Charlotte
I am a forester by training and experience, and having worked overseas for a number of years, drifted into Perthshire about 15 years ago, and now live on the south side of Loch Tay.
I worked from home for a number of years on anti-poverty work, and when that came to an end, needed to find a new direction although I had no desire to commute far to work. My foraging habit of nibbling my way round the beautiful landscape we live in, combined with an introduction to the most exquisite world of fresh fine chocolates through Pierre Marcolini chocolates, sparked a business idea – could our own wild flavours work with chocolate? Has anyone tried this? It seemed not, and so after some training and loads of practice, the business was established in 2007.
What we do
fresh thinking for chocolates
Charlotte Flower Chocolates are a unique product, hand-made on the southern shore of Loch Tay, in Highland Perthshire. We are continually inspired by the extensive palette of the natural flavours available in the stunning landscape around us and we love the alchemy of bringing those together with wonderful fine chocolates from around the world.
Most of our flavours are picked from the wild, processed immediately in our home-based workshop so that flavours are still at their best, which enables us to follow the seasonal changes through the year. In addition to foraged flavours we use products created by other Scottish food producers, such as lovely Glen Lyon Coffee and locally made Dewars whisky.
We believe in valuing everything that enables those flavours to be available to us – from valueing the labour, skills and aspirations of cocoa farmers themselves, to ensuring that we don’t over pick our precious wild resources, to only using the freshest ingredients to get the most natural flavour.
Visit us
If you happen to be in glorious Highland Perthshire, do pop along to see us if you can. Ring to check that we are in, and you can combine a visit to us with a walk around the stunning Acharn Falls.