OUR AWARD WINNING BEAN TO BAR CHOCOLATE

At Harris & James we are proud to make bean to bar artisan chocolate, offering a promise which only 1% of chocolate makers globally can make. What’s more, we’ve sourced the cacao for our chocolate in the most sustainable, ethical and environmental way. This means we source direct from trusted growers and cooperatives, offering above market rate to get the best cacao beans, allowing us to roast at lower temperatures. The result: chocolate with a more full-bodied flavour, imbued with the natural character of the growing region.

When combined with our small batch, artisanal process, this makes decadently smooth, rich chocolate, leaving a delicious taste in your mouth and a smile on both our growers’ and our customers' faces. It’s chocolate as you know it, but made better.

Did you know? Most of the world’s ‘chocolate’ is loaded with sugar. But at Harris & James, for our bean to bar artisan chocolate, we do things a little differently. Our mantra for making chocolate has always been and always will be ‘More Quality Cacao, Less Sugar’. High quality cacao will always be our main ingredient, even in our great tasting white and milk chocolate bars.

OUR HISTORY

Back in 2015, we started our journey into chocolate making at our small site in Suffolk, using a coffee roaster and a household wet grinder. Heartened by the initial results, we later launched our chocolate range in three of our retail outlets in 2016. Fast forward to today and you’ll find our award winning chocolate all across the country.

OUR ORIGINS

With quality at the forefront for our bean to bar artisan chocolate, we wanted to ensure our cacao beans were sourced from some of the best areas in the world for great tasting, ethical cacao production that aligned with our ethos. We are proud to partner with:

Ecuadorian Cacao

NACIONAL ORGANIC
Grown on the hills of the Santo Domingo le Las Tsachilas on the Cedeno Aguilar family farm, Nacional Cacao has a low acidity and smooth chocolatey taste. The passion and care for cacao is reflected in an astonishing profile with a taste of ripe tropical fruits, pleasant alcoholic notes and tobacco. With a tropical climate, the farm provides the ideal climate for growing the infamous Nacional cacao beans.

Ugandan Cacao

SENTE FAIR TRADE ORGANIC
Grown by approx. 600 smallholder farmers united in one of the first cacao cooperatives of the Bundibugyo region. Member farmers benefit from centralised handling of their cacao harvest to develop a unique flavour profile with notes of roasted hazelnut and sesame combined with the sweetness of dates and toffee. The perfect variety for those with a sweet tooth, as well as the nut lovers.

Madagascan Cacao

AMBOHIMENA ORGANIC
Cacao from the Ambohimena plantation is one of the eight cacao farms of the MAVA Estate in the Sambirano Valley and was awarded Cacao of Excellence in 2019. It’s a Criollo Trinitario fine flavour cacao with chocolatey, nutty caramel aromas and notes of dark red fruits with a hint of wood. The cacao is very mild and has no bitter notes. With a warm, humid micro-climate and rich volcanic soil, the Sambirano Valley is the ideal place for growing cacao.

We not only make delicious bean to bar artisan chocolate, winning multiple Great Taste Awards, but we also take great care with our impact on the world. We are therefore proud to pay above fair trade pricing to our growers, to have a transparent supply chain which effectively prevents slavery and child labour and to be working towards 100% recyclable or compostable packaging across our range of chocolates.