THE battle between milk, dark and white chocolate has long divided friends and family but one shop has popped up in Canowindra which opens a whole new can of worms.
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At Matt Brewster and Ross Hipwell’s Coco Harvest, settling on the chocolate type is just the start of your worries. The real choice lies in its form - in a bar, a jar or an individual treat – and its accompaniments – smoked macadamias, marshmallow or honeycomb (to name a few).
The two chocoholics opened their store in November to showcase the best artisan chocolate and confectionery in the country.
“The artisan chocolate scene in regional NSW is happening at a micro level but in the cities it’s absolutely booming. We’re bringing the best products from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to the Central West,” Matt said.
They place their orders with their artisans at the start of each week. The chocolate is then handmade and packed in time to be sold at Coco Harvest on the weekend.
“The chocolate in our stores is only ever a few days old. Just this week I had to wait while the artisans at Whisk and Pin, in Leura, finished their batch before I could take it home,” he said
Matt said their suppliers all had a compelling story to match their products.
“They’re an incredibly passionate group of people.”
To coincide with Orange Wine Festival in mid-October Coco Harvest will be offering a range of chocolates which pair with different wines.
Coco Harvest lives in a small shopfront on Canowindra’s main street. Built in 1915, the shop, 31 Gaskill Street, had previously been home to a solicitors firm, a real estate agent and video shop. Now, it’s got a whole new lease on life.
“It was such a beautiful building in a beautiful town we thought we would buy it and hold onto it. After much thought we finally decided to use it to offer boutique chocolates to the Central West,” he said.
The duo chipped away at renovations for a decade before opening their business, Coco Harvest, last November.
“The locals were intrigued because there would be flurries of work but then nothing for weeks.”
“It was a labour of love,” Ross said.
The pair had never owned a retail shop before nor had they been in business together. Previously based in Lithgow, Matt worked in economic development and Ross, a former dairy farmer, worked in training and assessment.
“On our opening morning two very nervous guys pulled open the doors. That day I’m sure we had nearly every resident in town come in to have a sticky beak! Our business now is made up of locals, travelers en route to or from Canberra and tourists visiting the Central West.”