We’ve got some bittersweet news to share with you ? After much thought, we’ve made the tough decision to close Lucocoa. It’s been an incredible and amazing 9 years ?? We have been on the hunt for investment for the last few years but have always hit a brick wall; this in an ever-increasing landscape which has made running a business like ours increasingly difficult. We came through COVID-19 and battled through Brexit, which meant importing ingredients became difficult and expensive. With machines like ours that need to be on for at least three days straight to make the chocolate, the bills con ..read more

I was on Times Radio with Matt Chorley . A great discussion about politics, history and economics of chocolate, finishing with a tasting of our chocolate bars ..read more

On Sunday, March 31st, we returned to the Sunday Brunch set. It was Easter weekend, and I wanted to highlight chocolate made from the Haitian cocoa bean, as Haiti has some of the most incredible cocoa. During our segment on Sunday Brunch, we spoke about what a bean to bar chocolate maker is and how we work with cocoa beans to showcase their best favour profiles. I highlighted our Lucocoa 50% Milk bar, Dormouse Chocolate’s 52% milk bar and Land Chocolate’s 50% Dominican Republic Oat milk bar. The tasting panel included Gyles Brandreth, John Robins, Anita Rani, Gaby Roslin, Sheyi Cole and Kid Ka ..read more

I was part of an interesting panel discussion about Milk with the Wellcome Collection in May. It was accompanied by an exhibition titled ‘Milk’, and it was truly an incredible experience ✨ The exhibition explores our collective and individual relationships with milk and its historical narrative of being a pillar of ‘nutrition and “good health” in the UK’. - Wellcome Collection The panel discussion was about how milk transformed tea, coffee and chocolate into three of the most widely consumed products in the world. The speakers included myself, Halima Begum and Jonathan Morris, and was facilit ..read more

On Sunday, July 2nd, we were featured on Sunday Brunch. It was just before World Chocolate Day, and I wanted to highlight chocolate made from the Haitian cocoa bean, as Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world but produces some of the most incredible cocoa. During our segment on Sunday Brunch, we dug deep into what bean to bar chocolate is and why we need to do more than talk about Fairtrade. We need a sustainable and transparent cocoa supply chain to ensure we have chocolate for years to come. I highlighted our Lucocoa 60% Haiti bar, Table Chocolate’s 61% Dark milk bar and Tosier Ch ..read more

The British Library turns 50 and in celebration of this significant milestone, the British Library has featured some stories from their Library users. And I was one of them ? This is one library card that really doesn't owe us anything. I spent, and still do spend, time in the British Library Business and intellectual property room, understanding the chocolate industry and working out our strategy. You can read more of my story here?? Dreaming Up a Chocolate Factory in the Business & IP Centre When Amarachi Clarke started her chocolate-making business, Lucocoa, she found information and s ..read more

Lucocoa x The Macallan workshop day We had the privilege to host a whole-day workshop for The Macallan Whisky as part of a series - Masters of their Craft. The day saw us draw out the details of each step of the chocolate-making process and compare the precise process The Macallan goes through. Everyone got stuck in on every step of the process, from bean to bar and finishing the day making Lucocoa x The Macallan whiskey truffles ..read more

"The aim of the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren't enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action." - IWD So, let's talk about it. Equal opportunities aren't enough. Period.  We need to do more to foster true inclusion and belonging by advocating for and developing inclusive and equitable action.  The term "equity" refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality. Equality means providing the same to everyone. At first glance, this sounds good ..read more

Here is a rundown of our trip to Belize, visiting the incredible farmers who grow the cocoa beans for our award-winning 73% Belize bar ? ? We promise it will be more informative than being held at a friend's or relative's house with a never-ending slideshow of their holiday photos. We'll share more insight into why every bar you buy REALLY does make an impact. First, a little background on Maya Mountain Cacao, it was founded in 2010 and, since then, has put Belize on the map. They have pioneered a unique and central fermentation method, which means farmers don’t have to worry about this crit ..read more

On Friday, Oct 21, Amarachi headed to the ITV set to make our famous Gluten-Free Brownies with Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary! Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary began the segment singing to Amarachi ? And when it was time to taste the brownies Alison, the Queen of Brownies, gave them a thumbs up! ? Catch the reply here ..read more