🎉Today we turn 5 years old! 🎉
🎉Today we turn 5 years old! 🎉💃🏾🎂.
5 years ago myself and Andy and I launched Lucocoa at a chocolate show Islington in London and became London's first Bean to Bar chocolate maker. After seeing what was sold as 'quality chocolate' we went on a mission to disrupt the chocolate world and challenge the status quo that chocolate should be cheap and dark chocolate should be bitter!
Chocolate is like wine or coffee so if we have a spectrum of prices in both these products, why should we have a race to the bottom in chocolate. So we rolled our sleeves up and taught ourselves how to make chocolate to bring a true premium offering into the market. We wanted to do this on our own terms and not use white refined sugar. That's not a popular opinion for some chocolate aficionados 😀.
We started in a 1 bed flat, moving to a 2 bed flat and converting the spare room into a chocolate factory (you should have seen the faces of people viewing the flat to buy... But then it was in Stoke Newington so...😂). We moved to a new house and converted the outhouse into a chocolate factory. After 3 1/2 years of working a full time job and making and delivering chocolate I gave up the job and went full time on Lucocoa.
We've learnt, changed and adapted over the years. It's been full of highs and lows and so much support and advice from amazing people and stockists, that what makes it worth it. Seeing the smile and feedback from people.
Now we're on a new journey in a new home in Bermondsey joined by Megan handling the sales and marketing like a boss. So excited about this new chapter! Special thanks to Ana, who answered the creative design call 5 years ago and anything that looks buff coming out from Lucocoa she designed and created keeping us looking fresh!
Andy isn't part of the business so much these days although if you're lucky you might catch him down in the factory dusting off his wrapping skills! This illustration was done by the super talented Ben. We wanted to party hard but even a social distancing party wasn't allowed so our 60% Haiti is dreaming about what a party would look like.
Ama
#beantobarchocolate #chocolate #smallbusiness