Walk into your local fine food shop, peruse the shelf at Waitrose or explore the gifting section of that special shop, you will see both of these terms being used: chocolate maker and chocolatier. They're often used interchangeably. They shouldn't be. The distinction matters — not just as a point of craft pride, but because it tells you something fundamental about what's in the product you're buying and the skill that went into making it.
We're in an industry that is famed for its secrecy, the story of Willy Wonka is based more in fact than fiction than people might think. With ever increasing "Secret" recipes or solutions to cocoa being crafted in laboratories it's more important that we speak more precisely about who does what and the value we add, so we thought we'd share some insights!
What is a Chocolatier?
A chocolatier is a craftsperson who works with chocolate — taking chocolate that's been made by a chocolate maker and transforms it into bars, Truffles, pralines, bonbons, enrobed caramels, moulded figures. A chocolatier uses chocolate that is called Couverture, which is a version of chocolate with sufficient amount of cocoa butter for to be able to successfully work with.
The skills involved are considerable. Tempering couverture correctly, creating ganaches with precise textures and flavour balances, hand-dipping and decorating filled chocolates is highly skilled job that requires a lot of focus and patience. A great chocolatier is a genuine craftsperson, and the best produce work of extraordinary beauty and complexity.
But — and this is the crucial point — a chocolatier does not make chocolate. They make things with chocolate. The chocolate itself arrives at their door already made, often pre-crystallised or tempered, already carrying the flavour profile that the chocolate maker has already created.
When I first started working with chocolate it was difficult to source anything that wasn't "Belgian" Chocolate, it took me a long time to realise the difference between the chocolates that were available and how they differed. It was a great place to start, but it didn't really share much in terms of insights into the origin or how it came about, which is why I was so fascinated to become a Chocolate Maker.
What is a Chocolate Maker?
A chocolate maker starts from scratch — from the raw cacao bean itself. With advancements in technology and available equipment we are now seeing many cocoa farmers are able to become chocolate makers themselves.
The process of being a chocolate maker starts from the very origin of the cacao beans, their variety, their eco-system, the fermentation, the drying and the handling all play an enormous role in the creation of flavour that a chocolate maker works with. The making process continues in the manufactory: roasting the beans develops the chocolate flavour, cracking and winnowing to separate the nibs from the husk, grinding and refining the nibs into a smooth chocolate mass, conching to develop texture and aroma, so that the Chocolatier can do their job.
Every decision along that journey — roast temperature, conche duration, sugar ratio, whether to add cocoa butter or lecithin — shapes the final flavour. The chocolate maker is responsible for all of it, the end product is as much about how it is made as it is the ingredients that are used. They are, in the truest sense, making something from nothing: transforming a raw agricultural product into one of the world's most complex foods.
I have to say it was one of the proudest and most magical experiences for me when I first actually made chocolate, it was definitely not the best, but to have made it myself was an incredible step in the journey.
Can You Be Both?
Yes — Today at York Cocoa Works we are Chocolate Makers and we are Chocolatiers. The two teams are lead by Tom, our Head Chocolate Maker, and Kelly our Head Chocolatier, both very different disciplines, skill sets and processes, and both entirely dependent on the other for the successful creation of our products.
When you visit us you will see all of our chocolate being made from the bean, through each stage of the process through to the creation of the couverture before the team use that chocolate to craft truffles, caramels, chocolate bars and our Chocolate Cocoa Pods.
Being both means we have an unusually complete picture of the chocolate we work with. We know exactly how our couverture will behave when we temper it for truffles, because we made it. We know the flavour notes that will come forward in a ganache, because we chose the origin and the roast. That knowledge runs all the way through everything we make.
While what we do is relatively rare we are part of a growing movement of independent Craft Chocolate Makers here in the UK and around the world that undertake the full chocolate making process.
Why Does the Distinction Matter to You?
When you buy from a chocolatier — even a very good one — you're largely tasting the decisions of whoever made their couverture and in most instances that "Belgian" chocolate is made in one of the biggest chocolate factories in the world. The chocolatier's skill lies in what they do with it, relying on what they have outsourced for consistency. When you buy from a chocolate maker, you're tasting a complete story of chocolate: the raw cocoa bean, the roast, the process, the craft. Which also means that what you get from us is by its nature rare and exclusive.
An even further distinction is where chocolate is made from Farm to Bar - meaning the origin community have full control over the growing process, fermentation through the full making process to the retail. Because the growing countries are in geographies great for growing cocoa it's not often these chocolate bars are shipped around the world, but it's usually a very special experience when you have the chance to try the complete craftsmanship that goes into the full process.
It's not my intention to paint one version as better than the other as our story once started with couverture, before moving to nibs to eventually sourcing and working with beans directly. It's also important to note that it might not always be the most viable thing for a Cocoa Farmer to make chocolate with their beans or a Chocolatier to craft their chocolate themselves. There are extraordinary chocolatiers whose work with couverture produces results chocolate makers struggle to match. And there are chocolate makers whose bean-to-bar process produces flavours of breathtaking complexity. Understanding the difference simply helps you ask better questions, make more informed choices, and appreciate more fully what you're tasting.
For me, I was incredibly frustrated by just how murky transparency in the chocolate supply chain was. I wanted to understand flavour, impact and the supply chain, but found it incredibly difficult to get answers that satisfied me, that's one of the things that fuelled our journey. What's become clear is that some geographies, skill-sets and opportunities are more effectively aligned for us to each make our own, unique contributions - York for example is a better city for making Hot Chocolate than it is growing cocoa.
We're now seeing Chocolate and Cocoa as we have known it coming under increasing threat from "fake" chocolate alternatives made with"lab-grown cocoa" which is why its more important now than ever for provenance and process to be clear and not entangled with marketing green-washing.
We think provenance and transparency should matter in our chocolate, from quality and flavour to impact and accountability.
Please ask the Question
Next time you pick up a chocolate bar or a box of chocolates, it's worth asking: Is this really chocolate? Did the person who made this also make the chocolate? The answer will tell you a great deal about what you're holding and what you're paying for — and help you find the makers whose vision you want to taste.
Want to see the full chocolate making process for yourself? Join us for a Manufactory Tasting Journey, explore our Chocolate Making Process pages, or book onto our Bean to Bar Masterclass to try it first-hand.
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