Hotel Chocolat

About Hotel Chocolat

An incomparable chocolate brand that stands on its own. Its an online and high-street seller of luxury chocolate boxes and exciting chocolate gifts for all kinds of celebrations. Hotel Chocolat are an award winning chocolate maker and grower who provide their products through an outstanding website making it effortless to shop for your chocolate treats. If you like to buy in person they have chocolate shops, cafes plus restaurants up and down the UK.
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hotel chocolat

Hotel Chocolatiers gifts

Hotel Chocolat sell truly authentic cocoa, beautifully wrapped and gift boxed ready to serve as your ambassador of affection. Giving chocolates makes you feel as good as your recipient….Escape to a world of real chocolate and browse the best selling gift boxes at Hotel Chocolat. On sale is an outstanding selection of gourmet chocolates from the most gorgeous melt in your mouth truffles to refreshingly tangy peppermint fondants.
Who ever you’re buying a confectionary present for, you will find gifts for the young the old and the fussy also luxury chocolates gifts for all genders.
Shopping can be done by occasion this can be anything from housewarming hampers to cocoa gin retirement gifts. The dedicated gifts for occasion is very comprehensive covering all celebrations.
Browsing Hotel Chocolate’s products will spoil you for choice from unusual rhubarb and custard chocolate selectors to chocolate slabs. These slabs are popular choose from a variety of flavours from delicious dark or milk to caramarvellous grand slabs. Their specialities in our opinion is the luxury chocolate hamper gift ranges. There’s one for everyone filled with items they will love you can even pick and mix to make your own.
Shopping by type is another option there’s so many to choose from even rare single estate chocolate.

hotel chocolate

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A Little About

History of Hotel Chocolat Ltd

The story of Hotel Chocolat starts with the humble mint and the partnership between Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris. They set up a company in 1988 selling corporate mints. This was called the Mint Marketing Company both putting up an initial £5000 outlay. It was a big success and by 1990 they had reached £1m in yearly sales. Eventually they moved into chocolates rebranding as Geneva Chocolates. This name didn’t last long and they venture into the online and mail order trade. The name once again changed to Choc Express. All the experience garnered from the mail order enterprise gave them an in depth knowledge about the British publics chocolate habits. In 1998 The Chocolate Tasting Club is introduced creating a community of chocolate lovers who subscribe to receive monthly gifts. It was also a font of knowledge and turned out to be an excellent research asset developing ideas and recipes. Then 2004 saw the opening of the very first physical Hotel Chocolat shop in Watford. There now all over the country in places like Manchester and even in Liverpool. Over the following years the number of locations increased to around 170 these included cafe’s boutiques and even restaurants. The major event was the the purchase of a cocoa plantation in Saint Lucia in 2006. The Rabot Estate plantation was founded in 1745 but at the time of the purchase was over grown and in need of investment. A luxury hotel and spa called Boucan was built on the plantation in 2011.

Questions Asked

They own a cocoa plantation where they grow cocoa on the 140-acre Rabot Estate on St Lucia. The high altitude and rainforest water coupled with Hotel Chocolat’s specific farming techniques create a special cocoa bean. They can proudly say there not just chocolatiers but also cocoa growers, not many can boast that.

If you join the Chocolate Tasting Club which is one of their monthly subscriptions you will receive a 5% discount on orders in store and online. There is currently 100,000 members receiving a box delivered to their home each month so it’s a very popular club!

If you want to send a gift like a valentines surprise anonymously, there is an option to tick a box at checkout. You can also add a free message card to the present.

They offer 3 types of Hotel Chocolate gift cards which can be emailed or sent by post. 1st there is the conventional card where you can make purchases online or in one of their stores. 2nd is the restaurant gift card for meals at the London Rabot 1745 restaurant with cocoa themed dishes. 3rd is the ultimate chocolate lover, its what’s called the Bean to Bar Experience. Your recipient will learn to make chocolate with a chocolatier from the raw bean to their own creation which they get to take home. These gift experiences are held in Leeds and London.

Items can be collected from hotel Chocolat stores and will not incur a charge if it’s in store stock. There is a charge if the item needs to be sent from their warehouse.

The leaders in a sustainable cocoa future

The founders of Hotel Chocolat

The men who founded the company Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris still run the business today. The friendship and business partnership is embodied in mutual respect and humour.
Angus Thirlwell was born and schooled in the North East of England but also lived on the Caribbean island of Barbados for a lot of his youth. His father Edwin Thirlwell was an entrepreneur who found Prontaprint and the Mr Whippy ice-cream brand. This entrepreneurship obviously rubbed off on Angus. A little factoid on his mothers side he was the grandson of Ted Vardy who was the brother of Reg Vardy from the car dealership brand.
Peter Harris was the more sombre and cautious side of the Hotel Chocolat partnership with a financial background. Although it was Peter who pushed to buy the Saint Lucia cocoa plantation. He is a qualified chartered accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

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