Chocolate from Devon. Willie’s Cacao

Depending on your point of view, Willie Harcourt-Cooze is one of those slightly crazy or visionary stubborn people who have made it their business to get the best out of a particular product with perseverance and enthusiasm - in his case, the cocoa bean. Cultivation on the plantations takes place without pesticides, fertilizers or other chemical aids, and irrigation is carried out with water from the surrounding area. After harvesting, the cocoa fruit is dried and fermented on site before being shipped to Devon. There, Harcourt-Cooze carefully roasts the beans on an old plant dating back to the 1920s - proving that it's not modern technology but craftsmanship that counts. The cocoa is conched for three days; unlike cocoa powder, the valuable cocoa butter remains completely contained.