#32: Hotel Chocolat: British Luxury Chocolatier with Peter Harris (Co-Founder)

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Hotel Chocolat is a British Chocolatier and Cocoa Grower and has grown into one of the UK’s most advocated brands. Based on originality, authenticity and ethics the company operates online for delivered chocolates and from over 120 UK shops and employs over 1800 people. Turnover is now over £160m. It grows some of its own cocoa on its Rabot Estate in Saint Lucia and has opened The Rabot Hotel, a boutique hotel and restaurant there for people to taste Cacao Cuisine and enjoy the awesome beauty of the location in this World Heritage site. The unique Project Chocolat visitor experience there opened recently. Hotel Chocolat is expanding internationally and has opened thirty locations in Japan. The Chocolate Tasting Club was started in 1999 and won acclaim with its unique method of growth funding – The Chocolate Bond. The company continues to invest in its factory in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire where over 250 million chocolates are made on the 8 acre site. Hotel Chocolat was listed on the London Stock Exchange on AIM in 2016. Hotel Chocolat is the only company in the UK to grow cocoa on its own farm.

Peter has been able to balance fast organic growth with good profitability and has enabled the business to be listed on the Sunday Times / Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 on three occasions including the No 1 position.

He has worked as a business mentor for The Prince’s Trust and has helped several businesses establish themselves. He has presented to the MBA groups at Cambridge University as well as CUE (Cambridge University Entrepreneurs) on several occasions.

He won the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 with his co-founder.

In his early days, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Binder Hamlyn in London, Peter was an early member of the Cambridge high-tech community. He co-founded Torch Computers in 1981 and was a director until the company was sold in 1987. Although he has a financial background he has always been passionate about customers, the sales and the development of the business. At Hotel Chocolat, he was Finance Director for the first 24 years. He now focuses on the growth and development of the business in both the UK and overseas.

Listen in to find out more about Hotel Chocolat, co-founder relationships, Peter’s previous ventures and how Hotel Chocolat has grown to be the UK’s “most advocated brand” .

Find out more about Hotel Chocolat via: website, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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