Wooed by the magic of cocoa beans after reading the book “Chocolat”, I learnt how to make chocolate through an online course. When testing my attempts on friends and family they encouraged me to sell them. So I started selling through local farmers market, then opened a shop and then expanded into Liverpool city centre. Sadly the rent and rates were extortionate and hard lessons were learnt about keeping my head above water and about running a successful business. I closed the shop and started again from home and focused on areas other than just retail. I went back to basics – Farmers Markets – then sold through local shops as well as running chocolate making hen parties and going in to schools and local businesses to talk about chocolate.
Our customers have watched us grow and change from the very beginning. They enjoy seeing what we are bringing to the market, or what chocolate adventure we may be planning next. We love listening to what they say. When we have put on events we make sure that their experience is 100% our focus. We look at everything through their eyes. They understand and appreciate this. Some have grown with us – teenagers who bought buttons with their pocket money now ask us to run their hen parties. We love being involved in their special occasions and they know this.
At the Chocolate Cellar we make sure that we are always moving with the tide. Our variety of products mean that the customer can experience our offering through all of their senses and through many channels. We work with delis, small farm shops and cafes to offer our chocolates and we run chocolate tastings with wine bars and restaurants. We sell through farmers markets, our online shop and ETSY. We run workshops on our own and fun family events in collaboration with other small local businesses at Halloween, Easter and Christmas to cross promote each other. We also work with schools and local community groups to host chocolate talks to help with their fundraising efforts. Through these channels we work with our customers to find the right solution for them every time – whether it is a treat for their child, a birthday celebration for Grandma’s 100th Birthday, a hot chocolate bar or a corporate team building session! We are a strong part of the local business community as well as of the local community as a whole.
We are dedicated to being a strong multi-faceted business. This is at the heart of what we do. We have learnt that sitting back on one’s laurels does not make a good business. We love talking to our customers and more importantly we are always listening to our customers. We are a business that will not stand still but will constantly evolve and change with the times and with our customers.
