Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Making: 1 Day Intensive

Join Nicola - founder, chocolate maker, and author of The Self-Taught Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Maker - for an intimate hands-on exploration of how chocolate is made from cacao bean to finished bar.

Designed for curious makers, chocolate lovers, and those drawn to a slower, more thoughtful approach to learning, this small-group intensive offers the opportunity to experience the bean-to-bar process in depth within a real working chocolate space.

Throughout the day, you’ll taste a range of bean-to-bar chocolates, explore how flavour develops at each stage of production, and take part in key parts of the chocolate-making process yourself - from roasting and refining through to tempering and working with chocolate by hand.

Alongside the practical process, we’ll explore:

• how origin, fermentation, roasting, and refining shape flavour
• what makes bean-to-bar chocolate distinct from industrial chocolate
• the sensory side of tasting and evaluating chocolate
• the craft, patience, and decision-making behind small-batch chocolate making

This is a relaxed but immersive day designed to deepen your understanding of chocolate through tasting, making, discussion, and hands-on experience.

No prior experience is needed - only curiosity and an interest in the process.

• Guided tasting and comparison of bean-to-bar chocolates
• Insight into how flavour develops throughout the chocolate-making process
• Hands-on involvement in key stages of production
• Chocolate tempering and working with chocolate by hand
• Practical understanding you can continue exploring at home

This workshop is ideal for:

• those curious about how chocolate is really made
• aspiring bean-to-bar makers
• bakers, makers, and food enthusiasts who enjoy understanding craft and process
• anyone drawn to slower, more intentional learning experiences

🗓 Saturday 11 July
🕒 10:00–16:00
📍 Nicola’s Chocolate, Exeter
👥 Limited to 6 places

💰 £149 per person
Includes a copy of The Self-Taught Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Maker to continue your learning at home.

• Guided small-group instruction throughout the day
• Tastings and all materials
• Chocolate to take home
• A copy of The Self-Taught Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Maker

A calm, focused, and hands-on experience with plenty of opportunity to ask questions, explore the process in detail, and develop a deeper understanding of bean-to-bar chocolate making.

Places are intentionally limited to keep the experience personal, immersive, and hands-on.