Homemade chocolate booms thanks to household chefs

Although Joe Wicks played a crucial role during the seemingly endless COVID-19 lockdown, perhaps chocolate had a far greater significance. Rather than making you sweaty, smelly and achy, chocolate has the wonderful passion to make people happy, relaxed and pampered.

Maybe it should come as no great surprise then that throughout the enduring months of the peak of the pandemic people tried their hand at manufacturing their own chocolate creations. This ranged from small, independent companies to individuals toiling away at home in their kitchens.

Data collected for the first time by desktop factory Mayku looked into the effects that COVID-19 has had on the confectionery sector, revealing that the nationwide lockdown actually coincided with a rise in the production of original, artisan chocolates. Although the quaint and usually busy local markets that frequently appear in town centres and specialise in selling handcrafted goods were all suspended to contain the virus, the reality of so many people shopping online could have provided an opportunity for manufacturers to showcase their wares to a wide audience.

Indeed, the confectionery industry would appear to have contrasted with the overall gloomy economic picture by achieving continued growth. Mondelez International – the owner of Cadbury – has calculated that the UK confectionery industry is worth £5.3 billion (although, probably half of that is funded by me).

The research also concluded that fifteen percent of chocolate hobbyists have now started making personal goodies at home; in fact, twelve percent have been so enriched by the cocoa experience that they have actually committed to developing their own businesses – a bold and ambitious move given the pessimistic financial forecasts. These revelations are directly linked to an apparent dissatisfaction with mass-produced confectionery treats.

Obviously, establishing a business is not going to be everyone’s first choice of expressing their devotion to chocolate (how do they stop themselves eating all their stock?) However, the survey additionally identified that over one million UK residents would be willing to invest £2,000 into confectionery firms.

Thanks to such a strong belief in chocolate and confectionery production, the worldwide industry is expected to be worth £183 billion by 2022. Right, now I just need some eggs, a whisk and a lorry load of luck.

Have you been tasting artisan chocolates?