‘We’re about the craft of the chocolate but we make really nice cakes and coffee as well’
Cocoa Alchemist opened its Humber Street store on Friday(Image: Submitted)
An artisan chocolate business which has been tickling tastebuds in Hull for the last 12 years has expanded into a new premises on a popular shopping street. Cocoa Alchemist has moved from its home in Trinity Market to Humber Street.
It creates high-quality chocolate, cakes and bakes in an environment where shoppers can see the chocolate being made on-site. The business was a firm-favourite in Trinity Market, where it was known as Cocoa Chocolatier and Bakehouse.
Owner and chocolatier Jon Collins thought a move to the larger space on Humber Street was the perfect opportunity for a slight rebrand, and decide to rename the business Cocoa Alchemist. He said: “It reflects what we are actually doing: the alchemy of chocolate.
“A lot of people have mentioned it’s magical what we do. We are going to start doing courses and it just felt like more of what we are doing. The move was one of those things – we’ve been there a long time but the business has grown to the point where we needed more space to do events.”
Former chef Jon, who has been making chocolate since 2006, said he “really loves creating things”. “I’ve always been a chef by trade,” he said. “I always wanted to be a pastry chef, and I decided to teach myself. Our style is slightly different from traditional chocolatiers and I’m mainly self-taught. The whole idea is to make chocolate accessible so people can enjoy it and see it being made with their own eyes. You walk in, see our handmade chocolates and you can see me making them.”
Jon said his chocolate-making process over the years has been honed through “trial and error” and making “lots and lots of mistakes”. There is not one specific chocolate of the 18-20 in Cocoa Alchemist’s range which is the most popular with shoppers, with every shopper having a different taste.
Their latest offering is a caramelised white chocolate and smoked sea salt chocolate, described by Jon as “like a posh Caramac”. “The smoked sea salt adds an earthiness and caramelised chocolate adds a sweetness,” he said. The shop also makes chocolate bars, ideal for chocolate purists like Jon.
The Humber Street shop launches today with a soft opening which sees the team slowly filling the counter with bespoke chocolates and chocolate bars. Over the next few weeks they will start to introduce pastries, hot drinks and chocolate-led afternoon teas. Their first workshop, where participants can make their own advent calendar, will kick off a schedule of chocolate-themed courses and workshops. Jon says the aim is to “create a little chocolate community” in Hull.
Their small, dedicated team is made up of Jon and his partner, baker Luke and front of house lead Sally. The team is expanding to add more staff to its front and back of house as the new shop opens.
“Even though we aren’t open we’ve had six or seven of our regulars popping by to see if we need anything. A lot of people get really excited because it’s more of a dedicated space, we’ve got more room and seating. It means people can peruse a little bit longer. You can see the craft now. In the market I had a small side of the stall where people could see me making the produce, but here’s a lot bigger. I’ve got triple the amount of space. The whole idea is that people can see the whole craft. People cannot just buy the chocolates, they can see them being made. That’s part and parcel of coming in, seeing them being made on the same site.”
Everything in the shop, from cakes to bars, is made with the same quality of chocolate. There is a selection of baked treats, teas, coffees, and, of course, hot chocolate. Jon said: “The idea is you can come and get a nice cup of tea, coffee, pots of tea, enjoy a piece of cake and then see how the chocolate is being made. We’re about the craft of the chocolate but we make really nice cakes and coffee as well.”
Jon says the quality of the chocolate he produces is something that has allowed his businesses to expand, amidst a cost of living crisis that is seeing many people cut back on luxury products. He said: “Cost of living is quite a big thing, and it has affected us. This is a massive risk. We could’ve just stayed in the market and not grown. The whole point is people still shop with us after 20 years because they are not looking for cheap, but we are value for money. They know if they are going to spend £10 or £20 with us, they are getting quality for that. It’s not that people don’t want to spend any more, but if they are going to spend their hard-earned cash, they want a product or a service that is worth that money. There are other chocolate shops that are cheaper than us but there’s a reason they are cheaper than us. Other places are more expensive than us, but we do our best to make it accessible for everyone.
“A lot of the time cheap chocolate has seed oils in and things like that. The chocolate we use – the reason it costs more than mass-produced chocolate – is because the only fat we use is cocoa butter, which costs four times the price of seed oils, but that’s why our chocolate tastes so nice. We aren’t watering it down with fats and oils. We don’t add cheap things to it.”
Cocoa Alchemist began its soft open today (Friday) and will be open throughout the weekend. There will be tasty chocolate courses popping up over the coming months, and chocolate-led afternoon tea will soon be available. For updates, visit Cocoa Alchemist’s Facebook page or visit the website.
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