Meet the maker
Cocoa Retreat
About Cocoa Retreat
Taking time out, having a moment of mindfulness and enjoying chocolate with consideration is the ethos behind Cocoa Retreat. A one-women company, founded and run by Oenone Thomas in 2021, who prioritises the quality and taste of cacao, whilst working to protect the fragile environment in which the cacao is grown.
Oenone relies on her incredible tasting palette and sense of smell to produce the perfect recipe for her bars. With each new batch of beans, she carries out the same experiment, breathing in the aromas whilsts she roasts until she can identify the volatiles seeping into the air. This precision roasting is what gives her bars their wonderful unique profiles and incredible depth.
Getting the chance to chat to people at her local farmers market and to introduce them to the world of craft chocolate is part of why Oenone loves making her chocolate – she says “I get a real thrill from taking people who have never experienced craft chocolate on a bean to bar tasting journey. There are so many wonderful cocoa origins to enjoy!”.
How they became makers…
In her first career, Oenone trained and worked as a journalist before moving on to become a child and adolescent counsellor. Behind the scenes, she has always had a love for chocolate – initially, this was a hobby for finding new and wonderful chocolate and a joy for eating it. Slowly, she developed the knowhow for producing small batch chocolate and has since been perfecting her craft.
Cocoa Retreat’s Sourcing
Transparency is at the very forefront of Cocoa Retreat’s mission – Oenone only sources beans from cooperatives which pay farmers a living wage in return for their cacao crops. Protecting the environment and reducing wastage as much as possible is also central to Oenone. In keeping with this, she has developed minimalist packaging for her chocolates, a simple recyclable and compostable film wrapper, which also symbolises the transparency which she aims to uphold with her bars – being clear about where her beans are sourced from.
Additionally, the majority of her inclusion ingredients are locally sourced, using Kentish cobnuts to produce her notoriously irresistible Gianduja bar and walnuts to add to her amazing dark milk chocolate.
An Interview with Cocoa Retreat
We had the pleasure of chatting with Oenone about her craft chocolate journey, covering everything from the alchemy of chocolate making to where she forages her ingredients. Please click below to listen to our conversation.
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
Amedei
AMMA
Ara
Askinosie
Auro Chocolate
AWKI
Aztec Gold
Baianí
Bare Bones
Bean & Goose
BeanCraft
Belmont Estate
Belvie
BOHO Chocolate
Bonnat
Bullion
Butterfly
Cacaoken
Cacaosuyo
Carambole
Casa Cacao
Castronovo
Chapon
Chequessett Chocolate
Choco Del Sol
Chococard
Chocokoo
Chocolarder
Chocolat Madagascar
Chocolate Tree
Chocolatemakers
Chocolaterie A. Morin
Chocolaterie Robert
ChocoMe Atelier
Claudio Corallo
Cocama
Coco Caravan
Conexion
Contour Chocolate
Cuna de Piedra
Damson
Dandelion Chocolate
DesBarres
Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate
Diogo Vaz
Doble & Bignall
Domori
Dormouse Chocolates
Duffy’s Chocolate
Encuentro
Endorfin
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
Hoja Verde
Idilio Origins
Innato
Islands Chocolate
Ivee Promenade
JK Fine Chocolates
Jordi’s Chocolate
Junglegold Bali
Kankel
Karuna
Krak Chocolade
Krakakoa
La Naya
Land
Lapa-Lapa
Latitude
Levy
LIM
Lucocoa
Luisa Abram
Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates
Lumineux
Lyra
Madécasse
Malagos Chocolate
Manoa
Manufaktura Czekolady
Marana
Marou
Mast Brothers
Maüa
Mellow
Menakao
Mestico
Metiisto
MIA
Michel Cluizel
Mike & Becky
Milz Chocolat
Minka
Mirzam
Misina Cokolada
MOKA
Montecristi
Mucho
Nadalina
Naive
NearyNogs
ÓBOLO
Ocelot
Oialla
Omnom
Original Beans
Pacari
Pacha de Cacao
Palette de Bine
Parliament
Pitch Dark
Plaq
Pralus
PRIDI Cacaofevier
Puchero
Pump Street Chocolate
Pure Imagination
Qantu
Raaka
Radek’s Chocolate
Raphio Chocolate
Reine Astrid
Rio Nuevo
Ritual Chocolate
Rococo
Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé
Ruket
Seaforth Chocolate Co.
Shattell
Sirene
Sisters A. Chocolate
Soklet
Solkiki
Solomons Gold
Solstice
Soma
SPAGnVOLA
Standout Chocolate
Storm & Bille
Stranger
Svenska Kakaobolaget
Table
Taucherli
Taza Chocolate
TBROS
TCHO
The Careless Collection
The Smooth Chocolator
Theobroma Cacao
Tibito
Tobago Cocoa
Tosier
Undone Chocolate
Utopick
Vinte Vinte
Willie’s Cacao
Zotter
