Bespoke chocolate portfolios

We’ve covered premium chocolate in the past, featuring companies like Max Brenner and the 100% Chocolate Café. Nonetheless, we were intrigued by a premium chocolate concept featured in trendwatching.com’s latest briefing. Sir Hans Sloane, based in London, offers clients a bespoke chocolate portfolio. Customers work with the firm’s master chocolatier, Bill McCarrick, to discover which types and flavours of chocolate they enjoy most. Much like an expert vintner helps clients stock their cellar with wines that please their palate, Sir Hans Sloane designs a unique chocolate profile for each client. No two customers share the same profile, and their selections are logged in a ‘Keeper’s Book’ for future reference. Once the selection had been made and catalogued, the chocolates are made to order and packaged in a handmade wooden box. Sir Hans Sloane’s chocolate premiumization doesn’t stop there. While other artisanal makers pride themselves on using only the finest raw materials from Madagascar or Ecuador, Sir Hans Sloane is the only chocolate studio in the UK to do its own conching—a refining process that involves up to 72 hours of rolling liquid chocolate to bring out flavours and a silky texture. Bespoke & premium: it’s a combination that should inspire entrepreneurs to come up with their own unique offerings for consumers who want to experience something über-upgraded, created just for them. (Related: Custom-blended teas.)