18 December 2020 | 33 mins

Episode 7: Unwrapping the chocolate industry

With the many parallels that exist between chocolate and coffee, this week Jeffrey Young is joined by innovators and disruptors from the world of chocolate to get a better understanding of this industry and explore what it can teach us about coffee.

Angus Thirlwell, CEO and Co-Founder of Hotel Chocolat reveals how out his out-of-the-box thinking created an enticing customer experience that has since helped the brand scale to over 100 retail stores globally.

Ben Greensmith, General Manager UK&I of Tony’s Chocolonely - a brand currently disrupting the European chocolate space - shares the humanitarian mission that drives the company and how they plan to climb to the top of the UK chocolate market.

David Donde, CEO and Founder of Truth Coffee and a key figure in the South African specialty coffee community, shares his new vision for shaking up the world of specialty chocolate.

Credits music: "Paris" by Bandits on the Run for the Coffee Music Project.

Guests

David Donde

CEO and Founder, Truth Coffee

A serial entrepreneur, Donde is a key figure within the South African specialty coffee scene. He is the founding chairman of the Specialty Coffee Association of Southern Africa, an international competition judge and the founder of the award-winning café and roastery, Truth Coffee.

Angus Thirlwell

CEO and Co-Founder, Hotel Chocolat

Angus Thirlwell co-founded Hotel Chocolat in 2004 with two specific aims for the chocolate – to excite the senses and to be widely available. The company has since gone on to revolutionise the UK retail chocolate market and has over 100 locations globally.

Ben Greensmith

General Manager, UK&I, Tony's Chocolonely

Ben Greensmith has been working in the food and drink industry for over 20 years, holding senior commercial roles in companies such as Unilever, innocent and Propercorn. Greensmith joined Tony’s Chocolonely in 2018, launching the leading Dutch brand in the UK in 2019.