12 Exciting Chocolate Makers to Discover in New Zealand

If there is a centre of the chocolate world, it is definitely not New Zealand, but while this small antipodean country doesn’t have the ancient cacao traditions of Central and South America, the rich chocolate making history of Europe, or the big craft chocolate names of North America, what you will find is a collective of bean-to-bar chocolate makers that are building an international reputation for exceptional chocolate with a distinctly Kiwi spirit. Just like wine and coffee before it, New Zealand’s craft chocolate industry is exceeding expectations and chocolate lovers around the world are beginning to take notice.

Ao Cacao

Chocolate maker Thomas Netana Wright has worked with chocolate for over ten years, having trained with famed Scottish chocolatier William Curley in London before returning to New Zealand and setting up a bean-to-bar factory in Auckland. Ao Cacao is a celebration of his Māori and European heritage, and the company is dedicated to supporting indigenous growers and producers. The range of bars and limited-edition bonbons is exclusively made with South Pacific cacao, and features ingredients such as mānuka honey, Tahitian vanilla, and milk (miraka) from Māori-owned dairy farms.

Baron Hasselhoff’s

Baron Hasselhoff’s in Wellington offers a fun bean-to-bar range with unique inclusions, such as molé spices, cinnamon donuts and tahini. The highly-colourful and playful wrappers are bound to put a smile on your face, but behind the outlandish branding there’s some seriously high quality chocolate. Chocolate maker Clayton McErlane recently released a tiny batch of his first ever single origin bars, which expertly showcase the vivid terroir of cacao from Papua New Guinea.

Flint Chocolate

Crafted by the sibling duo of Tania and Danielle Lincoln, Flint Chocolate bars are organic, vegan, and sweetened with unrefined coconut sugar. Currently the bars are made with cacao from the Dominican Republic, including the silky smooth Number 29 Olive Oil bar and the crowd-favourite Almond Butter bar. The Lincoln sisters are dedicated to ethically sourcing sustainable ingredients and all Flint wrappers are entirely home-compostable.

Foundry Chocolate

Foundry Chocolate is one of the more internationally-recognised New Zealand craft chocolate makers, predominantly due to winning a host of awards at home and overseas. The impeccably packaged range of single origin bars is exclusively made with only cacao and sugar, and each bar bursts with a complex variety of flavour notes. If you haven’t tasted much cacao from the Pacific Islands, a parallel tasting of Foundry’s Vanuatu 70% and Papua New Guinea 70% bars is highly recommended.

Hogarth Chocolate Makers

Nelson’s Hogarth Chocolate Makers is one of the more accessible NZ chocolate makers for overseas chocolate fans, with bars relatively available in North America, Europe and parts of Asia. Alongside a couple of single origin bars, the Hogarth collection features distinctly Kiwi flavours such as Mānuka Honey & Cacao Nibs, ANZAC Biscuit and Kumara (sweet potato). Currently the bars are all made with cacao from Hacienda Victoria in Ecuador - the world’s first certified carbon-neutral cacao farm.

Lucid Chocolatier

Despite only being 26 years-old, chocolate maker Jonty Tatham already has a significant string of accolades to his name, including winning the Supreme Award at the 2022 NZ Chocolate Awards, for his 68% Port bar. Tatham has a healthy obsession with the fascinating cacao diversity of Peru, and the entire Lucid Chocolatier range is made with rare Peruvian beans. One of the only New Zealand bean-to-bar makers to also offer a range of bonbons and caramels, Tatham is heavily inspired by traditional French techniques.

Miann Chocolate Factory

Brian and Roselle Campbell don’t just make excellent bean-to-bar chocolate, they also run several dessert shops and cafes in Auckland, where you can find all sorts of wild and wonderful chocolate creations. Made with cacao from places like India, Mexico and Guatemala, Miann’s chocolate is transformed into everything from gelato to pastries to dragees, alongside an impeccable range of bars and hot chocolates. If you’re lucky enough to visit a Miann shop, be sure to try the single origin chocolate sorbet.

OCHO Chocolate

When it launched in 2013, Dunedin’s OCHO (Otago Chocolate Company) was only the second craft chocolate maker in New Zealand. A lot has changed since those early days, especially after the company crowd-funded $2 million in 2018, but one thing that will never change is OCHO’s dedication to sustainably-sourcing all of its cacao from the South Pacific. If you want to taste some native New Zealand flavours, be sure to check out the Horopito & Kawakawa 70% bar.

Raglan Chocolate

Raglan is a relaxed and beautiful coastal town on the north-west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. There you’ll find Mike Renfree and Simone Downey creating micro batches of delicious chocolate, using cacao from the Pacific Islands. Mike developed a passion for chocolate during his time working for an industrial confectioner, but things got a lot more interesting when he discovered the joys of making chocolate from bean to bar. With deep notes of raisin, malt and toffee, Raglan Chocolate’s Vanuatu 70% is a must-try NZ bar.

Shirl & Moss Chocolate

Shirl & Moss Chocolate was founded in 2019 by siblings Simon and Aimee Godsiff, and named after their grandparents, Shirley and Morris. Growing up on a remote farm in the Marlborough Sounds gave the Godsiffs an invaluable understanding of the link between land, people, and produce, which has heavily influenced their approach to chocolate making. The Shirl & Moss collection features exquisitely presented single origin and inclusion bars, all made with cacao from either Fazenda Camboa in Brazil or Kokoa Kamili in Tanzania.

Wellington Chocolate Factory

When it launched in 2010 (originally named The Cocoa Press), Wellington Chocolate Factory was the first bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker in New Zealand. Since the beginning, the company has been dedicated to using organic and fair trade ingredients, and founders Rochelle Alagar and Gabe Davidson have helped inspire a nationwide shift towards more ethical chocolate. Many of Wellington Chocolate Factory’s bright and colourful wrappers are designed by local street artists, including the ever-popular Salted Caramel dark chocolate bar, which features psychedelic tigers illustrated by Gina Kiel.

Wonderland Chocolate

The newest addition to New Zealand’s craft chocolate scene, Wonderland Chocolate launched in March 2023 with a range of exclusively plant-based milk chocolate bars and caramels. The chocolate is made with cacao from the Dominican Republic (sourced via Uncommon Cacao), and cashew nuts are used as a milk alternative. Based in the seaside suburb of Lyall Bay in Wellington, the brand is inspired by an amusement park that was located nearby in the early 1900s, with each product named after a character from the carnival, such as Cannonball Cam and Ayla the Acrobat.