Paul Maden and James Findlay are the chocolatiers behind Cocoa Mountain
What’s the story behind your brand?
We moved from Glasgow more than 10 years ago to set up Cocoa Mountain in the wild and beautiful north-west corner of the country.
Most of our friends thought we were mad, as the nearest city, Inverness, is a two-and-a-bit hours’ drive away. However, we were determined to make a success of it.
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We wanted to create fresh and delicious chocolates and give visitors to this part of Scotland something unique and special.
We are inspired by the sea, beaches and mountains here in north-west Sutherland. The landscape here is truly stunning and very peaceful.
What do you make?
We make a range of organic chocolate bars in dark, milk and white chocolate.
We use fresh Scottish cream, creme fraiche and butter to make our fine chocolate bonbons, caramels and truffles. We also make a range of chocolate shards in delicious flavours.
Our customers travel from far and wide to sample our “the best hot chocolate”, and tins can be purchased to enjoy at home. We have two cafes in Sutherland – one in Balnakeil, Durness and the other in Dornoch – that are open 9am-5pm daily. We also make Easter eggs and all our products are handmade and hand-decorated.
How do you make them?
We have a team of about 13 staff split between production/packing and our cafe. We make every chocolate by hand, using the highest-quality chocolate, premium ingredients and natural flavourings.
Our guiding principle is to avoid the use of artificial flavourings, colourings or preservatives.
We aim to use as many organic ingredients as possible, sourcing local produce when available, and are members of the North-West Sutherland Food-Link, a local food producer’s initiative.
What sets you apart from other makers?
We use organic and local ingredients in our chocolate creations and fresh cream in our truffles, which makes them fresh and special.
What are your most popular products?
Our most popular product is our hot chocolate drink, “the best hot chocolate”. The salt butter caramel, orange and germanium and chill and lemongrass are the most popular chocolates in our range. People are adventurous and want to try our interesting flavour combinations.
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