As the new owner of renowned Edinburgh based chocolatier, Coco Chocolate, the only “fire” that ex-firefighter Calum Haggerty will now encounter on a daily basis will be from the chilli in his chocolate products!
He is about to take the company, which has been a stalwart with foodies from all over Edinburgh and the Lothians for the past ten years, in a new direction.
Coco Chocolate’s popular range contains not just perennially popular chocolate and chilli but Great Taste 2014 award winning combinations such as Gin & Tonic (One Star) and Rose & Black Pepper tablet bars (Two Stars), a range of best selling truffles, and Edinburgh’s favourite Hot Chocolate.
Calum, who is originally from Inverness, said: “I had been a firefighter for eight years with Lothian & Borders Fire Service, now The Scottish Fire & Rescue Service but I decided to have a complete career change in 2013 when I left the service, looking for a new challenge in the world of business. I took over Coco Chocolate in 2013,” he said.
“I have always been a huge chocolate fan and a supporter of local produce. The more I’m learning about the production and history of chocolate, the more passionate I am about the quality product that we are lucky enough to produce and sell.”
Calum added: “I am thoroughly enjoying my change of career – Coco Chocolate is a business with huge potential and we have just embarked on a rebranding exercise to repackage our products, a new look website with an online shop to match and a refit of our flagship Bruntsfield Place shop at a large cost .”
“We are going through a five year plan to expand to Aberdeen and Glasgow, develop our new school and our wholesale business. We have been working with Busies Gateway to develop the business.”
Calum explained that Coco Chocolate’s new look is the work of Edinburgh based Nevis Design who have undertaken all of the rebranding for the firm, including the website.
“I wanted to work with a firm which specialises in food and drink brands and I am very pleased with the look they have come up with. The striking black and white art deco style lettering fits with the characteristics that Coco Chocolate is known and loved for, but gives us a fresh, modern edge,” said Calum.
“We have a very loyal customer base so I wanted something that was likely to appeal to them but would also attract new customers too, especially with 2015 being the Year of Scottish Food & Drink. I think that artisan producers like us are particularly well placed to benefit from the increased attention that special themed years like this generate, said Calum, who also has a shop on Broughton Street and plans to open a new Chocolate School next year at Summerhall in Edinburgh.
“At the moment we have our own Chocolate Kitchen at our headquarters in Summerhall and we hold Artisan Chocolate Making Classes and workshops here but there is huge potential to widen this strand of our business out. We estimate that the new branding and refit will generate an extra Ł40k a year in turnover.“
Calum Haggerty finished by saying that an online shop was key to Coco Chocolate moving forward as Edinburgh is a huge tourist and foodie destination.
“We want to successfully attract repeat custom from all over the UK and overseas. Our current range fits with this, effectively offering the very best of Scotland on a plate with products such as our Haggis Spices Chocolate, and those where we have teamed up with other Scottish based artisan producers such as Artisan Roast, Pickering’s Gin and The Dalmore Scotch Whisky.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
