple of years most food colours will be produced from a natural source. In the mean time we do use some artificial colours (clearly marked)…it’s just that they look so good.
You don't have to be scared of the world. It's actually not that bad.