Hotel Chocolat facts for kids
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Trade name
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Hotel Chocolat |
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Formerly
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Hotel Chocolat Group Limited (2013–2016) |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Chocolatier |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | Royston, Hertfordshire |
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Number of locations
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125 (2022) |
| Products |
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| Revenue | £226 million (2022) |
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Number of employees
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600–650 |
| Parent | Mars Inc. (2024–present) |
Hotel Chocolat is a British company that makes and sells chocolate. They also grow their own cocoa beans! You can find their chocolates online, in their stores, and even in their cafés and restaurants.
By 2023, Hotel Chocolat had 125 stores across the United Kingdom. They are the only company in the UK that grows its own cocoa beans on a farm. In January 2024, a big company called Mars Inc. bought Hotel Chocolat.
Contents
History of Hotel Chocolat
In 1988, two friends, Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris, started a business selling mints. It was called "Mint Marketing Company." A few years later, around 1994, they started selling chocolates under the name "Geneva Chocolates." Their business grew, and they began selling chocolates through mail-order catalogs, calling this part "Chocolate Express."
In 1998, they launched the "Chocolate Tasting Club" in Britain. This club sends boxes of new chocolate recipes to members every month. By 2014, about 100,000 people were part of this club! They have tried over 1,500 different recipes over the years.
In 2003, "Chocolate Express" changed its name to Hotel Chocolat. They opened their very first store in Watford. After that, more stores opened in places like Milton Keynes, Cambridge, and St Albans between 2005 and 2006.
A big step for the company happened in 2006. Hotel Chocolat bought the Rabot Estate, a cocoa farm in Saint Lucia. This made them the only company in the UK to own its own cocoa farm! Because they own their farm, they have their own way of making sure their cocoa is grown fairly. This is why they don't use the "Fair Trade" label, which is usually for small farms.
In 2011, Hotel Chocolat opened a hotel called Boucan Hotel on their Rabot Estate in Saint Lucia. It's located high up between the Piton mountains. The hotel has lodges and a restaurant that uses cocoa in its dishes.
In 2013, they opened two restaurants in the UK: Rabot 1745 in London and Roast + Conch in Leeds. In 2017, they opened their first stores in Ireland, in Dundrum, Dublin.
Hotel Chocolat has also been featured on TV! In 2019, a show called "Inside Hotel Chocolat" aired on Channel 5. In 2022, Channel 4 showed two documentaries about the company: "Hotel Chocolat at Easter" and "Hotel Chocolat: Inside the Chocolate Factory."
In November 2023, Hotel Chocolat agreed to be bought by a large American candy company, Mars, Inc. The deal was completed in January 2024. Both companies hope this will help Hotel Chocolat become known in more countries around the world.
About the Company
Leaders
Hotel Chocolat is led by its two founders, Angus Thirlwell (who is the CEO) and Peter Harris.
Locations
As of January 2023, Hotel Chocolat has 125 shops in the United Kingdom. They also had 33 stores in Japan in May 2022. In 2022, the company decided to close its five stores in North America. However, you can still buy their products online and through other stores that sell their items.
Ownership
For a long time, the company was owned by its founders and other investors. But since January 25, 2024, the American candy maker Mars Inc. has become the new owner of Hotel Chocolat.
What They Make
Hotel Chocolat makes many kinds of chocolate treats. This includes regular chocolate bars, large blocks of chocolate, and individual chocolates. They also create special seasonal and gift items. Besides chocolate, they offer drinks like hot chocolate and even some alcoholic beverages. In 2022, they started a service where you can get chocolate delivered to you regularly.
The Velvetiser
In 2018, Hotel Chocolat launched "The Velvetiser." This is a special machine designed for your home that heats and mixes milk with chocolate shavings. It helps you make a smooth, rich hot chocolate, just like you would get in a coffee shop!
Rabot Estate, St. Lucia
Hotel Chocolat owns and runs a 140-acre farm in the southwest of St Lucia, near Soufrière. This farm, called Rabot Estate, is home to a fancy hotel and a cocoa plantation. The farm is divided into 16 different areas, and the cocoa trees there are mostly a type called Trinitario.
The Rabot Estate is part of Hotel Chocolat's special program called 'Engaged Ethics' Cocoa Programme. This program helps local farmers. Since the farm opened, over a hundred new jobs have been created. Farmers are paid 30–40% more than the usual world price for cocoa, and they get paid quickly. This helps them have a steady income.
See also
Images for kids
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Hotel Chocolat store in Covent Garden, London
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Hotel Chocolat store in Leeds
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Angus Thirlwell, CEO of Hotel Chocolat
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