How did The Chocolate and Coffee Show come about?
My wife Jill and I are experienced event organisers, having created and run a number of motorsport based events, including what has become Australasia's biggest automotive show - the CRC Speedshow, which is held annually at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland. We sold the show 18 months ago, and have been looking for another opportunity.
Years ago, having seen how successful the Salon du Chocolat in Paris and New York had become, we decided to look into the possibility of a New Zealand-based chocolate show. However we felt the chocolate business in this country was not then developed enough to support a show, so the idea was shelved.
Now, with a large number of boutique chocolatiers in New Zealand, and an upsurge in the consumption of chocolate, we felt the time was right to launch the show. However the public interest in chocolate is still not at the level of countries such as France and Belgium, where chocolate shops are a common sight in most large towns and cities. For this reason we looked for another growth industry in the food sector that would be a good fit with chocolate, and coffee is the obvious choice. Kiwis have a keen interest in coffee drinking, and I believe that we produce some of the best coffee I have tasted anywhere in the world.
What are some of the trends you're seeing among chocolatiers?