We can’t believe it’s February already! We are really excited to share our first Harrogate Chocolate Factory blog post with you all!
We thought we would start by introducing ourselves…
The Harrogate Chocolate Factory is a social enterprise that is run by HS4LC, a local Harrogate charity that builds the bridge to employment and independence for young adults with learning disabilities and autism. Our trainees create luxurious chocolate from bean to bar, ready to be sold in and around Harrogate.
We are a local Harrogate enterprise, hoping to build relationships with other local businesses to empower the community and raise awareness that our trainees are capable of anything. From roasting to moulding to wrapping, our trainees learn and deliver the step by step process of chocolate making.
Since opening, we have already achieved our aim to support young adults with learning disabilities and autism to gain more confidence and skills they need to accomplish paid employment. With partnerships with large companies such as Ilke Homes, employment is possible for our trainees. They gain learning experience of machinery in Harrogate Chocolate Factory and can convert these skills into other manufacturing work. Not only this, but our trainees also obtain knowledge of food hygiene and health and safety in the workplace, which they can transfer to other industries.
With regular meetings with other businesses, the trainees also gain vital social skills and understand why building professional relationships is important. For example, two of our learners; Sarah and Laura, have recently attended a business meeting with Crimple in Harrogate, and by using their fun-loving attitudes and knowledge of the chocolate, helped achieve a new partnership with Crimple, who are now going to be stocking and selling our chocolate!
With our future regular blogs and social media posts we will be sharing with you some of our trainees achievements, plenty of chocolate making stories and the different products we could be launching.
Watch this space for more updates on new merchandise and exciting news about our business.
P.S… if you fancy tasting some of our delicious chocolate you can purchase some online here or why not visit our Harrogate Chocolate Factory Cafe!