Welcome to The Chocolate Culturalist — and Our Chocolate Lovers Club

Welcome to The Chocolate Culturalist — a new space from York Cocoa Works dedicated to the stories, craft, and culture behind the chocolate we make.

Here you'll find origin stories from the farms we visit, deep dives into the history of York's extraordinary chocolate heritage, guides to the craft of chocolate making, and the kind of writing that we hope makes you think differently about what's in your hand the next time you break a bar. We believe that great chocolate deserves great storytelling — and this is where we'll tell it.

To mark the launch of the blog, we wanted to introduce something that sits at the heart of everything we do: our Chocolate Lovers Club.

What is the Chocolate Lovers Club?

The Chocolate Lovers Club is our way of bringing together the people who share our passion for better chocolate — and rewarding them for being part of our mission.

At York Cocoa Works, we're driven by a love of cocoa and a commitment to a more transparent, fairer chocolate making process. Every bar we make, every workshop we run, every farm we visit is part of that mission. The Chocolate Lovers Club is how you join it.

Cocoa Pod Points: How It Works

At the centre of the club is our Cocoa Pod Points scheme — our way of saying thank you for every interaction you have with York Cocoa Works, whether that's shopping with us, spreading the word, or simply following along.

Here's how you earn points:

• Sign up to the Chocolate Lovers Club and earn points from day one
• Spend online or in store — earn 5 Cocoa Pod points for every £1 spent
• Refer a friend to the club and earn points when they join
• Follow us on social media — connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• Join our Birthday Club for an extra special chocolate treat when your day comes around

Once you've accumulated your Cocoa Pod points, you can redeem them against:

• Discounts on purchases in store or online
• Places on our chocolate workshops and masterclasses

Save them up for something special, or use them little and often — the choice is yours.

More Than a Loyalty Scheme

We think of the Chocolate Lovers Club as something more than a points programme. It's a community of people who care about where their chocolate comes from, how it's made, and the people who make it. Members are the first to hear about new bars, new workshops, and new stories — like the ones you'll find right here on The Chocolate Culturalist.

By shopping with us, sharing our chocolate with others, and engaging with our work, you're helping us build something we genuinely believe in: a more connected, more curious, more conscious chocolate culture — rooted right here in York.

How to Join

Joining is free and takes moments. You can sign up in store at York Cocoa Works, or via the pop-up on our website. Once you're a member, you can track your Cocoa Pod points accumulation and start redeeming straight away.

Find out more and join the Chocolate Lovers Club →

We're delighted you're here. Whether you've been with us since the beginning or you've just discovered York Cocoa Works for the first time, there's a place for you in this community — and plenty of chocolate to explore together.

The team at York Cocoa Works