CALUM Haggerty took over premium chocolate brand Coco in 2013 and transformed it into a lifestyle brand that blends art with chocolate. Artists design the wrappers and art, while tote bags and mugs are also available. The company has plans for a new visitor centre and factory next year.
Name: Calum Haggerty
Age: 37
Position: Owner
WHAT IS THE BUSINESS CALLED?
Coco
WHERE IS IT BASED?
WHY WAS THE BUSINESS SET UP?
I BOUGHT the business in 2013. It was started in 2004 by an Australian woman and was focused on retail. The business was bust and I took it over and it’s unrecognisable now. It’s now a B2B business – we sell to other retailers who sell for us.
I’ve always had an ambition to run my own business. I went to Heriot-Watt University to study business and finance. I failed third year, resat and passed and thought about whether I wanted to do this. I saw an advert for the fire service. I was 23 at the time and worked as a firefighter in Edinburgh for eight years but I kept coming back to working for myself.
I had no money so I was looking for a business that I could rescue. I found Coco and I love art and design so I saw the opportunity to fuse that with chocolate. I love food but I didn’t know much about chocolate. I redesigned all branding and products which took two years. We are focused on lifestyle stores and department stores. It is stocked in 20 countries around the world.
WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?
I ALWAYS found the previous brand to be quite feminine but that does work to a certain extent. For me rather than aiming it at a target market it’s about people who love beautiful things and love design. We are regularly stocked in places where we are the only food line. We commission artists to do all of the packaging on the bars. It tends to be very contemporary – art is very much the centre of the brand and we try to give artists a platform for their work. In September 2018 we rebranded the packaging and redid the labels with a gallery descriptor – which includes the artist, name of the artwork and the year – to make them part of the brand. It’s a reminder that it is a standalone piece of artwork itself.
We have mostly found artists on Instagram but now more are coming to use. It’s about striking a balance between well-known artists to promote us and less-known local Scottish artists. I want to make art and design accessible to the average person. Chocolate is a good vehicle for that – people tend not to buy art and design by themselves. It’s a gateway for people dipping their toe into art and design.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?
THERE are two USPs – the art and design element and we’re the only company putting the artist front and centre. Secondly, the way we source the chocolate. The vast majority of chocolate is sourced from West Africa but it’s a blended chocolate which means it’s not traceable. We know what conditions people work. If makers manufactured more of the product workers would get more money.
The food industry in general is moving towards traceability – small brands will lead on that because big brands will want to hide it. Chocolate in this country is five to 10 years behind coffee. We’re used to single origin coffee now. People haven’t latched onto it yet with chocolate.
IS SCOTLAND A GOOD PLACE FOR THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS?
SCOTLAND is not known for chocolate but we are proud of our Scottish roots. It’s made in Edinburgh but we have distribution in China, the US, Europe and here. If we use ingredients from Scotland it is well received – we have Isle of Skye Sea Salt in some of our bars. If we tie in ingredients it reminds us of our roots. We get asked about whisky-based chocolate but it is very difficult to add things to chocolate, especially liquids. We often try to find a Scottish supplier for ingredients like freeze dried raspberries.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS’ TIME?
WE’RE a gifting brand and you can do unusual things with that. We’re moving to a new factory next year and opening a new visitor centre. We plan to launch a grocery brand in the next few years. Chocolate is where we are at just now but we could do other things – we already do tote bags and mugs.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here