The Women of Chocolate – International Women’s Day

There are a lot of women in chocolate making but for some reason they seem to be more hidden than the men. Where the guys seem to be happy to use their names and faces in their Twitter profiles and in the name of their endeavours, women give their chocolate shops more descriptive names and have symbolic images it seems. So I set out to uncover them.

Some of these women have been directly asked for a bio – some I stole from the web and some I made up from what I know about them. However I came by the info, I wanted to highlight how many wonderful women there are in this industry which is why you see them listed by name and not by company. The listing of women is a higgildy piggildy mess of no particular order though you might notice people I reviewed before nearer the top of the list because I knew them.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW if you know of a woman chocolatier who is not listed or something you really think should be listed here. I’m happy to add more women to the mix!

This post was inspired originally by Katie Christoffers of Matcha Chocolat. Katie makes tea-infused chocolates inspired by her love of green tea and the variety of different flavours the one tea plant can bring. I’ve been to her chocolate making headquarters in Wallingford and it is a mixing of science, art and passion. Her chocolates have evolved over time and she has started looking beyond tea however the quality is always top notch as is the research (and taste trials *nomnom*). I love Katie’s chocolates as being both high quality and innovative and I’m proud to list her as the inspiration for this blog post.http://www.matchachocolat.com

Europe-Based Chocolatiers

Denise Acabo – The grande dame of all things chocolate, Denise Acabo travels around France, identifying the one item that each of France’s best chocolate artisans make. She will take usually only the premium example of any particular chocolate. So she will take one producer’s chocolate truffle and then she chooses someone else who may make the best nougat, or caramel, or palette d’or, and that is all that Denise will take from that artisan – one item. She is a legend in the chocolate community and I hope one day to visit her shop which does not have a website it seems. http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2006/09/denise-acabo.html

Diana Short – The Lick the Spoon story started in 2007, having given up work as a professional chef to look after my two boys, now aged 5 and 3, the need to be creative drove me to set up a small business from home. After discovering the vast array of interesting origin couvertures available ( a far cry from my previous chocolate experiences) I was inspired to create a range of fresh chocolates, drawing on my background to work out the best flavour combinations. I took a one day intensive training course with John Costello (current UK chocolate master) and set to developing my recipes. I worked from home for 3 years, gaining numerous gold awards, as well as being named a finalist in the Waitrose “Made in Britain” competition and being named Independent Food Producer of the Year. I had already been approached by some of the top London retailers and actually made Selfridges Easter order from my kitchen table (never again!). We moved to premises in November 2009 and opened our shop in Cirencester. http://www.lickthespoon.co.uk

Galia Orme – Argentinean born Galia Orme, loves chocolate so much that she set up her company CHOC Chick to promote the benefits, ease and fun of making decadently healthy raw chocolates. Her aim is to enable anyone to be a CHOColatier and has developed a range of raw chocolate making kits with organic raw cacao ingredients, a low GL natural sweetener and simple recipes to make delicious chocolates that are free from dairy, refined sugars, hydrogenated fats, additives and guilt! Her CHOC Chick Kits can be found at John Lewis Food Halls, Whole Foods Market, and other independent stores across the UK and online www.chocchick.com.

Antonia – Ooh La La Chocolaterie didn’t send a blurb and there isn’t anything on their site to tell me more about the wonderful lady who says of her chocolate making technique: “When designing a new chocolate, I first look at what is in season, and seek inspiration from recipe books, magazines, restaurant menus etc, and then it’s off to the kitchen to start playing!” http://www.oohlalachocolaterie.com

Kirsty Joly – As a young girl I can clearly envisage going to an air show and being utterly spell bound by the girls looping around the skies whilst standing on top of the bi-planes! The realisation that there was more to life than sitting behind a desk is what inspired me to pursue my obsession of performing as a wingwalker. Chocolate is such a powerful and amazingly evocative food and the number of mouth-watering flavour combinations are limitless. I am obsessed with the process of combining exciting flavours that really work, that alert your senses and ignite your mind. http://www.perfectlytempered.com

Holly Caulfield – Holly is a contemporary artist who has a passion for chocolate and was so inspired by the film Chocolat that she went on a quest to discover the secrets behind the best and most delicious chocolate in the world. She used her talent as an artist to design the packaging and the rest is history. All Chocoholly chocolates are made the old fashioned way by hand with lots of care, you can taste the difference to mass produced chocolates. http://www.chocoholly.com

Sarah – Chocadores – Our passion for Real / Origin chocolate began a few years ago when we realised after trying some fresh chocolates from Artisan du Chocolat that there is more to chocolate than there seemed. At the time we knew nothing about chocolate or even how cocoa is grown. Our journey into the World of chocolate has been and continues to be a wonderful enlightenment into chocolate that has been made by the finest artisan chocolatiers from around the globe. http://www.chocadores.co.uk

Susan Kench – Niko B. Organic Chocolates are proud to be 100% organic and handmade London. Freshly rolled, dipped and flavoured in Hackney using only soil association certified chocolate, fruits, nuts, herbs, spices and flowers, as well as organic British cream and butter, the adventurous range includes exotic truffles, enrobed and caramelised nuts, candied fruits, fresh, oozing nougats and decadent ganache filled, liquor soaked figs. Headed by master chocolatier Anthony Ferguson and his wife Susan – and named after their son (Niko, 3, Brownie addict), they have been satisfying chocoholics on both sides of the Atlantic for nearly a decade http://www.nikobchocolates.com

Sophie Jewett – To say I like chocolate is a bit of an understatement, I am fascinated by every element. One day my passion became an obsession that I was going to learn, taste and absorb everything I possibly could about. I had to do something with all the knowledge I had accumulated, so I created Little Pretty Things. My chocolates focus’ on real, local flavours, recipes and ingredients, our Yorkshire Collection uses only Yorkshire Cream and Butter combined with some of the best seasonal flavours such as Rhubarb Crumble, Yorkshire Rose, Real Ale, Yorkshire Curd Tart, Yorkshire Lemon Curd and Yorkshire Blue Cheese & Biscuits. www.littleprettything.co.uk

Julia Wenlock – I’ve always been passionate about food, especially locally grown and produce food. I worked for Godiva and Selfridges while studying at University and this is where I really embraced my passion for food. I started making my own chocolates and truffles to sell in my shop in late 2009; I’d often made chocolates for friends and family. I love being creative especially with food as I it really awakens peoples senses, and it’s such a social thing. I try and source most of my ingredients from local suppliers and producers and make sure all my chocolates are the freshest possible. http://www.tootsweetsconfectionery.co.uk

Chantal Cody – Chantal of Rococo Chocolates is well known in the chocolate world and really to people who just buy fun but different chocolate. She says on Twitter “Founder of Rococo Chocolates, cocoa farmer in Grenada and London, wife and mother, cyclist, creative, foodie, juggling constantly” Her chocolates in Liberty were eye-catching and placed in direct eyesight which shows they have pull-power. The chocolate is different, innovative with use of flavour and in some cases they were groundbreaking in flavour combinations. http://www.rococochocolates.com

Angela Ruthven – My dream, when I set up Saffire Chocolates, was to develop a small cottage-industry where I could indulge and share my passion and enjoyment for making chocolates. Four years on and we are still hand making chocolates using many old fashioned homemade and labour-intensive techniques rather than mass production machinery, but, we have moved to our present premises where you can watch us making our chocolates. http://www.saffire-chocolates.co.uk

Rebecca Knights-Kerswell – The Chocolate Society, of which Rebecca Knights-Kerswell owner of Coco of Bruntsfield is a member, aims to alert the populace to the cocoa content in bars. Mass produced chocolate squeezes out the expensive cocoa and cocoa butter in favour of cheaper sugar, vegetable fat & powdered milk – http://www.cocochocolate.co.uk

Katy Weddell – Self-taught chocolate lady living by the seaside. Her chocolates are freshly made with cream infused with beaten up cardamom pods, Himalayan salt and tea leaves. Rock Lobster specialise in making spicy and fruit ganache, slab & dipped chocolates. Their products are all handmade by Katy Weddell in her chocolate den in Dunbar. They’ve only been in business a short time and their products being stocked in several outlets. Let’s hope 2011 will be just as exciting as their starting year was! http://www.therocklobster.co.uk

Sarah Payne – I started Cocoa Loco in 2005 when my youngest son Oscar started school I wanted an income but didn’t want to go back to working for the large corporate I had done before children. So I started baking brownies in my aga at home and selling them on ebay. Regular customers started asking what other products I made including a bride looking for wedding favours, so I was soon making truffles and cookies as well. Within 18 months my husband quit his job in the city to work with me and we are now in a fully fitted kitchen within a 250 year old barn! http://www.cocoaloco.co.uk

Deirdre – I don’t know anything about Deidre from Co Couture Chocolates but I have purchased their chocolates and I know they are yummy. If she is as passionate about chocolate as her brother then I am sure she is a dedicated chocolate maker. They say their “luxurious chocolates are made in small batches using only the finest raw ingredients to ensure the ultimate taste sensation.” http://www.cocouture.co.uk/

Soumya Dinesh – I am excited to present Cherish Chocolates, my very own creation of unusual, freshly hand-made to-order chocolates with soft flavoured centres and only fresh & natural ingredients. My desire to treat people to fresh good food that is natural and healthy inspired me to indulge in this as a serious profession. Cherish Chocolates are ‘affordable luxury’ for any age, mood, occasion or business need. http://cherishchocolates.co.uk

Claire Rennie – How I got started in chocolate is actually a love story. I first fell in love with my now husband Ross, who decided to move back to the family farm and diversify production by growing soft fruit. This was my introduction to strawberries & raspberries and what better way to eat them than cover them in chocolate! This was where my love affair with chocolate began, and apart from a one day chocolate course, I’m self taught and am delighted to have produced award winning products. www.berryscrumptious.co.uk

Juliet Sampson and Jasmine Kershaw – There were already plenty of amazing chocolatiers making truffles and bars, but when it came to drinking chocolate something was missing. So, based on a reputation amongst friends and family for making great hot chocolate, using real chocolate and spices, we set about finding a way of getting our creations out to the wider world. Now we go out to London markets, where we’ve become known as “the hot chocolate ladies,” and retail the mixtures for people to take home. We try our best to make sure everything we do is ethical and environmentally sustainable. World domination still to come!

Suzue Curley is a patissier, originally from Osaka, Japan. She moved to London in 1996 where she trained at Le Coron Bleu and since has worked at Claridge’s and The Savoy where she was in charge of their world famous Afternoon Teas. She has won many national competitions including Gold at Hotelympia in 2000. She works in chocolate now and brings her unique tastes and viewpoint to the chocolate making process creating delicious, if different, chocolates. www.williamcurley.co.uk

Cecilia Tessieri works closely with farmers and plantations in the various cocoa growing areas of the world which tend to produce the highest quality beans. Her work with the beans at the start of the process demonstrates her perfectionist streak. She ensures the refinement and conch is perfect and that the chocolate is top notch. She is a passionate chocolatier. www.amedei.com

Louise Nason was eight when she was given my first cookbook which was, unsurprisingly, a chocolate one. She didn’t, however, seriously get into working with quality chocolate until three decades later. She decided to switch careers and create a new style of chocolate shop which was cool, funky and oozed sensuality. Thus in 206 Melt was born and she’s been winning awards ever since! www.meltchocolates.com

USA-based Chocolatiers

Jennifer Nandlal – I love chocolate. It’s only natural that I’d want to share my love of chocolate with the world one truffle at a time! Here at Truffle Werks, it’s all about the chocolate. Each truffle is handmade with a special blend of chocolate from Milk to Single Origin. What makes a Truffle Werks truffle different from the rest? When you bite into a Truffle Werks truffle, your taste buds are taken on a journey of pure decadence. Our secret is the personal touch we put into each and every truffle bringing out a tasteful chocolate experience like no other. http://trufflewerks.com

Sarah Hart – Five years ago, Sarah Hart started playing with chocolate recipes, creating iconic molds and painting them in edible gold leaf. She perfected these treats the hard way, through trial and error. The name Alma comes from Sarah’s grandmother, Alma Hart. She taught Sarah to bake pies—and how to nourish others through a love of good food. Alma means spirit, or soul, in Latin. AWESOME chocolate art I think you just have to see! http://www.almachocolate.com

Mindy Fong – My cultural background is mixed. Not just because my father’s family is from China, and my mother is from the Phlippines, but because the culture in which I grew up in is non-homogeneous. I am a native San Franciscan, still living here and probably always will. The traits of my grandfather is a reflection in how I operate Jade Chocolates. Creating Jade Chocolates won’t be easy, but it can’t be that hard. My grandfather showed me that. http://www.jadechocolates.com

Rachel Zoe Insler – is classically trained, having studied with Master Chocolatier Keith Hurdman at London’s Melt Chocolates in Notting Hill. Deeply inspired by her visits to these European artisanal chocolate shops, Rachel decided to bring that experience to New York by opening Bespoke Chocolates in her beloved East Village neighborhood. Her signature chocolate, the Pretzel-Covered Sea Salted Caramel, uses handmade pretzels and dairy products fresh from the Greenmarket and was recognized as the Best Confection in the 2008 Golden Scoop Awards. http://www.bespokechocolates.com

Julie Waterman – Owner and Chocolatier Julie Waterman began Indulgence Chocolatiers in 2007 with the goal of introducing fine artisan chocolate to the Milwaukee area’s burgeoning culinary scene. In addition to her appreciation for classic flavor combinations, Julie’s travels around the world have inspired her to reach beyond traditional flavors and experiment with globally inspired ingredients. http://www.indulgencechocolatiers.com

Mary Leonard – Deeply curious about chocolate and a life-long connoisseur, in 2002 Mary Leonard heeded the words of her childhood hero Julia Child: “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” That she did. During her journey into the world of cacao delicacies, Mary apprenticed with Master Chocolatier Tom Cinnamon in Vancouver. She also trained in chocolate technology with Terry Richardson, patent holder for Godiva Chocolate. http://store.chocolatceleste.com

Mary Loomas – After 20 years in high tech, Mary discovered her passion and hidden talent for creating superior confections. As Mary develops her recipes, she experimented with many different chocolates and ingredients, finally honing them through formal tastings. She has been trained internationally including Valrohna’s Ecole Grand Chocolat in France. She emphasizes the total experience including appearance, mouth feel, and, above all, the flavor of her chocolates. http://www.saratogachocolates.com

Kathy Wiley – Because Kathy had a predilection for more savory foods, she decided that she wanted to incorporate that taste into her chocolates and confections by sprinkling just a pinch of Grey Sea Salt on some Bittersweet Chocolate. Poco Dolce’s Bittersweet Chocolate “Tiles” were born. She states that, “At a certain point, it all becomes clear and you know exactly where you’re meant to be.” http://www.pocodolce.com

Zohara Mapes – Zohara’s deep passion for chocolate began early starting out as a young girl making French style truffles. The passion for cacao took hold and led her on journeys through the Mayan jungles and into labs with chocolate technologists. She created a confection company selling seasonal flavors at farmers markets and special events and has led classes in Hawaii on cacao from tree to chocolates. http://www.tcho.com

Cristina Vives – I have always been a big fan of Chocolate, so naturally when I was in culinary school and Chocolate quarter came around, I was very interested. I would leave the kitchen looking like I jumped in a pool of Chocolate! As time progressed, I started sharpening my skills. I went to Costco one day and bought all the ingredients for making truffles and started making them at home. I tested them on my family and friends, before I knew it my mom was helping me out and we were ordering from Chocolate distributors and ordering the good stuff from Belgium. http://www.shocolaate.com

Diana Pace – her favourite chocolate is the Star of India , it is milk chocolate with a fusion of ginger, chili and cardamom topped w 24 ct gold. Our truffles are one of a kind and are all hand made, hand rolled and individually decorated and boxed. Our anniversary is Valentines day 2010. http://www.shocolaate.com

Zoe – We are third generation chocolatiers. In 1902 my mother’s family came from Greece and started a confection business in Baltimore, MD. My father, George Tsoukatos, emigrated from Greece in the early 1970’s and began working with my grandmother, learning the craft of chocolate making and earning him the title of master chocolatier. After our grandmother passed in 2007, my brother, Pantelis, and I left our jobs in Washington DC to continue our family’s 100 year legacy. Today, we preserve our grandmother’s legacy and the handmade chocolate tradition that we love so much, while adding a modern sophistication with today’s flavors, trends and ingredients. http://www.zoeschocolate.com

Vanessa Barg – A Certified Holistic Health Counselor who has studied with Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, and David Wolfe, Vanessa was inspired to create Gnosis Chocolate in 2008 to help her clients experience the joy of conscious nutrition. Her passion for health and chocolate has ignited a joy in bringing education around superfood nutrition, social consciousness, and environmental sustainability to her customers. Raw chocolate is Vanessa’s vehicle for sharing her innovative expertise in nutrition, transformation, and conscious entrepreneurialism with the world. http://www.gnosischocolate.com

Cheri Gayle Lee – Cheri was trained in the classic French tradition at the French Culinary Institute in SoHo, New York City. Her lifelong quest for great desserts led her to start Cheri Pie. Cheri-Pie Sweet Treats provides hand made fine pastries, cakes and chocolates for all occasions. While the site is both old skool and old, she is a woman of chocolate. http://www.cheri-pie.com/

Elaine Hsieh – As a young child, Elaine Hsieh (pronounced SEE-ya) began her long journey and love of good food with her first Easy Bake Oven. Elaine Hsieh received her training as a professional chef through the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and as a professional chocolatier through Ecole Chocolat in Vancouver, BC. (because really, Canada rocks ;-D). http://www.ehchocolatier.com

Catharine Sweeney – As one of the oldest in a family of 14, Catharine Sweeney was expected to help her mother in many ways, but she looked forward to assisting in helping to feed a growing family. While having a particular interest in simple nutritious foods, her passion was all things chocolate. http://www.ehchocolatier.com

Lisa Mecray Rogers – A certified graduate with honors of the acclaimed Ecole Chocolat Professional School of Chocolate Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia and the famous L’Ecole Du Grand Chocolat at Valrhona, Tain L’Hermitage, France. She has also completed intensive course work at the French Culinary Institute in NYC. Lisa believes the right kind of chocolate should be a sensational full body experience offering not only a moment of peace, but instant satisfaction and gratification. Chocolate should melt in your mouth, and you should melt along with it. http://luxxchocolat.com

Canadian Chocolatiers

Kristene Steed – First, although I make premium chocolate candies, I am not a chocolatier, since we buy our premium chocolate and think of ourselves more along the lines of an honest, old-fashioned candy maker, or confectioner. Growing up, Rheo Thompson candies were a Stratford icon and a favorite childhood memory. So I grabbed the chance to buy & steward the brand when I came across it, and have since fallen deeply in love with the candy and chocolate business. http://www.rheothompson.com

Bonnie Junyk – My name is Bonnie Junyk and I am a businesswoman, wife and mother living in Oakville Ontario. After 29 years in the corporate world, I took an early retirement package and planned on leaving the workforce. After one year off, my husband and I saw an ad for a franchise location of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory at Square One in Mississauaga. Well, no one loves chocolate more than I do and the rest is history. We have been open over 4 years now and my husband is the cook and I am the chocolatier. Making handmade chocolates everyday is my kind of job. People ask me all the time if I am sick of chocolate, but that will never happen! http://rockychoc.com

Brazillian Chocolatiers

Beth – I was born in Bahia and I moved to Rio de Janeiro. I always had passion for chocolate. So, when I was 18 years old I decided to take the chances and get into this magic world that chocolate is. I took classes and specializations in Belgium. My inspiration: the magic of the chocolate. It has been 5 years since I have opened my chocolate store. It is a boutique chocolate store. I also make “brigadeiro” which is a tipical brazilian sweet made with powder chocolat and condensed milk. www.bethchocolates.com.br

Chocolate Chicks – Women Involved in chocolate but who do not make chocolate

Jennifer Earle – Born in England into a family of chocoholics, I was raised mostly in the Australian countryside, miles from any shops. In December 2004 I tasted La Maison du Chocolat’s Quito ganache for the first time, and had a flashback to the first time I tasted Lindt chocolate, though this was so much better. When I’m not guiding chocolate tours, I spend my weekends and holidays at food fairs or travelling to cities to look at chocolate shops and to eat at interesting restaurants, or adventuring to far-flung places to look at cocoa plantations. http://www.chocolateecstasytours.com

Louise Thomas – the Chocolate Consultancy was set up in 2009 by myself. The company was started to promote the fine chocolate industry to the consumer. I started my training as a chef and had a small panic attack about tomatoes, overwhelmed by the varieties, dishes and colours of tomatoes. I decided to move into pastry to cut down 35% of my ingredients. Whilst working as a pastry chef I discovered Valrhona’s Manjari, which changed my perception of what chocolate could be. I then literally changed my life. I left my partner and our home in Gloucestershire to flee for streets made of chocolate, in London. http://www.thechocolateconsultancy.com

Laura Rucker – Ms Wonka – Having tasted a few heavenly Chocolates in my life, I was curious to try more of these fine delicacies. It was around this time I ventured into the world of blogging and started GotChocolate.com – a blog about EVERYTHING Chocolate! I love writing Chocolate-themed reviews and recipes as well as Chocolate humor for my Chocoholic readers. And I LOVE Chocolate. So there you have the marriage of Chocolate and blogging into http://www.GotChocolate.com

Kate Johns – I think it’s really important to work in a field that interests you, food is something that I feel very passionate about, I love cooking, eating out and sharing different food experiences with friends. My journey into chocolate PR came about through my food pr business and working with one chocolate client, deciding we needed a promotion in the UK to promote fine chocolate and launching Chocolate Week. Clients like to work with a pr person who understands their business so being approached by other chocolate companies was quite a natural progression. If you enjoy what you’re doing you do it so much better. http://www.nudgecommunications.co.uk

Tracey Edelist – Entranced by the whole bean-to-bar process and motivated by the socially conscious efforts of the artisanal chocolate makers, I wanted to get the word out about fine chocolate. So, I switched gears from a speech- language pathologist in the traumatic brain injury field to doing chocolate tasting events. Since many customers had never heard of the chocolate that I used in the events, including Amedei, Bonnat, Michel Cluizel, and Pralus, I opened an online store, making all these great chocolates available across Canada. www.atasteforchocolate.com

Chloe Doutre-Roussel – author of “The Chocolate Connoisseur” and a former chocolate buyer for London’s Fortnum & Mason, opened her own salon in the Marais. The idea behind Chloe Chocolat is to give curious chocophiles a place to deepen their knowledge. You can go to a class or you can skip the schooling and go straight for a chocolate and tea pairing in the sitting room. http://www.chloechocolat.com

Maricel Presilla – I had my first taste of chocolate as a fruit at my grandmother’s cacao farm in the Baracoa region of Cuba. That early experience informs my book The New Taste of Chocolate: A Natural and Cultural History of Chocolate with Recipes. After working in marketing for Chocolates El Rey from Venezuela, I created Gran Cacao Company where we sell our own line of chocolate truffles with Latin flavor (Blue Cacao). I first served our truffles at the White House two years ago where I was the first female Latin chef to have been invited to cook at the White House. www.maricelpresilla.com

Yael Rose – about it! I have always been a chocoholic….my mum used
to make me a cup of cocoa every day since I can remember myself and I’ve been addicted ever since.
I have organised a few events when I saw a programme about chocolate on TV that changed the
whole way I thought about and tasted it. It was then I got this idea in my head ‘I have to organise a
chocolate festival’… and the rest is history. festivalchocolate.co.uk

Brownie Babes

Abi Bradley – I’ve always loved baking and most of my creations would include chocolate (who doesn’t love chocolate?!). However I very quickly realised, that if I continued to bake as much as I wanted to without sharing the results I would be the size of a house! So, I started giving my creations to friends and family as gifts and the response was always very positive! I realised there was a market for quality, home-baked goods and in 2011 Simply Brownies was born – it seems all that hard work perfecting my chocolate brownie recipe has paid off! http://www.simplybrownies.co.uk

Nikki Taylor – I always had this vision of opening a box of brownies of different flavours – a bit like a box of chocolates and it’s hard to choose which one you want first! We have already been shortlisted for our “Gluten free chunky chocolate brownie”. Hopefully there will be more to come as we enter more awards. We use as many local ingredients as possible including organic eggs from Barrington estate, organic flour from Matthew’s flour mill and butter from Netherend Farm. Our main chocolate ingredient is 70% and we choose Divine. http://www.bluebasilbrownies.co.uk

I’m still working on:

Fiona Sciolti – Sciolti Chocolates – based in Lincolnshire
Linda Barrie – Choc Affair – based in Naburn, York
Sun Trigg – Lauden Chocolates based in Leeds
White Rabbit Chocolates – based in Beverley
Miss Cocoa – based in Leeds
Sara Jayne Stanes – Acadamy of Chocolate
Isabelle – http://www.themelange.com/index.htm

In Memory of…

Ann Atkinson – Founder Ann Atkinson established Bittersweet with over 25 years of experience and was recognised as one of Australia’s finest self-taught chocolatiers. The Bittersweet team were devastated to lose Ann to cancer in March 2010, and her family continue to operate the business and handcraft all of the chocolates to her exacting standards. A loss to both Australia and the chocolate world. http://www.bittersweetchocolate.com.au/

I love chocolate & I love that there are so many women involved. Believe it or not, we’ve come a long day since my female programming teacher tried to exclude me because “programming was no place for a lady” (or whatever she said). We are breaking down barriers and we’re making a difference – in chocolate, online and in the world in general. CHEERS!