Meet the Maker: Cocoa Wonderland
At Cocoa Wonderland on Ecclesall Road, we’re makers of chocolate but - most importantly - we want to make people happy.
I’m Kate, the smile behind Cocoa Wonderland on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield.
A tiny bit about me: a few of my favourite things include going for bike rides in the sunshine, picnics and cooking tasty meals. The food goddess Anna Jones is my absolute favourite chef.
Cocoa has been my place of work and play for getting on for 20 years! As well as running the chocolate and sweetie shop, I also make chocolate in my little chocolate factory to sell in my shop. You’ll also find my chocolate in other wonderful places in Sheffield including Annie Judes in Hillsborough, Sheffield Makers Hunters Bar, Walkley Press and Porter Brook Deli.
Creating a welcoming atmosphere and making a connection with every customer means a lot to me.
I aim for every person who visits Cocoa to leave happier than when they arrived.
Most of Cocoa’s business is concentrated into the seasons (Christmas, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Easter). During the quieter times I do a lot of planning and being ready for the hectic periods is vital. I’m always living in the future seasons; in summer I’m often sunbathing whilst thinking about chocolate Santas!
Three facts about us:
- In 2014 we made the Cocoa Wonderland beer in collaboration with Thornbridge to mark our 10th anniversary. The plan was for it to be a limited edition, nearly 8 years later it’s part of their core range and sold worldwide!
- Next time you buy a proper hot chocolate and don’t finish it (they are extremely rich), pop it in the fridge and after a couple of hours it magically transforms into a delicious dessert you can eat with a spoon! Yum yum!
- Did you know our big pink (slightly weathered!) Cocoa Chocolate Wonderland sign on the front of the shop was painted by the legendary Steve Millington, aka ‘Lord Dunsby’. He was an extremely talented illustrator, artist and sign-writer who worked with top establishments including Fortnums and Sheffield gems including JH Mann Sheffield.
Since the pandemic, I’ve learnt to appreciate what I have now, rather than constantly living in the future.
Although I’ve simplified the business, I still find it exhausting on my own to run and so my goal at the moment is looking after myself more. For years I didn’t look after myself, I put Cocoa first and me second… I was rubbish at taking lunch breaks and I found it difficult to switch off on my days off. I wasn’t feeling great and I didn’t know why.
I was recently diagnosed with endometriosis, which explained a lot of my symptoms and was kind of a relief in a way. I have found that if I don’t look after myself, the symptoms get worse. So since then I have made a conscious effort to be kind to myself (to my head as well as my body). Because of this my condition is now under control and, by doing less and resting more, I’m actually more productive than I used to be!
I melt, temper, flavour and mold couverture chocolate to make Cocoa’s chocolate.
Couverture is high-quality chocolate, often in button form. It’s available in an array of cocoa contents and flavours from many cocoa-growing regions around the world. It also comes in a rainbow of colours too! It might sound simple but chocolate is very fussy and there are lots of variables and skills involved to get things right.
When I have the time, I do want to increase my online offerings. I know it has great potential and is something I need to work on and add to my to-do list!
When you buy something or have something bought for you from Cocoa, it’s an extra special treat and not something you have everyday. I think a little bit of something fancy does you good
For Easter, the popular 'Fill Your Own' Easter Eggs are back!
Due to the fragility of molded Easter treats, often packaging can be very wasteful and include a lot of very rigid single use plastic. We are proud to say our Cocoa Easter Eggs have very minimal packaging. You can make up a personalised Easter gift for someone special by choosing from anything in the shop. We'll assemble it for you and wrap it up so it looks pretty.
The choices are endless including over 50 varieties of chocolates from the cabinet, over 40 kinds of sweets from jars, mini chocolate bars and cute, foil-wrapped novelties.
