Meet The Team
Meet The Team
Say hello to the Chocolarder team, our dedicated crew of chocolate making champions,
who bring our bean-to-bar dreams to life.
Mike, Founder
It’s been an incredible journey since I started the business back in 2012, right from my kitchen. For me, the biggest joy over the years has been exploring the nuances of cocoa bean processing and delving into the art of chocolate making. I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved in the decade-plus since we started, and I’m even more excited about what the future holds. When I’m not busy making chocolate, I like to indulge my passion for cooking. In fact, I was a chef before starting Chocolarder, and I’ve recently been getting back into it as a hobby.Chocolarder Favourite: Dark Chocolate Smooth Orange Peel 68% (or, the special things we’re developing – but that’s a secret for now)
Becca, Office Team
There isn’t much I’m not involved with, especially now we’re in our big Falmouth factory and continuing to grow. But I love knowing that what we do here is helping to make noise in the world of chocolate. We take pride in sticking to our principles and doing right by the people who matter, with zero compromise. What’s even better is that we get to do it all while living in beautiful Cornwall! Outside of work, I’m passionate about food, my tiny cottage is practically overflowing with cookbooks.
Chocolarder Favourite: It depends on the time of year. I love the Easter eggs, but from our bars it’s got to be the Kuapa Kokoo 65% Milk.
James, Production Team
I manage production here at Chocolarder, from when the beans come in, to the bars going out. For me, the best part of the process is roll refining, getting the chocolate as smooth as possible has taken me years to perfect and it’s all about feel – something you only get with experience. Everything we do here is totally uncompromising, we really don’t skip on making the best chocolate possible. There is a lot that goes into the job, but luckily this is such a fun place to work.
Chocolarder Favourite: The Millot 80% Dark bar is a standout for me, it highlights the natural fruitiness of great Madagascan beans.
Harry, Production Team
I help with production from wrapping the bars to roasting the beans. I love the whole process but packaging is definitely my favourite – it’s a nice change of pace compared to refining, conching, and rolling. Before I started here, I didn’t know anything about chocolate making, but more goes into it than I could have imagined. When I’m not busy in the factory, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, playing video games, and listening to music.
Chocolarder Favourite: It’s got to be the gorse or, honeycomb chocolate…I just love it.
Kyle, Office Team
Hello! I help with lots of things behind the scenes, from stock to sales to admin, ensuring that our lovely customers receive the chocolate they ordered on time. One of my favorite parts of the job is speaking to our regular customers and building relationships with new ones. It’s important to us to keep things down to earth and personal – after all, that’s what helps to bring the element of craft to life. When I’m not working, I indulge my passion for all things spooky, as an aspiring horror novelist with a particular love for ghosts and ghouls.
Chocolarder Favourite: Sea Salt Caramel Truffles, they were the first thing I tried here and blew my socks off!
Alain, Production Team
Hey, I mostly work on developing new products and messing around with ideas for fun things to make. After months of tinkering it’s so rewarding to see a new product leave the factory, plus we get to taste a lot along the way. It means going the whole nine yards, no compromise, but we’re serious about what we do and making change with chocolate. When I’m not in the factory, you’ll probably see me running around town, training for my first ultramarathon – a cool 50k…no sweat!
Chocolarder Favourite: All the things we have planned
James, Production Team
I joined Chocolarder this year to help with production – roasting, refining and all that good stuff. I’m still new to chocolate making but it’s really been fun so far, the whole process is fascinating. I worked as a chef before and used chocolate a lot in cooking, but it’s amazing to learn how it really gets made. If there’s one thing you need to know about me, I love a pint of Guinness.
Chocolarder Favourite: The Kuapa Kokoo 65% Milk is really unique compared to other milk chocolate.
Will, Office Team
I’m new here at Chocolarder and I help the office team manage the day to day, while thinking of ways to make our chocolate packaging even more sustainable. It’s been amazing to learn about how delicious chocolate gets made, from the soil the cacao trees grow in, all the way to the delicious bars we create. When I’m not taking photos of new products I enjoy getting outdoors to take some snaps of the beautiful Cornish coast.
Chocolarder Favourite: I’m big on fruity, dark chocolate so the Virunga 75% Dark is my go to.
