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Raglan Chocolate

@raglanchocolate

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🌴New Zealand CHOCOLATE. Bean-to-Bar, made in beautiful Raglan. Ethically sourced ingredients. And the PACIFIC Cacao comes first🌴

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🌸It’s a bit of a fav is our NIBILICIOUS [caramelised white choc with roasted pacific nibs]. Ohhh laa laaaaaa. Find on our website: www.raglanchocolate.co.nz. #beantobarnz #chocolateadventures #raglannz #nzchocolate #raglan 🌸 by @raglanchocolate

Part science, part art, all soul 🤎

It's time to introduce our next founding partner – @raglanchocolate

Mike Renfree was working as a food technologist for an industrial confectioner in Hamilton when his employer switched to a cheaper type of cacao mass made with lower-quality beans. To Mike, the flavour was vastly inferior, and he couldn’t stop wondering why.

His research led him not just to the world of specialty cacao, but to the darker side of the mainstream chocolate industry, where issues with modern slavery and illegal child labour in the supply chain are well documented. After discovering that it was possible to make his own bean-to-bar chocolate, he was instantly hooked. He built a tiny chocolate workshop in his basement, bought a small roaster, and started learning everything he could.

Mike launched Raglan Chocolate in 2017 with his partner Simone Downey, who looks after everything outside of the chocolate making. Their cacao is sourced exclusively from Pacific neighbours – Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu (via @rautini_ltd ) – and inside each wrapper is a photo and story of the grower, making the connection between maker and farmer tangible for every customer.

Raglan Chocolate's commitment to sustainability runs deep, from their plastic-free packaging and minimal waste production, to their strong ties with the people of Raglan – a town that, as Mike puts it, makes you feel like anything is possible.

Find out more and order online at raglanchocolate.co.nz by @raglanchocolate

It's not every day you get to try chocolate that's made with beans from a farm you've visited!

I was so excited to hear about @raglanchocolate releasing this Samoa 70% bar, made with cacao from Savai'i Koko. It's a beautiful bar (inside and out!) that perfectly encapsulates what I love about great craft chocolate. From the strong relationship between grower and maker, to the exceptional flavour that's cultivated from the farm to the finished bar, this is the kind of chocolate I love to see in the world.

I first met Saleimoa and Rosie Va'ai from Savai'i Koko at the Pacific Cacao & Chocolate show in 2022, and I was lucky enough to visit their farm in Asau the following year. I also had a nice surprise when Saleimoa turned up at @chocstock.nz last June!

Mike and Simone from Raglan Chocolate have been developing their relationship with Savai'i Koko for several years, and have visited the farm to meet many of the growers they work with.

How amazing is it to open a chocolate bar and see a photo of the chocolate maker with the grower?! You wouldn't find that in cheap industrial chocolate!

I love that this bar represents the journeys of both the maker and the grower. The quality of this cacao has improved so much over the years, thanks to the hard work of the team at Savai'i Koko, along with some support from Keith Budd and the team at @rautini_ltd

Likewise, Mike at Raglan has gone from strength-to-strength as a chocolate maker, and now makes some of the best chocolate in NZ. Mike has given this cacao the respect it deserves, working diligently to bring out beautiful notes of banana, malt, toffee, tahini and vanilla. A unique and unforgettable tasting experience!

Huge congrats to all of the amazing people involved with this fantastic chocolate. It's available to order now from raglanchocolate.co.nz

Go get some! by @raglanchocolate

A Bar Apart is here to help you discern and enjoy the difference between ‘big chocolate’ and bean-to-bar craft chocolate. 🍫

Most of the chocolate sold in supermarkets is made by a handful of enormous corporations, using a process designed to produce vast amounts of chocolate as cheaply as possible. The cacao in mass-produced chocolate is typically bought on commodity markets (bulk goods trade), where beans from many different origins are blended together and heavily processed to produce a consistent, predictable flavour.

To compensate for low-quality beans and industrial processing, manufacturers often add large amounts of sugar, artificial vanilla, emulsifiers and even vegetable fats (e.g. palm oil). The result is sweet, familiar, and far from exciting.

Bean-to-bar is different.

Craft chocolate makers start from scratch, sourcing cacao beans from specific farms or cooperatives, often building long-term relationships with the growers. They buy small quantities of high-quality beans, chosen for the unique flavours of a particular region or harvest. From there, every intricate step of the process is carried out by the maker themselves, with care and attention at every stage.

The difference in flavour is extraordinary. Just as a good wine expresses the character of the vineyard it came from, great craft chocolate expresses the character of its cacao – whether it be fruity, floral, nutty, spiced or one of over 400 other potential flavour notes.

Swipe left to see some of the typical differences between 'big chocolate' and bean-to-bar craft chocolate. There are many different types of chocolate companies and every chocolate maker or chocolatier is different. These tiles give an overview of what you can expect from A Bar Apart makers, as compared to chocolate that’s made on a larger industrial scale.

Learn more at abarapart.co (link in bio) by @raglanchocolate

New Event Alert! 🍫🍵

Join us for The Tasting Table: an evening of tea and craft chocolate, paired side by side. Hosted with chocolate expert Luke Owen Smith of A Bar Apart.

Limited seats.

Saturday 5 September, 6pm-7.30pm, 131 Jackson Street. by @raglanchocolate

♨️We thank our Pacific Cacao Growers. Happy World Chocolate day, 7 July. Growers; PAPUA NEW GUINEA (Kingstan and growing team on Manabo farm), SAMOA (Saleimoa and growers for Savai’i Koko) and VANUATU (Lui and growing communities of Atchin and Larëvat, Makekula Island). ♨️Chocolate starts with you! We thank Rautini (NZ) for bringing the beans direct to New Zealand🖐🏽 @savaiikoko @rautini_ltd @kiam_ares by @raglanchocolate

TOMORROW from 10am ~ free tastings in-store @chantalshopnapier with @lovearohama and @raglanchocolate! Try out some delish spicy chai, cacao and award winning bean to bar chocolate from some phenomenal makers 🍫 we’d love to see you there (+ you deserve a treat, right?!) by @raglanchocolate

Our final bite of the night- Raglan chocolate fudge, Milo, sturgeon valley caviar

Suppliers-
@raglanchocolate
@dreamviewfarm
@sturgeonvalleynz
@miloanz

#localfood #waikato #proudlywaikato by @raglanchocolate

Free chocolate at lunchtime? Yes, really. 💯

Each weekday of launch week, one of our makers will be joining us at @_spacefor Pavilion in Britomart for a free lunchtime tasting – no ticket required, just walk in.

Here's the lineup:
🍫 Tue 7 July – @wonderlandchocolatenz
🍫 Wed 8 July – @raglanchocolate
🍫 Thu 9 July – @coromandelchocolate
🍫 Fri 10 July – @valurachocolate

All tastings run 12–1pm and are completely free. Whether you're a lifelong craft chocolate devotee or just beginning to discover what chocolate can really taste like, this is the perfect place to start.

📍 Spacefor Pavilion, 10 Te Ara Tahuhu, Britomart
🗓 Tuesday–Friday, 7–10 July, 12–1pm
✅ Free – no ticket required

See you at lunchtime. 🍫

#aucklandeats #aucklandfood #aucklandfoodie #beantobar #craftchocolate by @raglanchocolate

Earlier this week we talked about what the A Bar Apart emblem means. The next question is, why does it matter? 🤔

Chocolate can be confusing. For most of its modern history, the industry has done little to help you understand what you're actually buying – where the cacao was grown, how it was transformed into chocolate, or who really made it.

Today, the shelves are full of products, labels and terms that blur the line between bean-to-bar craft chocolate, mass-produced industrial bars, artisan chocolatiers working with pre-made couverture, and mainstream confectionery. It's a lot for chocolate lovers to navigate. 🍫

Craft chocolate makers – like our 14 founding partners – source their cacao with care, control every stage of production, and create something that reflects both the origin of the bean and the skill of the maker. A Bar Apart makes it easy for you to identify this craftsmanship, giving you the clarity to choose with confidence.

Our emblem will be gradually appearing on chocolate wrappers around Aotearoa over the coming months, and we officially launch in July. 🥳

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

#beantobar #craftchocolate #chocolatemaker #chocolatemaking #cacao by @raglanchocolate

FREE CHAI & CHOCOLATE TASTING!🧡
FREE tasting of the award winning Raglan Bean-to-Bar Chocolate and delicious Aroha Mā Spicy Chai and Cacao, Tuesday 7th July, 10am-4pm.💛🧡💛
Pop in to taste and check out these locally and ethically made Chocolates, Chai and Cacao. Made by these amazing teams based in Raglan who are making a made a special trip so you can sample their simply delicious products.
Pop in tomorrow to check them out!💛🧡💛
#raglanchocolate #arohama #spicychai #supportlocal #freetasting ProudtoSupportLocalSuppliers @raglanchocolate @lovearohama by @raglanchocolate

🌻Welcome World Surf Visitors🌻Raglan Bow St Markets are on - Raglan CHOCOLATE is there for 16,17,23 May. Come meet the Makers, do some tasting and talk all things Bean-to-Bar. Yeah! @wsl #chocolateadventures #nzbeantobarmakersareonfire by @raglanchocolate