Cocoa Mountain is a small gourmet chocolate enterprise situated in Durness in the North West Highlands of Scotland.

History

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The company was founded in 2006 by James Findlay and his civil partner Paul Maden.[1] Maden reportedly tested around 100 truffle recipes before a final 25 were launched.[2][3] The company were awarded a Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Award for food tourism in 2009. They appeared on the Dragons' Den TV programme in 2015, where they failed to attract investment.[1]

By 2019, they had two cafes in Sutherland – one in Balnakeil, Durness and the other in Dornoch – and a factory in Perth .[4]

Cocoa Mountain uses exotic truffle flavours in its chocolates and produces its own hot chocolate served on the premises in the Cocoa Mountain Chocolate Bar.[5] Where possible, the company stated that they use local and ethically sourced ingredients.[6]

The company turned down a prospective large order from Prince Charles, due to a condition that the company add preservatives to a truffle recipe. A US Senator and Middle Eastern tycoons had reportedly been customers.[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b McKenzie, Steven. "Dragons' Den 'humiliation' boosted chocolate firm's orders". BBC News 8 December 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Rich and famous flock to chocolate mountain". Herald Scotland. 27 September 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Cocoa Mountain to open factory in Brora 'within weeks'". Northern Times. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  4. ^ Craven, Shona (5 April 2019). "Made in Scotland: The chocolatiers behind Cocoa Mountain". The National. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. ^ Channel 4 Food - Food shows, recipes, tips and top chefs - Channel4 - 4Food
  6. ^ "Cocoa Mountain | Top Stories | the five thirty show | STV.tv Programmes". Archived from the original on 20 October 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
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