This situation has continued and over the past year unfavorable growing conditions and crop disease on West African farms have curbed cocoa production. These farms produce 80% of the worlds cocoa crop. A global cocoa deficit is expected to extend into the rest of the year since current production is insufficient to meet demand. Global demand remains resilient despite record high prices.

In a nutshell (or cocoa pod) prices are rising due to a global supply shortage, chronic underinvestment in cocoa farms and investor speculation.

Here is a graph of cocoa prices over the last 5 years:

Chocolatiers like ourselves are facing difficult decisions – our options are:

• Increase prices
• Change to a cheaper ingredient
• Change recipes to include less chocolate
• Reduce package sizes aka shrinkflation

We do expect prices to settle a little and are reluctant to take any of the above actions now. We will definitely not be changing recipes or using lesser quality ingredients in our products – for now we are biding our time to see how things pan out and will make decisions once the prices stabilise.

The village is so beautiful and is a fantastic setting for a magical gathering for makers to come together and for families to come in and have a brilliant day in the village. I have long dreamt of a little family festival with the brilliant delights that our stall holders are offering. I’m hoping for an enchanting weekend and really excited to bring everyone together. Thanks to Port Sunlight for enabling this and working with me!

When the village trust finally agreed to the festival I genuinely jumped for joy! I then contacted some amazing makers and persuaded them to give up their Easter Weekends and come along to a Sugar and Spice Festival. The idea is that we will have all tastes – sugary and spicy as well as all things nice.

There are 20 small businesses from the local area coming together outside on the museum green and alongside the diamond in the centre of the village. We will have

Presented by Port Sunlight Village Trust and award-winning local chocolatier The Chocolate Cellar, the Sugar & Spice Festival will be open to explore on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 March between 9.30am and 5pm. It will take over the picturesque Diamond park and Museum Green in the centre of the village, opposite Lady Lever Art Gallery.

The festival will be free to enter and include over 20 stalls where visitors can explore and enjoy a range of flavours from around the world. From indulgent chocolate and homemade honey to Indian wraps and Lebanese breads, the festival will offer something to suit all taste buds and give visitors the chance to discover something new.

Some of the sugary and spicy highlights include the fabulous flavours of Liverpool Cheese Company, Pen Y Lan Pork, Cake House Wirral and Seasoned Pioneers, to name just a few. Visitors will also enjoy a taste of Port Sunlight itself with Sunlight Bees whose honey-based products are made in the village, and village-based illustrator Katie Tyson will also be presenting her eye-catching prints, cards and fabrics.

Also running over 29 and 30 March will be Port Sunlight’s popular Easter trail, where families are being invited to explore the village to find bee-themed clues and claim a chocolate reward. Tickets are £6 each and include a pair of wings and bee boppers. Pre-booking is essential for the Easter trail and numbers are limited, so families are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets can be purchased at www.portsunlightvillage.com/whats-on.

On both days of the festival, there will also be a handful of fun and free workshops and talks at Port Sunlight Museum including Camels Hump, Foragers Fancy, Bear Hunt Books, The Chocolate Cellar, Cake House Wirral, and UK Unplugged. There will also be a special chocolate and wine pairing workshop with Chester Beer and Wine, with limited places at £12.50 each. Go to www.portsunlightvillage.com/whats-on for more information and timings.

Confirmed stallholders at the Sugar & Spice Festival include:

• The Chocolate Cellar (chocolate, hot chocolate, sweet treats)
• Sunlight Bees (honey, treats)
• Pen Y Lan Pork (hog roast, baps)
• Namak Kitchen (hot food, Indian wraps, rice)
• Foragers Fancy (drinks)
• Piadina Pronto (filled flatbreads)
• Hyacinth Ice Cream
• Liverpool Cheese Company
• Camels Hump (Lebanese cold pastries)
• Boysenberry (cold foods, bacon baps, vegan options)
• UK Unplugged (activity kits for children)
• Chester Beer and Wine
• Bear Hunt Books (books for children)
• Seasoned Pioneers (spices and cajun food)
• Cake House Wirral (cakes)
• Mule Coffee (hot drinks and snacks)
• Copa Coffee (hot drinks and snacks)
• Katie Tyson (art prints, cards, fabrics)
• Freida McKitrick (printmaker)
• Therapy & Scent (aromatherapy, candles)
• Myers Makes (jewellery, watches)
• Bee Kind Reimagined (eco-friendly handmade gifts)

Free parking is available opposite Port Sunlight Museum and on surrounding streets, however visitors are asked to be considerate of residents. Visitors are encouraged to instead travel by train on the Merseyrail network and make use of Port Sunlight or Bebington stations, both a five minute walk away from the Diamond park.

Please do come along and say hello!

Or maybe just time to rest, reflect and refresh?

We have had a very interesting 2023 – as we look to keep up with challenging times and keep our business running we have been a little bit behind with keeping up with the blog and newsletters and general upkeep of social media and of our website! So I’m hoping to have a little refresh over the next few weeks.

I just thought it would be nice just to make a note here of what we have been up to:

So in April when I last posted online we made a massive Easter Egg – Gregg, we called him. It took us three weeks and many sleepless nights to make, decorate and deliver – that was a little bit of madness!

In May and June our household was super stressed as we battled with exam pressures! With Eurovision fever taking hold of the whole city we focussed on some special gifts for VIPs.

It was a relief to get away at the end of June and delightful to travel to Budapest, Vienna and Prague – beautiful cities, rich in history and culturally refreshing. Travelling by train was lovely and we were so happy to not have any time pressures but just be able to soak it all in.

When we returned it was time to turn attention to Molly, our trailer! Having welcomed her in April I fast realised that this would not be a quick project, so we made her road-worthy and in June, July and August took her out for a few spins to some lovely events in Port Sunlight, Oxton, New Brighton, Bebington. She still needs plenty of work but now we are just keeping it slow and steady.

Autumn came and we recruited the lovely Katie who is fast learning to become a chocolatier.

We also joined the British Craft House, a collection of amazing creators that we are proud to be part of. If you aren’t aware of them please do check their website https://thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/

We had a very special commission and had to keep it top secret – some of you who visited the shop saw the massively giant chocolate coin as it was being made. This was our biggest commission to date and we were genuinely honoured to be asked to create it. We do hope to have more commissions in the forthcoming year.

November and December were the same craziness and a buzz of creativity and stress as they always are -but we loved it!

We created a little trail of amazing local businesses and we are holding a big prize draw for all those who have visited all 14 businesses. There is still time! Details on our facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ChocolateCellar/posts/pfbid03NELTVRoBXJYsL1Gi1YHR84m2LiBiPzN1MZt9N5by5M6WvmF7m5Fognmyi68Nueyl

Thank you, as always, to all who do support us in any way they can. It means so much to the business.

Do take care – we look forward to seeing you in 2024!

In May 23 we see the King’s Coronation and we are delighted that we will be in Port Sunlight and celebrating with our new and exciting addition, Molly, our chocolate van.

With our chocolate being so timid of hot weather we have struggled to be out and about and keep our chocolate at its best. After the pandemic we found that we were itching to get out and see our customers. So, we found Molly and have been working hard on her in the hope that she will look after our chocolate. It is a huge project and work in progress but she will be road worthy soon (we hope) and are looking forward to her first outing on 7th May – we do hope you will come and join us.

For the stock list I am thinking mmmm…macarons and marshmallows!

What do you think?

Let me know if there is something specific you would like to see!

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970, is a celebration of the Earth and a reminder to protect the environment and to make more sustainable life choices.

The first earth day was celebrated after a senator in Wisconsin, USA decided to organise a national demonstration to raise awareness to critical environmental issues such as pollution and deforestation. These rallies had so much of an impact that by the end of that year the US government created the Environmental Protection Agency and, over the next 20 years, over 140 other countries joined the celebration.

Why is it important?

Environmental issues, such as climate change, deforestation and pollution, are all reaching critical levels and are rapidly approaching the point of no return. If climate change continues without any attempt to stop it then we will experience more frequent and more devastating storms, unprecedented heatwaves and rising sea levels which will lead to flooding, even in areas that aren’t usually flood zones. Plant life and animal species, both on land and in the waters, around the world are going extinct because their homes are becoming inhabitable due to decisions being made by humans. Penguins, polar bears, koalas and even some butterflies are all in endangered status due to climate change. The main causes of which are all human choices. It is issues like these that make raising awareness so important.

So how can I help?

There are plenty of ways to celebrate Earth Day and no matter how small what you decide to do is, it will still be helpful towards the global effort. It could be a big as going to an organised meet up to pick up litter on beaches or in parks or as small as just walking everywhere instead of using a car. Here is a list of things you can do to help this Earth Day:

• Reduce the use of transportation
• Recycle any paper scraps that you would usually just throw into the regular bin
• Re-use anything you find in the house and think you can use elsewhere, maybe it can be used for a DIY project or a crafts project
• Conserve energy in your house by turning off lights and electronics when you’re not using them
• Conserve water by making sure to turn off your tap when it’s not in use
• Use reusable bags for your shopping, not only are they often stronger but they also help the environment
• Buy from local business, not only are you supporting local small businesses but you’re also reducing the shipping distances of your produce
• Plant something
• Use reusable plastic or metal if you can
• Spread the word! Not everyone knows about the importance of Earth Day so tell them, let them know how they can help and why they should.

Any help is helpful in the fight against environmental issues. So, don’t think ‘I’m not doing much so is there a point doing it at all’ try to put yourself into a positive mindset because if everyone adopted that mentality then nothing would get done at all. Lets be the change we want to see in the world, urge friends and family to do the same. Slowly, all our efforts will add up.

As a small business this is such a hot topic for us!

We have made a commitment to be net zero by 2031. Well … we made this commitment as we were determined to do it, but with very little idea on how to do it! Yes, there are small changes we can make and have already done so, but we are a manufacturer of a luxury product so the challenge is on!

At the moment, we are slowly working our way through an audit process in the business, starting very simply with working out our environmental cost. As we do this, we are seeing what we can change simply, quickly and cost effectively, and taking action on that.

Once the audit process is complete we will look at what we can do next and seek expert help.

We are also currently taking part in a sustainability basics programme with Small Business Britain and Oxford Brookes Business School.

We are taking our time to make sure that we do take right steps in the right direction. It is a slow and sometimes overwhelming process but we are determined to do this and look forward to sharing our progress with you.

Nowadays western countries celebrate this holiday with outpourings of flowers, chocolate, and teddy bears for their beloved – or their “Valentine” – but other cultures have adapted the 14^th February to coincide with their own cultures.

Denmark

In Denmark, men take Valentine’s Day as a chance to write letters and poems to their loved ones through the tradition of Gækkebreve. These letters are intricately decorated, but not signed. Instead, the writer leaves a series of dots to replace their name, aiming to tease or “drive the reader mad” as they try to guess the sender. All this headache isn’t for nothing, however, as a correct guess of the sender’s name will earn you a chocolate egg!

 This holiday is named after the Snowdrop flower (or Vintergæk) that accompanies the letters.

South Africa

 To “wear one’s heart on their sleeve” is a common expression, used when a person bears their love openly, but young women in South Africa take this motif a set further and pin the name of their crush on their sleeve during 14^th February.

 This tradition supposedly had its roots in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, where young women’s names were drawn from a lottery, and they would be paired up with unmarried men. While many of the Roman traditions have fallen away, Lupercalia is still a way for girls and women to send a not-so-subtle hint to their crushes.

Japan

 Japanese culture sees a twist on our Western ways. Valentine’s Day in Japan sees primarily men receiving chocolate, and if they are to be wooed, they receive Honmei – expensive, hand-made chocolates that show a man he is truly a subject of a woman’s affections.

 But don’t worry – women don’t just get snubbed every year! Instead, their sentiments are returned on 14^th March, or White Day, where the men buy them a present to match- but this time in white.

Finland/ Estonia

 Finally, if a day of romance isn’t for you, you may feel more at home in Finland and Estonia where February 14^th is set aside for Friendship Day. Friendship Day sees the usual Valentine activities of buying gifts and cards and going for fancy meals, but instead it celebrates the platonic love between friends.

 This holiday was first encouraged in school children as western traditions became widespread, but soon spread in popularity and was gladly celebrated by adults. In 2015 Friendship Day was recognised as Finland’s 2^nd most popular card giving holiday, with 3 million cards sent between loving friends.

So those are just some of the ways people celebrate their loved ones all around the world. Let us know what your plans are for the 14^th, we always love hearing from you!

It is a festival of prosperity, and typically welcomes in the beginning of the spring season. The festival is one of the most important celebrations in China and has strongly influenced the Lunar New Year celebrated in many other countries. Despite how cheerful this celebration is now though; the whole festival is thought to be based on a myth of fear.

According to the myth, the beast known as The Nian (A beast who lives under the sea or in mountains) would come from its home into neighbouring villages during the annual spring festival and ate the townsfolk during the middle of the night, mainly children as they were the ones asleep at home while the adults continued their festivities. One year, the villagers had had enough and decided to hide from the beast but before they went into hiding, an old man named Yanhuang appeared in the town promising he would get revenge on The Nian for them. When night fell, Yanhuang placed red papers and firecrackers all around town, successfully scaring away the beast and saving the town from its annual destruction. The villagers, returning to their unscathed village, assumed that the old man must be a deity sent to protect them. Yanhuang assured them that this was not the case and that his own village had been through the terror of The Nian and had learnt that the beast feared loud noises and the colour red, and that when he had heard that their town was the beast’s new victim, he simply wished to share his knowledge. The townsfolk thanked him for the help and set up a new type of festivity for the spring festival, each year they would wear red clothes, hang red scrolls and red lanterns from their houses and they would light firecrackers and bang their drums as loud as they could to celebrate their new found safety and fend away The Nian for another year.

Throughout the years these traditions have widely stayed the same, traditional dress in red and gold colours to show luck and happiness and to ward off evil. The red lanterns and scrolls are still used to decorate the streets and the red envelopes, also known as Hong Bao, are given to children as they were the main targets of The Nian to wish them luck and offer them prosperity.

This year, 2022, is a year of the water tiger which occurs every 60 years the last of which was 1962. Other recent years include 1950 and 2010’s Metal Tiger, 1974 and 2034’s Wood Tiger, 1926 and 1986’s Fire Tiger, and 1938 and 1998’s Earth Tiger. Tiger years are seen as good years for bringing about new changes and encourages people to overcome all difficulties and challenges in their lives with the strength and bravery of the tiger, a symbol of strength. People believe that a year of the tiger is the best time to renew everything, especially your strength and your energy. Years of the water tiger are especially good for letting go of the old and welcoming in the new. So, if you are facing a challenge this year or just want to sit back and let go of the last few years now is the time to reflect on those times and get your energy back. Take some time for you and welcome in new challenges.

We are always so grateful when anyone takes time to find us and write a review.

It’s like having an appraisal from your boss 🤣🤣… we’ve had some really lovely comments this week so thought we’d share them with you.

Thank you all who took time to feedback to us. I always like to do a little review of the past week every sunday morning and it has been a lovely and busy week.

We are trialling free postage for any orders over £20 now so feel free to test it out!

We are also going to be doing another live with #stayhome with chocolate in a couple of weeks. Watch this space!

Finally, it was absolutely lovely to hear a podcast which included Janey and Katie from Chilli Gourmets and Squidges and ourselves so please do listen to it …. it’s a lovely happy chat and left me with such a warm feeling. If you head to wherever you listen to podcasts and search for Food Stories from She Eats, the fourth episode is the one to listen to (they’re actually all fab).

Hope you’re having a delightful weekend!

We had a rather hectic weekend with corporate orders, a hen party and a stall at the Mowgli Trust Dog Show!

We were over the moon to see so many of our regular followers at the Dog Show. Thank you for being such loyal supporters. We truly appreciate it.

We hope you did get to enjoy some delightful chocolate on World Chocolate day. I believe it was also world vegan day so we were really pleased that just by coincidence we had approved our vegan truffle… raspberry and coconut … very very scrumptious!

We’ll have it in our shop on Saturday 13th July of you fancy some!

Hope to see you soon – Bala

Frantic preparations took place as we waited the arrival of the birthday girl and 11 of her young friends and their parents.

We were delighted to work with the fabulous deli across the road from us, Boysenberry.  They put together a  fabulous children’s box for the party food and a platter of sandwiches for the parents.

The workshop went well and lots of questions were asked about the making of chocolate.

The children made a delightful selection of chocolate treats to wrap up and take away with them.

The birthday girl was very happy!