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    • Meet Josie Hunter-Annand from WOMAD
      • WOMAD Aotearoa is the fantastically successful Taranaki-based arm of the international festival that celebrates the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. And Josie Hunter-Annand has a 17 year history there, working in almost every role imaginable. In her role as associate programme director, Josie spent months hunting out and curating a line-up for the the OMV Steam Lab, the festival's hub of science and fascinating innovations. This lead to an invitation for our production manager Maddi Brown and the delicious WOMAD x WCF collaboration chocolate bar. We talked to Josie about the incredible success of the festival that takes place 14-16 March. WOMAD has such a strong position in New Zealand, where other festivals might come and go, WOMAD is there every year. What is the secret to this success? I think WOMAD Aotearoa is a festival that almost defies description, in the sense that it is so much more than a music festival, and I think that this might be its edge! Not only do the values and ethos behind the festival see us bringing amazing musical artists from all around the globe, those lesser-known places and faces being given the stage and the opportunity to absolutely ‘wow’ our audiences, it also has some really amazing programmes outside of the music, which allows for people to engage at the festival in multiple ways. We have the OMV STEAM Lab, where science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics are given the stage, and some of our brightest minds, innovators, artists from all disciplines come and share their knowledge – this is where you will find Maddi and Matt from WCF doing their thing at the festival this year. We also have the World of Words stage, where Aotearoa’s marvellous authors and poets are given the spotlight, and speak on a multitude of subjects as they discuss their works or slam their poetry in a relaxing and engaging festival setting. Then there is our Taste the World Stage, where our artists come together to cook and tell stories about their culture, their lives, and how food brings us together, and once again Maddi and Matt will be hitting the stage here to make a WOMAD One Pot Wonder Brownie, with the help of one of our local hospo gems, Kate Laude. And I’m not finished yet, we also have our Te Paepae Stage, which is a workshop stage, where festival artists take the stage to teach the audience everything from how to play their instruments, to the moves to a traditional dance from their countries and more! And if that wasn’t enough, we also have Kidzone, an area that is all about our festival tamariki, which each year is programmed with performers and also offers workshops, where children can make and take away festival keepsakes, all at no additional charge! I guess, to put it simply, WOMAD truly is a festival for everyone, with something on offer for most walks of life, from the young to the young at heart – and I think people feel at home there. The WOMAD x WCF chocolate bar has the beautifully strong WOMAD imaging including the lion icon. What is the history and meaning behind the WOMAD lion? The Lion is the King of the jungle, the image of a lion is often associated with strength and pride and the lion is also strongly connected to countries that we traditionally think of when thinking of ‘world’ music in a more traditional sense of the genre. The festival itself, has been a vital gateway for new music and different cultures to be recognised and celebrated in the mainstream, breaking down barriers, melting borders and bringing people together. The festival is a place for all cultures to come together, to stand strong and to take the stage, perhaps you could say, with the pride and the strength of a lion. To be perfectly honest, however, I’m not 100 percent sure on the thinking that artist/singer Peter Gabriel had when he started the festival 43 years ago, and came up with the lion as the mascot, but at a guess, I would think it was along these lines… The collaboration bar is dairy-free with coconut milk base with banana, coconut & cardamom and ethically sourced Pacific chocolate. How did you develop the flavour profile alongside WCF? To us, it felt like WCF are a company that have matching ethos’s around sustainability, coupled with a fun and creative edge we could relate to, and we were so excited to have this opportunity to collab! After a couple of Teams meets to discuss what the festival is about and what we were thinking re flavours etc, chocolatier and WCF’s wizard of flavours herself, Maddi, came out to us with a bunch of flavour combos to consider – and they were all so delicious sounding – but one stood out to us and we could not move past it and that was Banana, Coconut and Cardamom – made with ethically sourced pacific chocolate and coconut milk! This seemed to perfectly capture the vibrancy and fun of the festival, as well as being inclusive (dairy free, nut free)! You have the base of the bright tropical banana, found worldwide, and also a firm family fave, perfect for a family friendly festival; you have the toasted coconut, which takes you to sunny distant and not so distant shores, such as those of our Pacific neighbours (and home to the chocolate itself) and this adds a delectable crunch and element of surprise also, which the festival is also renowned for….and then there is my favourite element, the cardamom…this is the beautiful, exotic, warming spice that brings it all together, like a warm exotic hug…and I think you kind of leave the festival each year, feeling like that is exactly what the festival gives you! Lastly, what three events are you most looking forward to seeing at WOMAD this year? Ooooh….there is too much I am looking forward to, to narrow it down to just three… But I would say musically, Delgres, Queen Omega, Roisin Murphy, The Veils and Who Shot Scott, and then, I always look forward to all of the workshops as they are such cool sessions – and of course this includes the WCF sessions – which are bound to be popular – I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate?! - WOMAD Aotearoa | 14-16 March 2025 womad.co.nz - Each WOMAD X WCF collaboration chocolate bar gives you TWO chances to WIN 3-day festival passes + camping! One winner will be heading to WOMAD Aotearoa 2025, and another will score their spot at the festival in 2026. Simply buy a bar and scan the code inside the wrapper to enter!

    • Meet Uncle Joe’s - champions of Aotearoa’s hazelnut industry!
      • At the heart of a delicious bite of our Dark Salted Caramel Hazelnuts, and our Milk Chocolate Hazelnuts - is the hard work and dedication of Uncle Joe’s, a family-run hazelnut farm nestled in Marlborough. Our new chocolate hazelnut range is more than just a decadent treat; it’s a celebration of locally grown hazelnuts by Deb and Alan Whiteside. Uncle Joe’s hazelnuts are grown in the South Island’s rich, alluvial soils -and the region’s perfect climate for hazelnuts has seen their orchard flourish. “Most of the hazelnuts you see on store shelves are imported from Turkey or the US, but our soil and climate in Marlborough create something unique,” Deb explains. “We believe Kiwis deserve to taste fresh hazelnuts grown here at home.” From Orchard to Chocolate Factory When we were looking for the hazelnuts to become the hero of our new range, working with the team at Uncle Joe’s was an easy choice. We wanted to find the best quality hazelnuts grown close to home, and crossing the Cook Straight doesn’t get any closer to our Eva Street factory. “For us, it’s all about working with local growers who put everything into their craft,” says WCF Gabe Davidson. “Uncle Joe’s sources hazelnuts from all over the South Island as well as growing their own - and they taste incredible because they’re fresh and come from a team who cares about what they do. It’s exciting to be able to share that in our chocolate.” Building a Homegrown Industry For Deb, this partnership with WCF is a chance to share the story of New Zealand hazelnuts with a bigger audience. “There’s a small but dedicated community of hazelnut growers here, and we’re proud to be part of it. We’re working hard to create demand for local hazelnuts because we know the quality is there. Collaborating with WCF allows us to show Kiwis how special New Zealand-grown nuts can be.” For all of us at WCF, this introduces Kiwis to the care and craftsmanship behind locally grown ingredients. So the next time you savour one of our delicious chocolate-covered hazelnuts, know that you’re enjoying the fruits of Uncle Joe’s passion, as well as WCF’s dedication to showcasing local flavours and the pride of Kiwi growers at the heart of Aotearoa’s growing hazelnut industry.

    • WCF x Fix & Fogg
      • Ten years after putting New Zealand’s tastiest laneway on the map, Wellington Chocolate Factory and Fix & Fogg are today releasing a limited-edition bar celebrating their shared history and love for all things chocolate and peanut butter. The two iconic Wellington food producers first met a decade ago when looking for space to grow their businesses. Gabe Davidson, WCF co-founder, says he fell in love with the old Hannah’s Shoe Factory in Eva Street while Roman & Andrea Jewell, Fix & Fogg’s founders, were growing their business beyond weekend farmers’ markets. “We’d become friends with Roman and Andrea, who were looking for somewhere to launch Fix & Fogg,” says Gabe. “We explored the idea of working together from the same premises before the opportunity arose for them to lease the groovy little subterranean site opposite us. They had a brilliant vision to transform this space into their first factory, with the (now nostalgic) window to serve their products and the best peanut butter toast ever,” he says. Roman Jewell says a lot was happening in Wellington’s food and drink space at the time, built on the back of some great coffee companies like Coffee Supreme and Havana Coffee and a thriving hospitality scene. “In 2014, our little business turned up in the Eva Street laneway a short while after Six Barrel Soda, Goldings Free Dive, the Wellington Chocolate Factory, and the OG of the area - Pizza Pomodoro. We'd come from local farmer's markets and were all small businesses grouping together to try and grow our brands. “A lot has happened since then, but we've been lucky to have had a great and formative chapter at Eva Street. I'm pleased to see it continue to evolve with other great local businesses staking their spot on the laneway: Mr Go's and Shelly Bay Bakery, to name a few,” he says. The Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bar is the second collaboration between WCF and Fix & Fogg. The first, a peanut butter and jelly single bar, was released ‘way back in the day.’ The new bar features Vanuatu cocoa slathered in Fix & Fogg peanuts inspired by its Super Crunchy Peanut Butter. Roman says the best part about making the bar was getting the taste just right. “This bar went through a bunch of different variations and lots of taste testing in both camps, but there are no complaints there! We're so happy with the final product. It's delivered on all fronts - a hint of salt to balance the sweetness of the WCF dark chocolate topped with a generous layer of our signature Super Crunchy golden roasted peanuts,” he says. To celebrate the Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bar and Eva Street, WCF and Fix & Fogg are hosting breakfast at WCF from 8 am Thursday, 2 May 2024. Toasted sourdough from Shelly Bay Bakery, covered in Fix & Fogg’s Super Crunchy Peanut Butter and melted WCF chocolate, will be free until stocks last. Filter coffee from Coffee Supreme will also be available.

    • Chocstock is back!
      • New Zealand's craft chocolate festival is back! Get ready to celebrate a weekend of all things chocolate 21st-23rd June 2024 Join more than 25 of the best chocolate makers from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Delight your senses with tastings, a brownie bake-off featuring some of Wellington's best-loved bakers, specially designed cocktails, beer and more. A chance to enjoy the best of craft chocolate. Tickets are now available. See the Chocstock website for more information: chocstock.nz

    • Thank you!
      • In the 4 weeks before Christmas 2023 we pledged 10 cents per bar from every bar sold at WCF stores to the wonderful Wellington City Mission. From the free Mission Toy Store to Christmas Hampers and so much more, The Wellington City Mission aims to be there for everyone needing a bit of help. We are pleased to announce that $1,278.00 has been raised for the Wellington City Mission. Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraising by buying chocolate bars during this time.

    • Strawberries and Chocolate!
      • This summer we have an indulgent treat for you at our Eva St factory! Fresh A grade Lewis Farm strawberries, coated with a generous scoop of melted Wellington Chocolate Factory chocolate. Choose from milk or dark chocolate. These cups of strawberry and chocolate deliciousness keep selling out, so get in early in the day to secure yours! Last weekend of strawberries is 1-3rd March. Large $12.50, half portion $8. Update: Back for the weekend of CubaDupa 23rd and 24th March 2024!

    • Wilson BBQ X WCF
      • Introducing our latest collaboration, a limited edition Chocolate BBQ Sauce and a Chocolate Rub with the legends from Wilson BBQ. It's a sweet and bitter savoury chocolate bbq sauce. Ideal for meats, or to marinate your vegetables, it's so irresistible that you'll find yourself wanting to dip everything in it! 500ml The rub is smokey and bitter and perfect for everything from chicken to tofu to kūmara. This will become a staple in your kitchen. 180g Available to purchase at WCF and Wilson BBQ.

    • Husk Tea
      • Not only can you get delicious ethical chocolate from WCF but you can now enjoy a cup of WCF tea! Introducing two new cocoa husk teas. Made from the outer shell (husk) of our mighty cocoa beans, from our Grower Partners in the pacific. Husks are a by-product of the chocolate making process and are often used in other food and beverage production due to their chocolatey flavour. Available in two flavours - Original Cocoa Husk Tea and Peppermint and Cocoa Husk Tea. The Cocoa Husk Tea is a light tea with a malty chocolate taste and delicate floral notes while the Peppermint and Cocoa Husk Tea is a delicately balanced chocolatey tea with a refreshing mint finish.

    • Wellington Chocolate Factory turns 10!
      • From making New Zealand’s first certified Fairtrade organic chocolate bar to collaborating with Kiwi icons like Karen Walker, Wellington Chocolate Factory is celebrating a decade of sweet success as it turns 10. Co-founders Gabe Davidson and Rochelle Alagar first opened the doors to Wellington Chocolate Factory’s Eva Street factory in December 2013. At the time, it had been three years since Rochelle had created the country’s first fairtrade and organic chocolate bar, and Gabe had not long returned home to Wellington after starting a coffee company in Melbourne. The pair say they were initially nervous about how Kiwis would embrace single-origin premium chocolate - and while Eva Street is now known as a renowned foodie destination, the laneway didn’t have the best reputation at the time. “We initially focused on creating a brand that would be at home in high-end retail stores,” says Gabe Davidson. “Now we have a fast-growing business with an incredible range reaching more people than we ever dreamed possible. I’m amazed and proud at what our team has achieved,” he says. WCF released its new Hero Range a few months ago, a significant milestone for the business as it looks to grow. “From day one, I wanted to ensure that chocolate of this calibre was available to people transparently and equitably. Now, with our new Hero range, my original vision is beginning to come to fruition,” Rochelle says. WCF has released many high-profile collaborations since 2013, working with Karen Walker, Havana Coffee, the Interislander, and Wellington’s Cable Car. They even created a bar for Bill Murray in 2018. It has also worked closely with many renowned New Zealand artists to create artwork for its bars, an aspect Gabe names as one of the most special elements in releasing a new flavour. In 2022, WCF launched its Grower Partner Programme, a brand new initiative that’s unique within the local industry. WCF sources its beans directly from Pacific growers, paying them well above market price, ensuring local industry can grow and the families it supports thrive. Gabe and Rochelle sailed by vaka from Wellington to Bougainville in 2015 to collect cocoa beans from growers. They’ve also travelled to Samoa, Fiji and Papa New Guinea. Last year, Gabe and Matt Williams, WCF’s General Manager, visited Vanuatu to meet local growers who produce the cocoa beans, which are a staple in the award-winning chocolate maker’s range. “Travelling to the origin and seeing firsthand the good that comes from paying a fair price for cacao and hanging out with the people who farm it is one of the highlights of my chocolate career; the more chocolate we sell, the more beans we can buy, and the more good stuff happens for more great people,” says Gabe. As well as supporting local Pacific cocoa farming and building strong regional networks, Gabe and Rochelle have also judged the Solomon Islands Annual Chocolate Festival. Looking ahead, WCF wants to expand its production capability with a new factory on the cards in the near future, which, as well as increasing production, will also increase its positive impact in the Pacific. “As well as putting more of our delicious chocolate into the hands of new fans, scaling up allows us to work with our growers in a more meaningful way. As we expand and grow, so does our social impact, which remains an important part of our mission,” he says. WCF has released a brand new Christmas range to celebrate its tenth birthday. It features limited-edition chocolate-covered hazelnuts, two new husk tea products and a new bar that pays homage to Wellington, the birthplace of WCF - a Milk & Honey bar that features vibrant artwork capturing the essence of the city’s landmarks.

    • NEW KAREN WALKER BAR
      • Raspberry lamingtons are a cult favourite amongst Kiwis. Now, they’ve been given the designer touch as Karen Walker and Wellington Chocolate Factory deconstruct the iconic sweet treat and turn it into a chocolate bar. Raspberry Lamington features rich berry milk chocolate, a cocoa content of 45 per cent and is topped with desiccated coconut and freeze-dried raspberries. The 2023 wrapper features a print from the Karen Walker archives, Edwardian Floral, reimagined with berry tones. It’s the fourth limited release from Wellington Chocolate Factory (WCF) and Karen Walker. WCF co-founder Gabe Davidson says their chocolate makers delighted in the challenge of turning the much-loved lamington into a chocolate bar. “On your first bite, you taste classic creamy milk chocolate with a sweet and silky mouthfeel. An almost sherbet-like quick pop of berries quickly follows and ends with that satisfying crunch of toasted coconut. “The flavours remind me of sitting in my nana's lounge sipping tea and eating home-baked goodies from the 'tins' while the soft scent of summer roses wafts through the net curtains. It’s a true Kiwi classic,” he says. Karen Walker and WCF began working together in 2020; their three previous collaborations have all been greeted with joy from fans of both brands. Karen Walker says, “Collaborating with WCF is always a highlight of the year for me and my team. Each bite of what we create is imbued with nostalgia and charm, reminiscent of relaxing summer afternoons and the comforting flavours of home’. Vanuatu beans provide the base for the Raspberry Lamington Bar. Davidson says the speciality cocoa beans, directly sourced from growers, are becoming a mainstay in the WCF range. “Until I visited our Vanuatu growers, I hadn’t met a cocoa farm with stewards who pay such close attention to every step in the process - from how the pods are grown to sorting and fermenting the beans. The beans are well-balanced enough to be used in a wide range of products, including limited-edition releases, meaning we can purchase more beans and continue to support the great work they’re doing at origin,” he says. The Raspberry Lamington Bar is available for purchase with selected retailers and online.

    • New inner film
      • Our packaging is looking a little different these days as we continue our journey to be more sustainable. We’ve swapped our gold foil inner film for brand-new recyclable silver foil inner film. Once you have finished your delicious Wellington Chocolate Factory bar, you can pop the inner foil film in with your soft plastics recycling. The new silver foil is a more sustainable option than the gold foil, which would go to landfill. Our new packaging is made by good folk in Hamilton, and it is the next step in our journey to continuously improve and reduce our footprint. We know this isn't the perfect solution and we know there will be better options as time goes on but for now we think this improves on the sustainability of our current inner packaging. It won't be the last you hear from us on packaging as we will continue to find better options in the future.

    • NEW HERO RANGE
      • TASTES GOOD, LOOKS GOOD, DOES GOOD Wellington Chocolate Factory (WCF) has always been focused on a better-tasting world through its ethical and delicious bean-to-bar chocolate. Now, New Zealand’s original craft chocolate maker has found a way for Kiwis to choose a favourite pick-me-up that not only tastes good but does good too, with its brand new ‘Heroes’ range launch. In a major expansion- the first since opening its doors in 2013 - WCF continues to cement its industry-leading approach and grow its footprint nationwide. Its new range includes Oat Milk Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream Milk Chocolate and Pacific Dark Chocolate in handy 25g bars - literally little bars of goodness that pack in a tasty treat and the highest ethical standpoint, making them true Heroes. Also available in a larger 75g size, the new range can be purchased nationwide at supermarkets, retailers and cafes - and every purchase of the new range supports Pacific cocoa farmers and their communities to thrive through WCF’s grower partnerships. In a leading sustainability move, the bars are also wrapped in recyclable soft plastic, eliminating less sustainable foil. They feature wrapper artwork by iconic Wellington artist T.Wei, on a vibrant colour palette of bright blue, red or yellow, which will be instantly recognisable on the shelves. While WCF fans may be familiar with the sweet and creamy plant-based Oat Milk Chocolate and the smooth dark richness of 70 per cent cocoa Pacific Dark Chocolate - Strawberries and Cream Milk Chocolate is an entirely new offering. Sweet, summery strawberries in the creamiest milk are bound to make it a new favourite for foodies. WCF co-founder Gabe Davidson says the new Heroes range enables Kiwis to choose a better treat in more ways than one. “We’ve been making beautiful, ethical chocolate for almost a decade, and many of our customers buy this as a special gift or treat for loved ones and to enjoy themselves. We wanted to build on this and find a way to make it easier for people to steal a little moment to themselves so that when they’re looking for a chocolate fix, they can choose something that tastes good, looks good, but does good too,” he says. “The range uses cocoa beans sourced directly from our Grower Partners in the Pacific, who we pay significantly above market rates. We’re working to grow the impact of the ethically-sourced beans we use to have a greater and more positive impact on the growers and their communities. This way, every time someone picks up a Heroes bar, they’re directly contributing to a fairer, more sustainable and ultimately more delicious cocoa industry too”.

    • NEW BLUEBERRY BAR
      • THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING Blueberry and chocolate have always been a delicious pairing, and now Wellington Chocolate Factory has added its own brand of magic to the flavour combination with the launch of its latest bar - one that’s taken three years to perfect. The new Blueberry Milk Chocolate bar is the newest addition to Wellington Chocolate Factory’s Classics range. Promising to take people on an epic taste adventure, it combines organic blueberries with smooth, creamy and velvety milk chocolate. Wellington Chocolate Factory co-founder Gabe Davidson says it delivers a ‘berrylicious flavour journey’. “Balancing the delicate flavour of blueberry with the rich milk chocolate - which is 48 per cent cocoa - has taken three years and multiple trials to perfect. The taste journey starts with our classic milk chocolate and ends with an unmistakable pop of bright, juicy blueberry goodness “Any bar that joins our Classics range needs to be perfect, so it’s been patiently waiting in the wings while we’ve honed the recipe. It also nicely complements our existing milk range - including our Coffee Milk and Raspberry Milk Bars. We’re excited to release this stunning bar and hear what people think,” he says. The Blueberry Milk Bar features eye-catching artwork from renowned Wellington artist T.Wei, whose illustrations and mural work around the city will be familiar to Wellingtonians.

    • SPREADING FESTIVE JOY!
      • Gifting this festive season has taken on extra meaning for the Wellington Chocolate Factory, which is donating 10 cents from every bar purchased to Wellington City Mission, helping spread love and joy to the people and families under the Mission’s care. From today until Christmas Eve, all bars sold will see a portion of the proceeds donated directly to the Mission as part of the Wellington Chocolate Factory Giving Campaign, which is in its second year. This year is more important than ever, with need increasing amongst the community as the rising cost of living impacts the city. The money raised from the sales will go towards bringing some Christmas joy to the families the Mission supports. Operating in Wellington for over a hundred years, the Mission is open to all those who need it, regardless of their circumstances. Focussed on dignity and compassion, the organisation works to build positive outcomes for its users through a Social Supermarket, 1-to-1 counselling, budgeting advice and social services. Bars are available from Wellington Chocolate Factory stores, including their brand new pop-up on Lambton Quay opening later this week, online, and at select Wellington stockists.

    • NZ ARTISAN AWARDS ANNOUNCED!
      • It's awards season and we are mighty proud to announce that some of our very own WCF classics have won big at the 2022 NZ Artisan Awards! Starting off in top spot, winning GOLD is the one and only Original Milk Chocolate Bar. This 48% organic milk chocolate uses only five ingredients with more cocoa than your average milk chocolate for a lovely rich chocolatey taste. One of the classics. We were lucky enough to get two SILVER medals this year, one for our Coffee Milk chocolate. This is the ultimate creamy coffee fix. The perfect marriage of Havana Coffee Works Pacifica Blend Coffee and our 100% Fairtrade, ethical creamy milk chocolate. Our Raspberry Milk Chocolate Bar was the second SILVER medal winner, this bar combines the highest quality cacao beans from the mountains of Peru with pure organic NZ milk and wonderful freeze-dried raspberries for a sweet and slightly tart taste. Our WCF drinking chocolate took out BRONZE. Made using BioGro NZ Organic and Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand Certified blend of 100% Peruvian Criollo chocolate, premium cocoa powder from Peru, and cane sugar from Paraguay. Lastly, we are also super excited to announce that a new addition to the Bean-to-Bar family has been recognised; our Oat Milk 2.0 Chocolate Bar has been awarded BRONZE at the NZ Chocolate Awards! Fruity Dominican Republic cocoa beans have been blended with toasted NZ oats to create a super indulgent plant based milk bar.

    • KAREN WALKER & WCF RELEASE GARDEN INSPIRED BAR
      • Karen Walker and the Wellington Chocolate Factory have teamed up again, creating a delicious limited-release chocolate bar for 2022, Garden People Milk Chocolate. The bar was inspired by the flavours of an organic tea the iconic designer has developed with artisanal tea brand Storm + India and features dried rose petals and bee pollen, echoing the intricate beauty found in the garden. Celebrating the delicate balance of flora and fauna, the wrapper design for this year features Walker’s iconic Runaway Girl and is adorned with the much-loved Insects & Fruit print from the Karen Walker archive. The Storm + India x Karen Walker Garden People Tea used in this summer’s bar is an organic black tea blended with the sweetness of strawberry leaves, rosehip, pink pepper, guarana, and strawberry pieces. The rich aroma of the tea allows for a “colourful tasting milk chocolate with generous sprinkles of aromatic botanicals,” says Gabe Davidson, co-founder of WCF. “We wanted to capture the feeling of pure happiness of walking through a sunny garden in full bloom leading to a secret patch of the season’s ripest red berries,” says Karen Walker Each bar features rose petals, hand sorted by the WCF team before being sprinkled over the chocolate. Alongside the rose petals, tiny pillows of bee pollen are used as inclusions on the back of the bar, creating a bridge between fauna and flora. Garden People Milk Chocolate is the third annual collaboration between WCF and Karen Walker. It’s available online at Wellington Chocolate Factory, in its Eva Street and Chaffers Street stores and at Karen Walker stores.

    • CRUISING ON THE INTERISLANDER
      • Wellington Chocolate Factory and Interislander have teamed up to create a new limited edition chocolate bar celebrating the iconic ferry company’s 60th anniversary. Inspired by Hawkes Bay plums and Marlborough Sea Salt, the bar is the perfect balance between the North and South islands, which Interislander has been bringing closer together since the service first launched in 1962. Since its first sailing of the Cook Strait, Interislander has transported around 40 million people on an estimated 300,000 crossings. Walter Rushbrook, Executive General Manager for Interislander, says most Kiwis will have been on a Cook Strait crossing over the last 60 years, and the bar celebrates the special place the ferries have in New Zealand history. The special edition chocolate bars will be exclusively for sale at the stores onboard Interislander ferries, online at Wellington Chocolate Factory and at its Eva Street factory and Chaffers Street store. To celebrate the 60th anniversary, Interislander has also hidden 10 Golden Tickets in the bars, with each ticket entitling the winner to $500 worth of travel valid for the following 12 months. The celebratory chocolate bar marking 60 years of loyal shipping service features plum and sea salt on a Dominican cocoa base. The bespoke wrapper features artwork from Lara Brock with a special message on the inside from Interislander to New Zealanders. The limited-edition bar can also be purchased online from Interislander and WCF.

    • CHOCOLATE TASTES BEST WHEN IT IS FAIR
      • WHY ETHICAL BUSINESS MATTERS Chocolate tastes best when it is fair. As part of Fairtrade Fortnight (which runs until 16th August 2022) we want to encourage people and businesses to consider what impact their choices have on a global scale. By thinking bigger and choosing to buy or sell Fairtrade goods, we can magnify our collective impact and contribute to the wellbeing of food producers across the globe. Fairtrade is currently working with the Norandino Cooperative, a cooperative that supplies the cocoa for our Peru dark chocolate, Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate and our Raspberry Milk Chocolate bars, as one of the partners involved in an innovative re-forestation and income diversification project. Undertaken with Norandino Cooperative, the project involves a village called Choco which is more than 3,000 metres above sea level overlooking the Andes. The community there is made up of just over 1400 residents who depend on their local environment for all of their needs. This includes large quantities of wood to build homes, cook food and keep warm but over many generations this has resulted in deforestation of the area. The consequences for the small-scale farmers of Norandino Cooperative 2,000 metres below Choco, were devastating. The forest had sheltered the mountain below, regulating rainfall and protecting the soil. With the trees gone, water washed the soil away which damaged crops, led to mudslides and even damaged infrastructure. A programme was developed by a range of partners, including Fairtrade, which involved encouraging the people of Choco to plant trees by using carbon credits as rewards. This involves planting seedlings and managing tree nurseries which the community own and can eventually sell as sustainably harvested wood. From 2010 to 2021, 536 hectares have been reforested with 594,774 trees. This has resulted in 22,830 carbon credits being sold. In 2017 the carbon credits became Fairtrade certified providing an extra income and the Fairtrade Premium for the community. So far, the Premium has been used for constructing a communal building, improving operations and purchasing tools. We are proud to work with Fairtrade and Fairtrade Cooperatives to ensure a better tasting world. For more information about Fairtrade please see their website.

    • OAT MILK BAR SET TO TICKLE VEGAN TASTEBUDS
      • WCF Limited Edition Oat Milk Bar Set to Tickle Vegan Tastebuds Released to mark World Chocolate Day, the new Oat Milk Bar has been months in the making. WCF’s artisan chocolate makers have trialled different bars to get just the right mix of NZ Oats and Vanuatu beans to deliver a smooth, creamy and silky bar. The limited edition Oat Milk Bar is the latest bar in a long line of vegan offerings, which includes its Coconut Milk Bar and Peru Dark Bar, both of which won two categories at the inaugural NZ Vegan Chocolate Awards held in May. Gabe Davidson, co-founder of WCF, says the Vanuatu cocoa beans blend perfectly with the NZ-grown oats to deliver a vegan bar that could easily be mistaken for traditional milk chocolate. “This bar has a creamy mouth feel, and for a 45% chocolate bar, it’s naturally sweeter than some may expect,” he says. WCF launched its Grower Partner relationship with Vanuatu cocoa farmers in 2021. Directly sourcing beans from farmers in Vanuatu, farmers are paid a minimum of USD 4000 per tonne - approximately double the amount of the world commodity cocoa price (of which farmers only receive a portion of). “This matters because most other chocolate makers only pay this commodity price. Too many cocoa farmers, their families and communities live in poverty because they aren’t paid enough. By building direct relationships with our farmers and paying them what they deserve, we not only get to use the finest beans, we’re also lifting the industry,” he says. WCF co-founder Gabe Davidson says they’ve been making plant-based chocolate since opening almost ten years ago, beginning at a time when vegan chocolate wasn’t on the radar of mainstream chocolate makers. “Our chocolate is bean-to-bar – what this means is we use very few additional ingredients apart from cocoa beans and only add what enhances the bean’s flavour. On their own, cocoa beans are incredibly complex – in a single bean, you can taste everything from tropical fruit to spices. When the beans are the hero, you don’t need to add much else to produce a delicious chocolate bar,” he says. WCF is releasing just 420 of its new limited edition Oat Milk Bar. It is available to buy online at WCF and at its Eva Street store.

    • KAWAKAWA BAR CELEBRATES MATARIKI
      • Nine Stars of Matariki Celebrated in Limited-Edition WCF Chocolate Bar The nine stars of Matariki - the celestial cluster marking the Māori New Year - adorn this new bar, specially created to acknowledge Aotearoa’s first public holiday to celebrate Matariki. The new Kawakawa Dark Chocolate bar heroes kawakawa, a New Zealand native known for its healing properties and unique taste, with a base of ethically sourced Dominican cocoa beans. 100% of WCF profits from the sale of this bar will go to Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Toa to support Ngāti Toa students studying graphic design. Wellington visual artist Xoë Hall (Kāi Tahu) designed the bar’s wrapper taking inspiration from Te Kāhui whetū ō Matariki(the Matariki star cluster). Each star represents the wellbeing of people and taiao (environment), acknowledging our wind, rain, food, wishes for the year to come and paying respects to those who have passed. Wiremu Grace, Pou Toi of Ngāti Toa, says the sponsorship of emerging artists aligns with their values of enhancing the connection of Ngāti Toa whanau to the taonga of their tipuna. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Toa is committed to enhancing the wellbeing and prosperity of the Ngāti Toa people through means that empower and strengthen their cultural values. This reclamation of rangatiratanga for the Ngāti Toa people is a journey that is encompassed in the words of their ancestor Te Rauparaha. Ka mate, ka mate, ka ora, ka ora, ka mate, ka mate, ka ora, ka ora. Ā upane, ka upane, ā upane, ka upane whiti te ra!”. Gabe Davidson, co-founder of WCF, has wanted to celebrate botanicals native to Aotearoa in a bar for a long time and says kawakawa delivers a calming yet uplifting effect. “It has a subtle and intriguing aroma that develops into a beautiful, mint-like character in the mouth. The Dominican beans have a classic chocolate flavour that supports the unique herbaceous character of Kawakawa. To hero one of our most important natives in a bar to mark New Zealand’s first Matariki holiday is very special,” he says.

    • HONOURING THE SPIRIT OF ANZAC THROUGH CHOCOLATE
      • ANZAC biscuits were created more than 100 years ago during the first World War and sold at fundraising events for the war effort. These iconic biscuits - made using oats, coconut, and golden syrup - have since become a defining part of Kiwi culture, and a symbol of the sacrifice our servicemen and women make to defend New Zealand. A few years ago, we were approached by the National War Memorial in Wellington to create a commemorative ANZAC chocolate bar. It was an obvious choice to use Grandma’s ANZAC biscuits in a bar of our finest coconut milk chocolate. We asked Gabe Davidson, Founder of Wellington Chocolate Factory about the creation of our ANZAC bar - one of our most popular flavours. What Inspired the ANZAC Bar? Using ANZAC biscuits was a natural choice - it’s something we all associate with ANZAC day. The base of the bar is our coconut milk chocolate which only uses coconut sugar, coconut milk, cocoa beans, and cocoa butter, so it’s as good for you as the ration bars sent to the troops during the Great War. Fingers crossed it’s nicer than the Hershey’s bar made for the soldiers, but I haven’t tasted that so can’t be too sure! How Long Did It Take You to Create the ANZAC Bar? We knew straight away what we wanted to create, it was just a matter of refining the recipe to make big trays of the yummy ANZAC bars to break up, while being as healthy as possible. The base is our coconut milk chocolate, made using cocao beans from the Dominican Republic and coconut milk. Both are the perfect accompaniment to our ANZAC biscuit – and the bar is also vegan! Can You Tell Us About the Inspiration Behind the Artwork? Tanja Jade McMillan of Misery fame created the beautiful artwork adorning the ANZAC bar. It depicts two young soldiers in a shelter, reading letters from home and eating chocolate while the war is going on in the background. It was a fascinating process - the design even had the final sign off from Sir Peter Jackson himself. We think the bar captures the true spirit of ANZAC day, both inside and out. You can find out more about our bar and order it here.

    • ESPRESSO MARTINI BAR SET TO DELIGHT THIS MOTHER’S DAY
      • New Espresso Martini Dark Chocolate x Scapegrace Espresso Martini Chocolate Bar Set to Delight this Mother’s Day It’s an espresso martini but not as we know it. A brand-new gin-inspired chocolate bar is hitting shelves in time for Mother’s Day featuring botanicals from iconic Kiwi gin distillers Scapegrace and coffee, all handmade into the perfect chocolate bar by the artisans at Wellington Chocolate Factory. The new Espresso Martini bar is limited-edition and is the second time Scapegrace and WCF have worked together to delight the tastebuds of food and drink lovers across New Zealand. Gabe Davidson, co-founder of WCF, says the new chocolate conjures up the feeling of a late-night round of espresso martinis with friends in a cosy bar tucked down a hidden laneway. “It’s an interesting challenge to balance the flavours of chocolate, gin and coffee, but we’ve been able to do that, so none of these distinct ingredients overpower the other. “On your first bite, you taste chocolate - which is quickly followed by the familiar hit of gin botanicals, finished off with long-lasting, satisfying coffee notes. It’s a sophisticated bar and the perfect treat this Mother’s Day” he says. Mark Neal, Marketing Director Co-Founder of Scapegrace Distillery, says it’s wonderful to be partnering with Wellington Chocolate Factory once again. “We’re excited to bring a delicious gin-infused chocolate treat to our customers. At Scapegrace, we love to align with cool Kiwi companies doing cool things, so naturally, Scapegrace and Wellington Chocolate Factory go hand in hand here. The espresso martini has been a classic and all-time favourite for Kiwis for a while now, so we’re very excited to be bringing this to life just in time to celebrate the amazing mothers in our lives for Mother’s Day.” The new Scapegrace x WCF Espresso Martini bar can be purchased online here

    • AMBROSIA INSPIRES WCF EASTER COLLAB WITH DUCK ISLAND
      • New Easter Collaboration The Kiwi classic dessert Ambrosia is making the leap from sought-after ice cream to chocolate bar, with Wellington Chocolate Factory reimagining the classic Duck Island flavour into a limited edition, decadent and delicious Easter treat. Evoking childhood memories of holidays, beach days and family celebrations, Duck Island’s Ambrosia ice cream inspired the new bar after the Wellington Chocolate Factory (WCF) team tasted their way through the ice cream maker’s range. Cameron Farmilo, Duck Island Co-Owner, says Ambrosia’s special place as a Kiwi dessert favourite inspired them to include it on their menu four years ago, quickly becoming a best-selling flavour they’ve been scooping ever since. “When Creating The Flavour, Our Kitchen Team Remembered This Classic Kiwi Dessert From Their Childhood In Varying Forms, From Passionfruit Yoghurt And Fruit Salad To Incorporating Chocolate And Chunks Of Berry Jelly. We Settled On A Bit Of A Mashup Of Them All In Our Ambrosia Flavour,” He Says. It’s no easy feat turning a beloved ice cream into a chocolate bar. Before settling on the final flavour, WCF made eight different versions - each taking three days to complete. While they could have done something simpler based around chocolate ice cream, WCF’s artisan chocolate makers wanted to deliver something unique and completely unexpected for Easter. The result is a bar featuring dark Vanuatu chocolate, with echoes of Ambrosia and hints of cherry and yoghurt throughout. Gabe Davidson, WCF Co-Founder, says the real fun began when deciding which toppings to include. “We Were A Bit Like Kids In A Candy Store When It Came To Tasting And Choosing - Marshmallows Were The Ultimate Star Of The Show. The Back Of The Bar Is Loaded With Vanilla And Raspberry Flavoured Marshmallows Made In New Zealand By Great Day Mallow. Fluffy, Flavourful, And Delicious, They Pair Perfectly With Our 50% Cocoa Bar Delivering An Amazing Cherry Taste That Lingers Bite After Bite,” He Says. The cocoa beans used as the new Duck Island bar base are sourced through a direct partnership with Vanuatu cocoa farmers, who are paid an above-market price for their beans, benefiting both the growers and the communities they support. The Vanuatu beans have blackberry and burnt sugar notes, similar in taste to creme brulee. WCF says sourcing beans directly from the Pacific ensures the farmers providing their beans are paid fairly, and the families and communities they support can thrive. The WCF x Duck Island Easter Bar is available for sale at Wellington Chocolate Factory and at Duck Island.

    • VALENTINES DOUBLE CHOC RASPBERRY BROWNIES
      • Raspberry Chocolate Valentines Day Brownies Introducing the most mouth watering brownies, just in time for Valentines day! Made by our friend @sarahschocolatestash with our Raspberry Milk Chocolate Ingredients 1 block of WCF Raspberry Milk chocolate (75g), chopped into chocolate chips 200 g WCF Drinking Chocolate 200 g butter 100 g brown sugar 200 g white sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 eggs 1 tsp baking powder 3/4 cup plain flour 1 cup frozen raspberries ~ Method Preheat your oven to 150°C, on bake. Chop the butter & melt in a mixing bowl in the microwave, then add the drinking chocolate. Mix until smooth. Add the brown & white sugar - mix again until smooth. Add each egg, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. After this, add the vanilla extract. Next, mix in the flour & baking powder. Mix until combined. Finally, add the raspberries & chopped raspberry milk chocolate. Mix until just combined. Pour the brownie mixture into a brownie pan (20 x 20 cm) lined with baking paper. Bake at 150°C for approximately 1 hour, or until just set. Leave to cool, then devour!

    • NEW SINGLE ORIGIN FROM PAPUA NEW GUINEA
      • We have partnered with Fairtrade to launch a new, limited edition chocolate bar featuring beans sourced exclusively from Papua New Guinea. With fewer than 200 bars available, the chocolate is made from organic, Fairtrade beans grown by the Yangoru Cocoa Development Project, based in Wewak, in the remote northern region of East Sepik province. A collaborative farming initiative, 529 small scale farmers grow cocoa beans, supporting a community of more than 2600 people. The co-operative became certified in 2020, and cocoa is their main source of income. Like many other small-scale farmers, most of the income from cash crops covers school fees for their children. Virginia Jones from Fairtrade says in releasing the bar with WCF, they want to bring the best of PNG to New Zealanders, particularly while travel is restricted. "PNG is doing it particularly tough during Covid-19. Pre-Covid, visitor numbers were increasing every year, but with borders closed, they’ve lost over 200 million annually with a 82% drop in visitor numbers. We want to take people on an adventure for the senses and transport them to an incredible country that is so close to us but is yet so different," she says. The Yangoru farmers receive a Fairtrade premium for their beans, which is over and above the Fairtrade price and goes into a communal fund for workers and farmers to improve their social, economic, and environmental conditions Gabe Davidson, the co-founder of WCF, travelled to Bougainville by Vaka (traditional boat) in 2015, bringing PNG beans to Wellington to make into their first bar from the region. He describes the people of PNG as "super-friendly" and remembers their crew being greeted by musicians playing traditional music and dancers. "It was quite an emotional experience arriving at Bougainville. The forests and beaches were untouched, and people were living in harmony with nature," he says. Gabe describes the new limited-edition bar as being like biting into a chocolate brownie not long out of the oven - delivering a buttery mouthfeel with notes of vanilla and a hint of rum and raisin. "South Pacific beans and Melanesian cocoa beans have interesting flavour characteristics, compared to the Forrestero beans on the Ivory Coast and in Ghana which grow fast and are farmed at pace," he says. "Cocoa trees in PNG are often grown alongside other food and shaded by larger trees, including the Canarium Indicum or 'Galip Nut' tree, an indigenous tree that produces the most delicious, sweet nuts in the shape of giant almonds". Gabe says agricultural exports are important to PNG and make up around 25 per cent of the country's GDP. "Traditionally, cocoa has been sold on the commodity market at a low price; however, with growing demand for high quality, traceable beans, we are seeing producers get a better price for their cocoa which improves their standard of living. We are delighted to be working with Fairtrade to deliver a fairer future for farmers, the communities they support and the environment - and continuing our relationship with the people of Papua New Guinea," he says. Fairtrade is also releasing a Good Fortune Coffee made with coffee beans farmed in PNG. You can read more about the project here. You can buy the bar exclusively online here.

    • PALLISER ESTATE WINERY X WCF
      • Palliser x Wellington Chocolate Factory New Festive Collaboration Martinborough's Palliser Estate Winery has partnered with Wellington Chocolate Factory to make a limited-edition chocolate bar to pair with the winery's highly sought-after sparkling wine, 'The Griffin'. The new Hibiscus & Blackberry Dark Chocolate Bar is sweet and floral like a hibiscus flower, has a succulent blackberry base, rounded out with a dash of cinnamon. The cocoa beans in the bar come directly from growers in Vanuatu, the first beans used by WCF in its new Grower Partner series. Beans are ethically and sustainably sourced from cocoa farmers, who are paid more than double the industry farmgate price - ensuring growers, their families, and the communities they support can live well and thrive. The new bar has been six months in the making and is a true labour of love between Palliser Estate and WCF. Ben McNabb, Assistant Winemaker at Palliser, says there are many similarities between winemaking and chocolate making. "When we make our wine, we look for flavour profiles, the balance of dry and sweet of the grapes - which is similar to how WCF makes its chocolate - cocoa beans (like grapes) are complex with many flavour profiles. We both also make products for people to relax, enjoy and celebrate with - especially with sparkling wine like The Griffin - we both want to bring people joy and pleasure," he says. It takes three years to produce The Griffin, so something special needed to be created in pairing it with a chocolate bar. "The Griffin, with its blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, is a wine that is a quintessential expression of Martinborough. Dry and higher in acidity, its delicious flavour, we believe, makes the perfect companion with the new Hibiscus & Blackberry Dark Chocolate. Collaborating with the team at WCF was a lot of fun and a true learning experience for me as a winemaker. I am super proud of what we created together because who doesn't love chocolate and bubbles?" Ben says. Gabe Davidson, Co-Founder of WCF, says it's the perfect bar to celebrate the festive season. "Keeping in the Pacific theme, we used our Vanuatu chocolate as the base. This chocolate has a bright acidity from Hibiscus Flowers; and a fresh, floral, berry hit. It's ideal as a summer ‘quaffing’ chocolate, paired with a glass of the Griffin," Gabe says. Wellington Chocolate Factory is launching the bar tomorrow at its new Christmas pop-up store in Lambton Quay (330A Lambton Quay). Palliser Estate is launching the bar this weekend at the vineyard, with renowned epicurean food truck Nara developing a signature dish made with and inspired by the WCF x Palliser chocolate. The Palliser & WCF Bar Hibiscus & Blackberry Chocolate Bar can be purchased here, in-store at the Eva Street Factory, the WCF Christmas Pop-Up store in Lambton Quay and from Palliser Estate.

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