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Scientists at the University of Reading have created the first chocolate bar made entirely from British ingredients in almost a century, with cocoa beans grown, harvested and processed in Berkshire.
The bar, produced to mark the university’s 100th anniversary, is only the second of its kind in history. For UK business travellers and the firms that host them, it is a timely reminder of how exposed the country’s £10.4bn chocolate market is to climate disruption overseas, with rising cocoa costs already filtering through to hotel minibars, conference catering and corporate gifts.
Until now, the only person ever to have eaten a chocolate bar made with 100 per cent British ingredients was the late Queen Elizabeth II. She was given one as a six-year-old in 1932 by the confectioner Rowntree’s, which created it from a glasshouse-grown cocoa plant at its headquarters in York.
From pod to bar without leaving Berkshire
Maha Khan, a master’s student at the university, harvested, fermented and processed the beans at Reading’s food department, using cocoa grown from plants in the institution’s own collection.
“It has been amazing to follow the entire chocolate-making process, from pod to bean to bar, without leaving Reading,” she said.
Khan described the finished chocolate as “delicious”, with a very rich flavour. “It’s incredible to taste the complexity of the flavour profiles as the cocoa is made from plants originating from over 300 varieties grown here. It was also really interesting to taste the raw cacao before it gets processed, the beans are coated in a white flesh that tastes like lychee and isn’t something many people in this country get to try.”
Why cocoa’s climate problem matters to UK firms
Britain makes some of the world’s best chocolate, yet the industry depends entirely on imported cocoa. High temperatures in growing regions have stunted plants in recent years, while extreme rainfall has drowned crops across Africa, pushing up prices for a commodity found in almost every hotel, airline lounge and meeting room. The government’s latest food security digest tracks the UK’s reliance on such imports.
The pressure on supply chains is one reason sustainability targets are intensifying among UK companies, and why producer nations are working to protect the crop, as seen at events such as the Grenada Chocolate Fest, which champions ethical cocoa production.
Reading holds more than 300 types of cocoa plant at its international cocoa quarantine centre, which handles 97 per cent of the world’s international movement of cocoa plants. The university hopes the bar will highlight the importance of preserving varieties that could withstand changing weather, pests and diseases.
“This British bar of chocolate highlights the precarious nature of our food supplies,” Khan said. “Cocoa plants are very sensitive to changes in temperature and rainfall, and climate change is already causing problems in countries that produce most of the world’s cocoa. Protecting different varieties is vital if farmers need hardier plants that can cope with a changing climate.
“I hope this shows people just how much work goes into the chocolate we enjoy, and how important it is to protect cocoa farmers and communities around the world.”
A bar fit for a future queen
Only six bars have been made so far, and with a single cocoa pod taking six months to grow, production will remain limited for now, although there are hopes to increase output depending on the availability of beans.
Khan hopes one bar will go to the Princess of Wales. “We haven’t decided yet who will get to eat the chocolate. As the last British chocolate made was eaten by the future queen in 1932, it would be fitting if the next bar was a gift to another future queen, the Princess of Wales, who, like the chocolate, was also born in Reading.”
