First task of the morning?

Before my commute from Surrey to bustling Holborn, London, I like to prepare a mighty mocha in my eco cup using one of our delicious crafted hot chocolates, my favourite is our Ecuador Dark 70% as it’s intensely deep and full bodied. I choose full fat diary milk for the ultimate taste, but I also love to drink this paired with barista oat milk which makes this hot choc completely vegan. Cocoa Canopy are the only UK brand to craft chocolate beads in our very own chocolate factory, based in Essex. Our hot chocolates only contains a few simple ingredients and gives me a mood boost to kickstart my day. On the train I’ll have a quick check of emails and our team Slack before a short walk across the Thames, taking in the sights of the city

And just like that, it's mid-morning already...

Working for a challenger brand in my role comes with a lot of variation. A few years ago I career changed from corporate fashion. As a chocoholic and the dream to work in food and drink this is the perfect match. The experience and insights gained from starting out in our UK factory and working my way up has enabled me to support the team during this exciting period of growth. We have gained new grocery listings in Waitrose and Ocado, which I’m super proud to manage and plan exciting activities across the year to grow our brand awareness. Late morning I’ll have a small bowl of granola and sprinkle a few of our Milk & Dark 47% chocolate beads on top to take me through to lunch. Yes the secret is out, you can eat them too.

It's lunch time!

Lunch is sitting with the team, enjoying a big plate of leftover organic pasta from the night before, and having a good chat. I’ll pop out for a 20 minute walk to get some fresh air ready for the afternoon. Being in the heart of London, I’m surrounded by an abundance of food and drink businesses. Cocoa Canopy is a multi-channelled brand, with growing online, grocery, coffee shop and food service presence, so being commercially aware is important to my role.  I keep an eye out for anything that inspires me in the market such as trends, branding or a clever ad campaign to share with the team.

Afternoon pick-me up?

Being surrounded by chocolate is a dream come true, so it’s a balance of willpower and temptation. I love the versatility of our chocolate, it can be enjoyed not only hot, but iced too, which makes Cocoa Canopy appealing to be listed or served all year round. Last year I featured in our online how to make video guides, to show how simple it is to make and help our customers discover the many ways to enjoy our drinks at home. We’ve seen the journey tea and coffee have been on, and now it’s time for drinking chocolate. I’ll spend my afternoon following up with buyers, planning store visits and booking us into trade and consumer shows for the year ahead. We’ll be back exhibiting at Speciality in September for our third year and we can’t wait. Working in the food and drink sector is a rollercoaster, but there is nothing that beats the rewarding feeling of shaping and growing a brand that you truly believe in.

It's time to wind down!

Before making my way home, I have a quick check of customer reviews or social comments from our growing super fan base – it is so lovely to read the joy we bring to chocolate bead lovers. On the train I catch up with a foodie podcast such as Hungry, which is a great listen. Relaxing is going for a quick swim, and cooking a tasty chicken and vegetable stir fry to feed my soy sauce addiction. I’ll catch up with friends, all of which are hooked on our chocolate, but no more hot chocolate for me unless the Baileys is out...