Porto, October 2023

Fast forward a year to October 2023, and the Chocolate Festival Portugal in Porto….

It was the Sunday morning in Porto. The city was hosting a new chocolate festival — direct-to-consumer, with a serious programme of education running alongside. Pedro Araújo of Vinte Vinte had a specific aim beyond the event itself: with so many makers gathered from across the world, this was a rare moment to have a frank conversation about the future of craft chocolate.

On stage were representatives from industry associations and some of the sector's most influential voices. What followed was a passionate discussion, and the room had real energy. Everyone cared deeply, and it showed. They had tapped into something that existed in the hearts of all the people in the room; the question "How do we come together to make something better?" needed to be answered.

A debate and lively discussion circled, describing what we call what we do: Bean to bar. Craft chocolate. Fine chocolate. While these words felt urgent to those in the room, it was agreed that giving shape and form to the Craft Chocolate industry by finding common ground was even more important..

Meanwhile, the consumer had little idea what any of it meant. That shared frustration — more than any shared conclusion — was what moved things forward.

So, the Craft Chocolate Makers Association of the UK & Ireland did not begin with a set plan. Instead, it grew from a passionate discussion between chocolate makers, including Shane Neary (NearyNogs), Björn Becker (Mike & Becky), and Vincent Ferreira (Hasnaâ La Feverie), who wanted to make a conscious decision about building something more organised to support European makers. The conversation soon expanded beyond that initial group; Pedro Araújo (Vinte Vinte) and Spencer Hyman (Cocoa Runners) were asked to help facilitate a broader meeting, with Spencer stepping in as a moderator. While there was certainly passionate debate, the primary focus remained firmly on constructive organisation and collaboration.

“Born in passion, built on common ground”
The genesis of The Craft Chocolate Makers Association of the UK & Ireland is really a story about chocolate makers seeking to coalesce around a complex message - rich in science, health benefits, engineering, taste, flavour and human justice. Chocolate makers are some of the hardest-working, quirky, intelligent, conscientious and empathetic group of people you are likely to meet, and the association did not begin with a set plan.

Louth, Lincolnshire 2022

In mid-2022…. Kathryn Laverack of Cocoa Encounters worked with students from Nottingham University to undertake a feasibility study into the case for a UK and Ireland craft chocolate association. The study results — built on surveys and interviews with makers, educators and distributors, drawing comparisons with craft sectors like coffee and beer — was clear-eyed rather than simply optimistic. It confirmed a genuine appetite for collaboration but mapped the risks honestly: a sector of around forty makers, geographically dispersed, operating on tight margins, with limited appetite for heavy governance or high membership fees. Critically, it also set out a financial plan and a viable model for what an association could look like in practice.

London, November 2023

A month later, Spencer Hyman gathered a group of UK makers in London. Europe was moving, and the UK needed a seat at that table. That meeting marked the real beginning of what would become the The Craft Chocolate Makers Association of the UK & Ireland.

London, January 2026

What followed were months — then years — of patient work, mostly done in the quieter seasons. Additional members of the group were added along the way, bringing additional expertise and knowledge. The founding group was deliberate about representation from the start: this had to reflect the full breadth of the sector, from one-person operations to multi-site businesses and all genuinely making chocolate directly from cocoa beans or representing broader craft chocolate professionals.

“Together as chocolate makers, we can have a stronger voice — to cut through the noise, help people discover real chocolate, and protect our craft.”

From the results of those initial studies, to Porto to the official launch in January 2026 took not far off four years. The work was slow, unglamorous, and necessary. And now — with the association formally established and its founding aims in place — the real work begins.