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
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
So very proud of Calvin Luk representing UK at the World Pastry Cup! We’re so very pleased we could share our chocolate with you and had a chance to watch you grow and develop your chocolate and confectionery skills!
Back into November with a bump and so many reflections on last weeks trip to Papua New Guinea! So many highlights but the Chocolate Cupping Ceremony hosted by the Yekere Co-operative is one that will stay with me for a long time.
COCOA AND CHOCOLATE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Some of our thoughts and observations of the latest industry happenings
It's Chocolate Week — the UK's annual celebration of fine chocolate. Here's how York Cocoa Works is marking the occasion with tastings, workshops, special menus, and meet-the-maker sessions.
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...
THE CHOCOLATE CULTRALIST
Exploring Chocolate heritage from York and other consuming influences
Hot chocolate is one of the world's oldest drinks — a ceremonial Aztec beverage that travelled through Georgian chocolate houses to the café at York Cocoa Works. Here's the full story, and why it shapes the way we make ours.
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.
FOLLOW MORE OF OUR YORK COCOA WORKS NEWS
NEWS FROM YORK COCOA WORKS
THE CHOCOLATE CULTURALIST
THE WORLD OF COCOA & CHOCOLATE
