One of the biggest changes has been the rise of craft chocolate. When Leissle became education director for the festival in 2010, she knew maybe a dozen craft chocolate makers to invite. But it was in the 2000s when craft chocolate making began to take off with figures now showing 120 chocolate makers in the country, many of them craft chocolatiers such as Hogarth Craft Chocolate in Nelson, Honest Chocolat in Matakana, The Remarkables Chocolate Co. in Auckland and Dunedin's very own Ocho. In 2017 New Zealand got its very own Chocolate Awards and last year New Zealand Chocolate Week in October was launched. But this surge in craft chocolate makers and stories can also create confusion at the grocery store.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 16, 2019 15:22 UTC