York Cocoa Works News
Welcome to our news, thoughts and experiences in the world of cocoa and chocolate.
This blog is brought to you by Sophie, our founder, as she shares more about our Chocolate making journey and reflections on the industry and our chocolate making vision.
Our story so far has been full of lots of insights into the world of our favourite product as we discover there's so much more to learn in order to build and shape a chocolate industry we can be proud of.
York Cocoa Works is our open chocolate manufactory as we endeavour to build an open, accessible and transparent chocolate making facility. We welcome your thoughts and input so together we can make better chocolate
YORK COCOA WORKS NEWS
Every September, York Cocoa Works delivers its schools education programme to over 1,000 local children during the York Food & Drink Festival — sharing the story of cocoa, York's chocolate heritage, and the craft of making chocolate. Here's what the festival means to us.
In September 2024, we visited Agnes Pilopaso at her Tupughotua Cocoa Plantation in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands — and found one of the most remarkable origin stories in our chocolate making.
Yorkshire Day falls on 1st August, and in York — the county's chocolate capital — we're celebrating with tastings, workshops, and a look at the rich chocolate heritage that makes this county unlike any other.
Introducing The Chocolate Culturalist — our new blog dedicated to the stories, craft, and culture of chocolate — and the Chocolate Lovers Club, our way of rewarding everyone who shares our passion for better chocolate.
Last year we were finalists in the Deliciously Yorkshire Most Sustainable Product awards sponsored by...
Sending a Happy Hot Chocolate Day to some of our fab new stockists - from Wilson’s Food Hall in Whitby, down to Dover, the heights of Mayfair and of course some fab venues in York! We’re delighted to have you on board and helping us sharing our chocolate mission! Fancy being a stockist - you can sign up here
COCOA AND CHOCOLATE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Some of our thoughts and observations of the latest industry happenings
In February 2026, we won a lot of Kampura cacao — a light, heirloom-status cacao from a regenerative agroforestry farm in Izabal, Guatemala — at the Cacao of Excellence Ed Seguine Auction at Chocoa in Amsterdam. This is its story.
Did you see this news about the quest for “perfect” chocolate? For the thousands of...
This Easter we were delighted to welcome BBC Masterchef personality Leyla Kazim exploring, unsurprisingly chocolate!
Leyla explored our chocolate making process at York Cocoa Works as well as the many chocolate celebrations taking place as part of York Chocolate Festival before heading on up the road to discover a chocolate brand that's been fully embracing the "Dubai" Chocolate bar craze!
THE CHOCOLATE CULTRALIST
Exploring Chocolate heritage from York and other consuming influences
From Mary Tuke's defiance of the Merchant Adventurers in 1725 to Agnes Pilopaso's cocoa cooperative in Guadalcanal — the women who built York's chocolate industry have always been here. It's time their story was told.
Chocolate maker and chocolatier are not the same thing — and understanding the difference changes how you think about every bar you eat. Here's what sets them apart, and why it matters.
Of all the cities in Britain, why did York become the chocolate capital of the world? The answer lies in geography, trade, Quaker values, and the remarkable people who shaped a city — and an industry.
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THE WORLD OF COCOA & CHOCOLATE