Take a tour at Bullion Chocolate in Sheffield and explore the cocoa bean process

Based in Kelham Island, their tours will take you through the world of the cocoa bean and everything needed to create the perfect bar. This starts from Bullion's passion to to discover and unlock the ‘hidden gold’ in cacao: the distinct flavour nuances – terroir - that beans from carefully selected farms can produce.

This tour will also give you the opportunity to sample chocolate. After your tasting session, you will be led to Bullion's café-bar and gift shop based in Cutlery Works, just a five-minute walk around the corner from the factory.

Here, they leave you to relax and enjoy a complimentary mug of delicious Ecuadorian drinking chocolate – or your choice of drink – completing your Bean-to-Bar tour and tasting experience.

Their 'bean to bar' method has eight steps which transforms coca beans into finished bars of chocolate. As well as making the product delicious and sweet, it distinguishes them from other companies and makes them unique.

The steps include: selecting specific beans and sorting them, roasting the beans to ensure they are safe to eat and breaking the beans. Then the beans enter a thorough grinding process before being, matured and then tempered. Lastly, the chocolates are carefully wrapped up and placed to go on sale.

Former Sheffield Hallam University student Max Scotford launched his business at the age of 23.

Max had to rapidly adapt his ‘bean to bar’ business when the Covid lockdown hit in March 2020, switching his focus from running a cafe at the Cutlery Works food hall and supplying three varieties of chocolate to retailers, to relying solely on online sales.

But Bullion survived and thrived in the toughest of times, with loyal customers still buying online, and the business evolved to sell everything from chocolate candles to cocoa nib liqueur and gifts.

Now Max has taken on the new larger space down the road in Neepsend and opened the new factory and tours last year.

Max said: "I came up with the idea for Bullion Chocolate six years ago. Following the footsteps of craft beer and craft coffee, I wanted to make quality chocolate.

“Now, we supply to retailers across the country and we have our own factory and cafe bar. In addition, we have a bakery which produces quality foods."

Explore the experiences and tours at www.bullionchocolate.com