The Chocolate Bar
The Chocolate Bar was founded in 2015 but it has been operating as an non separate business since 2009, based within Taurus Crafts, Lydney. In 2008, Mark and Maren moved to the Forest Of Dean and their manager asked them to make chocolate in January 2009, leading to their first chocolates going on sale on the 14th February 2009. The fine chocolates are made by hand and the chocolate caramel pecan praline was their first recipe which was created in 2018. The Chocolate Bar LTD have won many awards from 2018 right up to the 2023/24 season for their cake and chocolate products.
To make the fine chocolates, base chocolate is melted down and fitted into moulds. The fillings are then made form scratch, the ganache being made from locally sourced butter and inverted sugar syrup and chocolate moulds are taken from Denmark. The products which are made depend on day to day and the demand which is wanted at the time of production. Chocolate is now deemed more expensive because the cost of chocolate and the materials being needed to create it increasing by 100% in price in 2024 and it is estimated to increase a further 13% on the 1st May 2025 due to crop failures, increasing fuel costs and inflation.
The Chocolate Bar LTD believes that buying locally is significant to both the local community and the customer, no other chocolatier makes and does every part of the process manually without the help of machinery. Everything is handmade, from the shells down to the filling and the decorations. They believe that the second people stop supporting local businesses, larger chains will have more control over the food market and the quality of food and if people buy locally, the food is better quality and more money is fed back into the local community. In addition, Maren is a firm believer that buying locally will reduce your carbon footprint as the food miles will decrease significantly as less food is being transported from larger distances.
