Join chocolate expert Luke Owen Smith on a guided tour of the wonderful world of local artisan chocolate makers.

If you enjoy consuming a large variety of highly delicious things, the 21st century is a good time to be alive. Whether you love beer, cheese, bread, coffee or any number of other comestibles, there are now vast quantities of unique, high quality and locally made options readily available.

Craft chocolate arrived a little late to this flavour renaissance, but it’s now in full-swing and totally revolutionising the way we think about one of our favourite treats. New Zealand’s craft chocolate makers are creating small-batches of chocolate from scratch – from “bean to bar” – using specialist varieties of cacao that offer a whole new world of flavours, far beyond the “chocolatey” flavour we all grew up with. Along with increasing diversity and quality, they’re also sourcing beans more ethically and operating outside of the commodity cacao system, where modern slavery and illegal child labour are still all too common.

Making chocolate from cacao beans is very time and labour intensive, which is why a lot of New Zealand chocolate brands use pre-made chocolate bought from huge industrial factories in Europe. As a result, our country suffers from a major lack of chocolate variety; there are many different things made with chocolate, but the chocolate itself is sourced from just a couple of multinational companies. Imagine if most wine on supermarket shelves was made by only a handful of overseas wineries – there would be riots in the streets!

But there are still plenty of places to have your mind opened to the world of high quality local chocolate – and there’s no better time to make the leap than at Christmas. Any bar from this list of New Zealand’s most exciting bean-to-bar chocolate makers would make a wonderful gift. Why not buy one for yourself while you’re at it?

 

Lucid Chocolatier

Founded in rural Wairarapa by 25 year-old Johnty Tatham, Lucid Chocolatier made headlines earlier this year after winning the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Chocolate Awards for its Port-infused 68% bar. It’s just one of many fascinating, boundary-pushing and impeccably-executed bars in the Lucid collection. Despite being the youngest chocolate maker in New Zealand, Johnty brings a wealth of experience to the table, having trained and worked as a chocolatier for several years before embarking on his bean-to-bar journey. lucidchocolatier.nz

Try first: 48% Tonka. If you’re not familiar with the flavour of tonka beans, this is the best possible place to start.

Raglan Chocolate

Mike Renfree and Simone Downey of Raglan Chocolate are drawn to the rebellious and ethical nature of the bean-to-bar chocolate movement. Mike learned to make chocolate during his career as a food technologist for a confectioner, and soon found himself building a tiny chocolate factory under his house. Just like the town where they’re based, Raglan Chocolate’s exceptional bars are all about creativity, quality wholefoods and harmony with nature. raglanchocolate.co.nz

Try first: Gingernutty. Caramelised milk chocolate with chunks of gingernut cookies. Very difficult to put down!

Wellington Chocolate Factory

Launched in 2010, Wellington Chocolate Factory is New Zealand’s first craft chocolate maker of the modern era. Its colourful artwork and fun flavours are well known to New Zealand’s chocolate lovers, and underneath the memorable design there’s a strong dedication to organic ingredients, Fair Trade practices and supporting the local community. wcf.co.nz

Try first: Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate. There’s a reason this is one of the best-selling craft chocolate bars in New Zealand.

 

Foundry Chocolate

David and Janelle Herrick of Foundry Chocolate craft very small batches of bars in Mahurangi. Foundry’s specialty is single origin, two ingredient chocolate, made with just cacao beans and sugar. These bars let the genetics and terroir of the beans shine, and the variety of flavours that can be discovered in each bar is absolutely wild. Foundry has won an incredible number of awards, both in New Zealand and overseas. foundrychocolate.co.nz

Try first: Kilombero Valley, Tanzania 70%. Let this chocolate melt in your mouth and see how the flavours develop over time. This will totally change your perception of what chocolate can be.

Shirl & Moss

Shirl & Moss Chocolate is all about family. The company was founded by siblings Simon and Aimee Godsiff and named after their grandparents, Shirley and Morris; the intricate contour lines on its chocolate bars represent the area in the Marlborough Sounds where the family lived. This chocolate is deeply infused with care and quality, from the impeccable design and mesmerising mould, through to the luscious texture and rich, harmonious flavours. Even first-time buyers will feel a sense of nostalgia when enjoying this chocolate. shirlandmoss.co.nz

Try first: Hazelnut, Orange & Sea Salt 52% Dark Chocolate. You’ll want to swim in this one.

Hogarth Chocolate Makers

Nelson’s Hogarth Chocolate Makers launched in 2015 and the company has since won the hearts of craft chocolate fans around the world. This is extraordinary, internationally-renowned chocolate made with some of the finest cacao available. As well as outstanding single origin bars, Hogarth makes a range of distinctly New Zealand-flavoured bars that are the perfect mix of surprising and overtly delicious. hogarthchocolate.co.nz

Try first: Buttered Toast & Sea Salt. Creamy milk chocolate that contains Vogel’s rye bread! It might sound unusual but this is deservedly a big fan favourite.

Flint Chocolate 

Tania and Danielle at Auckland’s Flint Chocolate offer a beautiful range of organic and vegan chocolate bars made with unrefined coconut sugar. In adherence to the slow food ethos, they stone grind consciously-sourced ingredients into delectable bars wrapped in fully-compostable packaging. flintchocolate.nz

Try first: Almond Butter bar. Incredible texture and the perfect breakfast chocolate.

Baron Hasselhoff’s

If you haven’t yet discovered the world of Baron Hasselhoff’s, you’ve a lot of joy to look forward to. ‘Chief Chocolate Disciple’ Clayton McErlane doesn’t take life too seriously, and his personality shines through in everything he creates – but he’s serious when it comes to the art of making exceptional chocolate. Baron’s bean-to-bar line was launched in 2020, with each bar represented by a colourful, quirky and adventurous character. baronhasselhoffs.com

Try first: Mistress Tahini (Tahini Oat Milk Bar). Oat milk chocolate took New Zealand by storm this year, but this bar has been around since 2020, and it’s one of the best vegan milk chocolates you’ll ever taste.

Ocho

Based in Dunedin, Ocho is dedicated to sourcing cacao exclusively from the Pacific Islands, where they have built direct trade relationships with farmers and co-ops. Since 2013 they’ve been making some of the most sustainable and ethical chocolate in New Zealand. After crowdfunding over $2 million in 2018, they opened an impressive new factory in Dunedin’s newly-developed waterfront area, complete with an ‘OCHOgon’ viewing room for factory tours. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area. ocho.co.nz

Try first: Beekeeper. 70% Papua New Guinea chocolate meets manuka honey, bee pollen and puffed amaranth.

Miann

Brian Campbell at Miann likes to do things a little differently. Along with his team and wife, Roselle, he runs a chocolate factory and several dessert restaurants across Auckland, where you can find bean-to-bar chocolate transformed into a huge range of pastries and sweets. From ice cream to cakes, to macarons and truffles, walking into Miann can be a pretty overwhelming experience. But rest assured, anything you pick will be outrageously good. miannchocolatefactory.com

Try first: Single Origin Chocolate Sorbet. Nothing short of life-changing!

Ao Cacao

Launched in November 2021, Ao Cacao is one of the newest additions to New Zealand’s craft chocolate scene, though chocolate maker Tom Hilton has worked in the industry for over 10 years. Tom draws on his Māori heritage and European chocolate training, creating a range of bonbons and bars that are simultaneously innovative and steeped in tradition. aocacao.com

Try first: any bonbons you can get your hands on. They sell out fast!

Whatever your taste in chocolate, there’s definitely a craft chocolate bar that’s perfect for you. It’s a fascinating world filled with highly passionate people, incredible stories, and a quality of chocolate that’s never been seen in Aotearoa before. If you think $10-$15 for a bar of chocolate is expensive, you might be comparing it to the price of cheap industrial chocolate, but that’s like comparing a home-baked sourdough to some highly-processed sliced white bread. This is not the mass-produced and sugar-filled confectionery we grew up with – it’s an entirely new experience that champions quality, ethics and flavour on a whole new level.

Introduce your loved ones to craft chocolate this Christmas and they’ll be thanking you for years to come.