History
Name and Logo
Cocoa Black. Two words which we feel capture the mystery and essence of quality chocolate. In developing the Cocoa Black logo, our initial idea of a cocoa bean was dismissed by our graphic designer on the grounds that it was overused by the industry. The image finally selected is of a chocolate pouring ladle which reflects the expertise (rather than simply the ingredients) required to make Cocoa Black products.
Cocoa Black Chocolate & Pastry School
Cocoa Black was launched in November 2008 with the aim of creating a centre of excellence for the manufacture of chocolate. The company's first initiative was to launch the Cocoa Black Chocolate and Pastry School. The school opened its doors in June 2009 and since has welcomed over 1500 participants from around the world. In 2009, the Chocolate & Pastry School was awarded 4-stars (Excellent) by VisitScotland and was featured on the BBC. Since its opening, the Chocolate & Pastry School has become well established with new classes continually being developed to meet the needs of a rapidly growing customer base. With Ruth’s regular TV appearances and international demonstrations helping to raise awareness, Cocoa Black has now built up a truly international client base with many customers travelling from Europe and the US.
Luxury Handmade Chocolates
Cocoa Black’s second line of business is the manufacture of luxury handmade chocolates. The chocolates were initially distributed via a gourmet food mail order company and through Harvey Nichols stores nationwide. Customer response was encouraging and the decision was made to launch a Cocoa Black’s online store through which customers could receive fresh chocolates by post. In October 2010 Cocoa Black chocolates were awarded ‘best dipped praline’ and ‘best moulded praline’ at the 2010/11 UK Chocolate Masters. The subsequent press coverage of the award led to a huge increase in demand for Cocoa Black chocolates. In 2010, Cocoa Black also opened its first shop. Located in Peebles, near Edinburgh the shop offers an indulgent selection of luxury handmade chocolates, patisserie and chocolate cakes.
What Next?
Since its launch in 2008 Cocoa Black has grown rapidly. It has been an exciting time for everyone involved as the business has matured. There remains a lot of work to be done which will hopefully see Cocoa Black develop its products and services further over the years to come. Plans are underway to move the Chocolate and Pastry School to a new building and in January 2011, the company launched its social responsibility programme. Cocoa Black is currently working with Scottish Enterprise on an international growth strategy. Cocoa Black wishes to thank all of its customers and staff for their continued support.