Meet the maker
Chocolatemakers
About Chocolatemakers
Founded in 2011 by Rodney Nikkels and Enver Loke, Chocolatemakers is a Dutch bean-to-bar chocolate producer based in Amsterdam. They began with just the two of them, but the company has since expanded to 30 employees. As of 2026, Chocolatemakers has merged with a company called Hands Off and have combined to become The Chocolate Impact Group. This merged group contains three chocolate brands, and together, they strive to change the cacao chain.
Since 2019, they have been producing solar-powered and emission-free in their factory in the Amsterdam Cocoa Harbour, where the sailing ship Tres Hombres comes once a year to deliver their cocoa. The packaging for their chocolate bars is inspired by figures from the country of origin of the cocoa beans: for instance, they feature the sailing ship in their Dominican Republic bars.
At their workshop, their technician Daan works closely with Rodney to give second-hand machines a new life and adapt them to the way Chocolatemakers make their chocolate. Many of their machines come from Germany and Luxembourg, and instead of buying new equipment, Daan modifies and fine-tunes these machines — and he even built their moulding machine himself. With new technology, they hope to eventually automate a machine that can make their recipes.
Chocolatemakers’ mission is clear: to work directly with cocoa farmers and provide them with a fair living income which is higher than Fairtrade. Chocolatemakers purchase beans directly from farmers, using the beans to make chocolate bars in their Amsterdam factory, which runs on solar energy. By having the production in-house and fostering direct relationships with farms, Chocolatemakers aims to make a positive impact on the whole cacao chain by making 100% organic and sustainable chocolate. As well as focussing on sustainability, Chocolatemakers is constantly looking to come up with new recipes, follow the latest trends, and expand their current markets.
How they became makers…
Founders Enver Loke and Rodney Nikkels started the business in 2011 purely out of the love of great chocolate. Rodney started out his career as a tropical farmer, working on projects in the coffee chain. Whilst working in cocoa and coffee producing countries, he realised the difficulty farmers face in earning a living wage, and decided to provide it or them himself. Together with Enver, they search the world for fine cocoa, dealing directly with cocoa farmers to ensure they get a fair deal – and you get the best possible quality!
Chocolatemakers’ Sourcing
Sourcing their cocoa from the Dominican Republic, Congo, Colombia, Sierra Leone, Brazil and Peru, Chocolatemakers are as passionate about ethics and sustainability as they are about the chocolate itself. In each country, they work with cooperatives or foundations directly, many of whom they already have a long-standing working relationship with. This is the case with the Norandino cooperative in Peru, where they have built a factory dedicated to the work of Chocolatemakers.
They use only organic ingredients, and work directly to improve the environment, helping with a mountain gorilla conservation project in Congo and transporting the beans for their Tres Hombres bar from the Dominican Republic on the beautiful sailing cargo ship of the same name.
The Tres Hombres connection to sustainable chocolate production is well known to small batch bean-to-bar chocolate lovers, as it’s the same ship the Grenada Chocolate Company use to transport their bars from the Caribbean to Europe in a solar-cooled cargo hold to keep it in perfect condition. The Tres Hombres sails by wind and doesn’t have an emergency motor on board, so they are dependent solely on the wind.
The peak harvest of cacao in most of these countries is between May and September, and the beans are mostly fermented in boxes and dried in sunlight using tables.
We think Chocolatemakers’ passion for both quality and environmental responsibility shines through in their chocolate, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.
Want to explore more makers of the world's best craft chocolate? Just start typing their name (or any letter) into the search box to discover them.
20° Nord 20° Sud
9th & Larkin
Åkesson’s
Amaro
Ara
Aroko
Askinosie
Auro Chocolate
AWKI
Baianí
Bare Bones
BeanCraft
Beaningful
Belvie
BOHO Chocolate
Bonnat
Butterfly
Cacaoken
Cacaosuyo
Carambole
Casa Cacao
Castronovo
Chapon
Choco Del Sol
Chococard
Chocokoo
Chocolarder
Chocolat Madagascar
Chocolate Tree
Chocolaterie A. Morin
Chocolaterie Robert
ChocoMe Atelier
Coco Caravan
Cocoa Retreat
Conexion
Contour Chocolate
Cuna de Piedra
Dandelion Chocolate
DesBarres
Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate
Dormouse Chocolates
Duffy’s Chocolate
Encuentro
ENRICHD
Erithaj Chocolat
Ethereal
Feitoria do Cacao
Firetree
Fjåk
Forever Cacao
Fossa
Foundry Chocolate
Franceschi
French Broad Chocolates
Fresco Chocolate
Friis Holm
Fruition
Fu Wan Chocolate
Georgia Ramon
Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Grenada Chocolate Company
Hasnaâ La Feverie
Heinde & Verre
Herencia Esmeraldas
Herufek
Höganäs
Hogarth
Ivee Promenade
Jordi’s Chocolate
Junglegold Bali
Kankel
Karuna
Krak Chocolade
Land
Latitude
LIM
Lucid Chocolatier
Luisa Abram
Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates
Lumineux
Manoa
Manufaktura Czekolady
Marana
Marou
Maüa
Mellow
Menakao
Mestico
Metiisto
MIA
Mike & Becky
Milz Chocolat
Minka
Mirzam
Misina Cokolada
MOKA
Mucho
Nadalina
Naive
NearyNogs
ÓBOLO
Ocelot
Oialla
Omnom
Original Beans
Palette de Bine
Parliament
Plaq
Pralus
PRIDI Cacaofevier
Puchero
Pump Street Chocolate
Pure Imagination
Qantu
Raaka
Raphio Chocolate
Reine Astrid
Ritual Chocolate
Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé
Ruket
Shattell
Sirene
Sisters A. Chocolate
Solomons Gold
Solstice
Soma
Standout Chocolate
Storm & Bille
Stranger
Svenska Kakaobolaget
Table
Taza Chocolate
TBROS
The Careless Collection
Theobroma Cacao
Tibito
Tobago Cocoa
Tosier
Utopick
Vinte Vinte
Willie’s Cacao
Zotter
