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.
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