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A Bar Apart

@abarapart.co

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A signature of chocolate makers with shared values, to help you choose with confidence.

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THANK YOU to the 15 chocolate makers who believe in this project and contribute so much to Aotearoa’s food culture

THANK YOU to the cacao farmers around the world whose skill, dedication and hard work make all of this possible

THANK YOU to everyone who visited our pop-up in Britomart. We had around 1000 people through the door and sold around 1500 bars of chocolate! Way beyond our wildest dreams

THANK YOU to our amazing sponsors and collaborators for the incredible support – @cocoa.wilds @kokakocoffee @eat.newzealand @quickbrownfox_nz @sixbarrelsodaco @allpressolivegroves

THANK YOU to all the media and content creators who covered our event – the response genuinely blew us away

THANK YOU to everyone who ran in-store tastings and evening events – @baronhasselhoffs @lucid_chocolatier @shirlandmosschocolate @theteacurator @wonderlandchocolatenz @raglanchocolate @coromandelchocolate @valurachocolate

THANK YOU to everyone who helped out in the shop – we really needed you! Especially Johnty, Libby, Simon and Julia

THANK YOU to Max at @_spacefor for providing an incredible pop-up space and service

THANK YOU to Amy and Aaliyah at @wrightcommunicationsnz for their incredible P.R. work and general loveliness

THANK YOU to Brian at @miann_chocolatefactory for all the neighbourly support and for bringing us lots of treats

And THANK YOU most of all to Emily, who contributed so much time, expertise and care. You are my rock in everything I do and I literally couldn’t do this without you

A Bar Apart is only just getting started, but what a start it’s been!

See you soon,
Luke x taken in Britomart Auckland City by @abarapart.co

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3 months ago

Meet our 14 founding chocolate makers. 🍫

A Bar Apart wouldn't exist without this remarkable group of people – and we couldn't be prouder to introduce them as our founding partners.

They're spread across Aotearoa – from Auckland to Tauranga, Wellington to Nelson – and their backgrounds couldn't be more different. From former chefs and food scientists, to farmers and filmmakers. Some taught themselves through research and relentless experimentation, while others trained in Michelin-starred kitchens. But all of them arrived at the same conclusion: that making chocolate from scratch, with full transparency about the cacao behind it, is the only way they want to do it.

Together, they represent some of the finest craft chocolate being made anywhere in the world – and we think it's time more people in New Zealand knew about them.

Find out more at www.abarapart.co (link in bio!)

@ao.cacao
@baronhasselhoffs
@coromandelchocolate
@foundrychocolate
@hogarthchocolate
@lucid_chocolatier
@miann_chocolatefactory
@raglanchocolate
@shirlandmosschocolate
@solomons_goldchocolate
@trice.chocolates
@valurachocolate
@wellingtonchocolatefactory
@wonderlandchocolatenz taken in New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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4 months ago

The heart of Pacific craft 🤎

Introducing our next founding partner – @wellingtonchocolatefactory

Wellington Chocolate Factory (WCF) didn't just start the bean-to-bar movement in Aotearoa; they gave it a Pacific soul. While the journey began over a decade ago in a small Eva Street workshop, today WCF stands as the bridge between New Zealand chocolate lovers and the extraordinary cacao farmers of the Pacific Islands.

Co-founder @gabedavidson.nz and the team have traded "industrial" secrecy for radical transparency. By sourcing beans directly from our Pacific neighbours – from the volcanic soils of Vanuatu to the lush plantations of Oʻahu – WCF ensures that "ethical" isn't just a label, but a direct investment. They pay a significant premium to farming communities, proving that world-class chocolate can, and should, improve the livelihoods of those who grow it.

At WCF, craft is a celebration of the Pacific’s unique terroir. Every bar is a sensory map of the islands, made from scratch in Wellington and hand-wrapped in bespoke local artwork. This is more than chocolate; it’s a commitment to the people, the beans, and the stories of the Pacific. When you unwrap a WCF bar, you aren’t just tasting the future of craft chocolate – you’re supporting the community that makes it possible.

If you're visiting Pōneke, be sure to pay them a visit at 5 Eva Street. Their chocolatier experiences are highly recommended!

Find out more and order online at wcf.co.nz taken in Wellington, New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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2 days ago

Thanks so much to everyone who joined us for our tea and chocolate tasting event with Catherine @teaatelier.nz last month!

Thanks also to @kevinpengnz for these beautiful photos. 🙏

Keep your eyes peeled for our next event. 👀 Coming soon! taken in Wellington, New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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4 days ago

We sold out The Tasting Table in days, and we're still getting "can you do it again?" messages.

Short answer: yes 🥳 Round two is already in the works, new teas, new chocolates, same small room that fills up fast.

Date's a secret for now, newsletter subscribers hear it first!
Link in bio.

📍 131 Jackson Street, Petone

#TeaAtelier #TasteTheTradition #TeaAndChocolate #PetoneEats #WellingtonFoodie #LooseLeafTea #CraftChocolateNZ by @abarapart.co

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9 days ago

A family business crafting timeless classics 🍫

Introducing our next founding partner – @valurachocolate

Valura Chocolate was born from the meeting of two cultures – and two people. Libby, who grew up in Papakura, South Auckland, and Romain, who hails from Valenciennes in northern France, founded Valura together in 2021.

The name itself tells the story: ‘Valura’ is a blend of Valenciennes and Papakura. This boutique maker weaves French chocolate-making tradition together with the warmth and homeliness of a New Zealand family – even Libby's mum and dad roll up their sleeves and help with chocolate production, making Valura a genuinely family affair.

From their South Auckland kitchen, Libby and Romain source their cacao from some of the world's most exciting origins – Madagascar, the Philippines, Haiti, Vanuatu and Uganda – each chosen for the extraordinary flavours they bring and the care with which they're grown.

The results speak for themselves: their Calvados bar took home medals from both the Vegan Chocolate Awards and the @outstandingfoodproducerawards in 2025. Every bar is made in micro-batches, with the kind of acute attention to detail that only a small, passionate family operation can bring.

Find out more and order online at valurachocolate.com taken in Auckland, New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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9 days ago

Thanks to @_spacefor for this clip from our pop-up in July.

A Bar Apart 🍫 Chocolate worth finding.

@foundrychocolate Korosim Microlots, Solomon Islands 70% taken in New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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12 days ago

A moment of paradise in every bar

Introducing our next founding partner – @trice.chocolates

Joshua van Echten founded Trice Chocolates in Wellington in 2020, driven by a lifelong love of baking, cooking, and an obsessive curiosity about where food comes from. For Joshua, the leap into bean-to-bar chocolate making was inevitable – once he started pulling on the thread of how chocolate is really made, there was no going back. The name says it all: ‘Trice’ means to go quickly, in an instant – because that's exactly what happens when you taste his bars.

Based in Wellington, Joshua makes plant-based bean-to-bar chocolate using only ethically and fairly traded cacao, crafting bars that are nostalgic, indulgent, and utterly impossible to put down. Think the deep comfort of childhood chocolate memories, elevated by the quality and integrity of true craft chocolate. Joshua's ambition is clear: to represent the very best of New Zealand's bean-to-bar chocolate movement, and to make every bite feel like a small moment of paradise.

Learn more and order online at tricechocolates.com taken in Wellington, New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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17 days ago

What an epic weekend at the @chocolateandcoffeefestival 🥳

Thanks so much to everyone who came to say hi. We loved spreading the word about A Bar Part and the amazing bean-to-bar chocolate makers of Aotearoa.

We loved hanging out with seven or our founding partners, along with many other incredible producers and innovators. It was also a lot of fun playing 'guess the cacao origin', which really got people thinking about where cacao comes from and the magical connection between flavour and origin.

Huge thanks Shaughan and the team for organising a great event. 🙏

And special shout out to @trice.chocolates for helping to transport our stall equipment to and from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland! taken in Auckland, New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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19 days ago

We're ready to rock at the @chocolateandcoffeefestival 🥳

Come see us this weekend, along with seven A Bar Apart chocolate makers! 🍫

🗓️ 26th & 27th of September

📍 Viaduct Evenets Centre, Auckland

Find out more and get your tickets at chocolatecoffeefestival.nz taken in Auckland, New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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22 days ago

Built on relationships, grown in the Pacific

Introducing our next founding partner – @solomons_goldchocolate ✨️

Clive Carroll went to the Solomon Islands on holiday in 2004, and he never really left. When he came across a group of run-down cacao plantations, something clicked – with agriculture in his DNA from his father's avocado farming background, he couldn't walk away.

Clive established a cacao buying, processing and export business called C-Corp, and spent the following years working closely with village growers across Guadalcanal and beyond – providing technical advice, financial support, and building relationships that now span over 100 farmer groups and communities. 🌱

The other half of the Solomons Gold story is Glenn Yeatman, a fourth-generation coffee farmer from Zimbabwe who fled the Mugabe regime with his young family and arrived in New Zealand with little more than a suitcase. Glenn's agricultural background brought him to Clive's attention, and after two years living and working in the Solomon Islands alongside local cacao growers, the pair realised they had something extraordinary on their hands.

Glenn relocated to Mount Maunganui and built a chocolate factory largely from scratch – designing much of the equipment himself – to turn those exceptional Solomon Islands beans into Solomons Gold chocolate. It is, above all else, a story of two remarkable people who found something worth building – and built it from scratch.

Solomons Gold is very much a family business; Glenn's daughter Chanee helps run the factory, and Clive's daughter Sarah represents the company in Australia.

Find out more and order online at solomonsgold.co.nz taken in Tauranga, New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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24 days ago

We had the most amazing Foodie Friends gathering at @raglanruralretreats over the weekend. 🥰

What an honour to spend time with such an inspiring, creative and lovely group of people. It's so rare that we get to hang out like this, with new friends and old. The energy was so good!

Huge thanks to Pete for the epic tour of @raglanfoodco – and thanks so much to Fraser and Dana for showing us their amazing work at @myndmushrooms

Thanks most of all to @lateshahearth for organising everything and being generally wonderful. You're such an inspiration, Tesh!

Aotearoa has so many incredible food and beverage entrepreneurs, and I feel very lucky to call some of them friends. Thank you everyone! Much love. x

📷 @josiegibbsaotearoa taken in Raglan, New Zealand by @abarapart.co

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25 days ago