37. Cocoba

Founder: Darren Litton
Founded: November 2013
Website: www.cocobachocolate.com

From chartered accountancy to chocolate is an unusual career trajectory; but after struggling to find the kind of “real chocolate” his grandfather made for him as a boy growing up in Australia and missing Sydney’s thriving café culture, Darren Litton decided to combine the two and launch a chocolate café and retail brand.

Last year’s number 89, Cocoba sells a range of different Belgian chocolate and savoury products, including 28 different kinds of chocolate bar, real chocolate hot chocolate, artisan coffee, paninis, pastries and soups from its flagship store in Bluewater shopping centre. The brand also retails more than 130 different products in other stores such as Selfridges, Harrods, farm shops, delis and via its own website.

Currently, the café arm of the business receives thousands of customers and is having to turn away wholesale customers due to lack of storage and production capacity. The next year will see Cocoba open an industrial unit for producing and packaging to help meet this demand, as well as the launch of a chocolate subscription box service and a second store. This 18 strong-team is putting real chocolate back on the menu, and with demand soaring, expect to hear a lot more of them in the coming months.