Cocoa Runners Craft Chocolate

🚨 Upcoming events and experiences 🚨 Head to cocoarunners.com/tastings for more into

*Why would I sign up for another newsletter?* A fair question; and one we think about often. In a world of noisy inboxes, the Cocoa Runners newsletter is intentionally different: slower, more thoughtful, and not another string of weekly offers you didn’t ask for. Instead, it’s designed to change how you think about chocolate, with just a few surprises along the way. 👉 If that sounds like your kind of thing, swipe through for a taste of what to expect. 🔗 Then tap the link in our bio to sign up. #craftchocolate #cocoarunners #chocolatenewsletter #independentmakers #behindthebars #chocolatelovers

Welcome to Cocoa Runners! Whether you’ve been following us for days, weeks, months, or years, we thought we would do a quick recap on who we are, what we do, and the things you need to know → ❤️ We’re craft chocolate lovers & experts. Our mission is to bring you a selection of the world’s best craft chocolate. Over the past decade, our small team has tried over 10,000 bars, so the screening process for new bars is meticulous. Every chocolate product that we sell has been approved for ethical sourcing, made to the highest standards, and (very happily) tasted by us for exceptional flavour. 🍫 No matter where you’re based, you can join us for a craft chocolate adventure, guided by our chocolate experts. We host virtual tastings which you can attend from the comfort of your own home, in-person tasting sessions at Cocoa Runners HQ in London each month, and special events with guest speakers & pairings, like wine or coffee. 🌊 Exceptional flavour & savouring is at the heart of Cocoa Runners. Learning how to articulate flavour is like learning a new language. We’ve developed our very own Tasting Wave to help you articulate flavour, which we use as a tool during our chocolate tastings and masterclasses. 📦 Our monthly chocolate subscriptions have been going since we started Cocoa Runners more than 10 years ago. Choose between dark, milk, a mix of the two, or 100% - and we’ll send a selection to you every month… 🗺️ … And at the heart of these bars, are the incredible chocolate makers & cocoa farmers. We love connecting you directly to the makers of our exceptional craft chocolate bars, and supporting the farmers growing specialty cocoa beans - which is why the maker information & bean origin can be found on the product pages for every bar. 📖 Finally, we love learning. We’ve spent over a decade reading and discovering more about craft chocolate, having countless conversations with craft chocolate experts all over the world. Our ‘Chocopedia’ has the answers to all of your burning chocolate questions, and our weekly blog discusses our thoughts on the latest topics in the craft chocolate world. Get in touch if you have questions, we love hearing from you!

All smiles at our tasting yesterday with @acadofchocolate Thank you to everyone who came down to @wearefidelio . See you at the next one 👋 Photo credit: @capturedbytudor 📸

Our award winners tasting with the @acadofchocolate is next Tuesday 12th of May! It's a unique opportunity to taste some of this years (and previous years) winners, including bars we don't have in our bar library! Get your tickets today at cocoarunners.com or via the link in our bio✌️

In another industry, an event like @showcolat2026 might have felt like a room full of competitors. But not in the craft chocolate industry! It’s such a beautiful community to be a part of. It’s full of makers coming together as friends, genuinely supporting each other, sharing ideas, and being part of something bigger. We loved seeing all the makers tasting each other’s chocolate swapping bars throughout the weekend. You all approach the community with curiosity and genuine openness, which is why this space we inhabit is so unique. We met so many interesting people at Showcolat, ranging from enthusiastic craft chocolate first timers, to certified legends of the space. Every conversation felt valuable. Every moment had purpose. We also had the chance to lead a panel focused on helping chocolate makers better understand what retailers are looking for. We also hosted chocolate tastings (which Spencer did en français and in English) including a few with @cafepiha_bordeaux It’s always inspiring to connect with people from coffee and wine. There is a lot we can all learn from each other. Thank you to Vincent, Rosario and all those involved in running this event. Thank you to Karen and all the amazing volunteers for your immense help. Thank you to all the makers for your amazing craft, endless energy and (somewhat chaotic) cherished memories. We brought home some super exciting and super exclusive bars, so keep an eye out for those! See you all next year, but now it’s time to rest.

From Easter Sunday to a Chocolate festival in Bordeaux - it’s the Cocoa Runners April Roundup™️ 1 - We sent Gen off to the Dominican Republic - here she is living her dream surrounded by cocoa pods 2 - Team pic from the Cocoa Masterclass 3 - Pods (where it all starts) 4 - Eggs (where it ends up) 5 - A sunny spring tasting 6 - Gen popped in to see the team at Milz 👋 7 - A new favourite way to use bloomed 100% chocolate - peppermint creams 8 - The Cocoa Store in Manhattan, NYC 9/10 - Another day, another chocolate factory - this time Raaka in Brooklyn 11 - A delicate cocoa flower 12 - Watching the seasons change through the window of our HQ 13 - Mid-masterclass dog cuddle 14 - and here we are having a pre-flight egg on our way to Bordeaux for Showcolat, ready to see chocolate friends old and new and taste our way through the 60+ makers attending. Keep an eye out for updates 🍫

🥐 The Pump Street Chocolate Weekender is 2 months away! 🥐 Join us for a full-day Taste & Flavour Masterclass, a tour of the Pump Street Chocolate Factory and a make-your-own inclusion chocolate workshop! For details head to cocoarunners.com or hit the link in our bio! 🚨Update: only 4 spaces remaining 🚨

Another update from the DR! This one involves @zorzal_cacao and a whole lot of rain 🌧️

Learning a lot about cacao fermentation, cultivation, drying and more in the Dominican Republic on a @cocoamasterclass !☀️

Gen is in the Dominican Republic doing a @cocoamasterclass ! Stay tuned for more updates!

🌱🍫 Cocoa Masterclass is in full swing - live from the Dominican Republic! Here are some highlights so far 👇 🦅 Deep dive into @zorzal_cacao and their conservation work 🍫 Fermentation visits, learning from Dr. Charles Kerchner 🎓 Expert sessions with @sarahbharath , @honoliicacao , and Rafael 👅 Chocolate tasting foundations with @gennyfromthechoc from @cocoarunners 🤝 Connecting, sharing, and building a global network 🌍 World production deep dive with Kate 🏭 Visits to processing facilities across the DR 🌿 Genetic exploration and clonal gardens at IDIAF Learning, connecting, and experiencing the cocoa value chain, firsthand. Stay tuned for more of what we get up to! ✨