The Cocoabean Company in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, hosts chocolate making classes for all ages and has many attractions catering particularly to families and small children. Indoor and outdoor play areas featuring mazes, giant dinosaurs, pirate ships, climbing frames, slides, gold-panning, and soft play areas will be popular for children. The attraction also has a cafe, space for weddings and other events, and a space for different chocolate classes that cater to adults and children of all ages and abilities.
The company started in 2005 by Claire Beck who had a passion for melting and making chocolates and a vision to create the company. At the time, chocolate workshops were popular, and she started to conduct them from her family home. In 2010, the company moved into its current purpose-built site with a cafe and play areas. It also makes the chocolate that it sells in its shop at a factory at the location. The chocolate is sold to retailers in the UK, and the quality is more important than producing quantity.
The adult chocolate-making workshop lasts 45 minutes, and adults will create three chocolate items using different types and colours of chocolate, flavours, and toppings for decoration.
The first was to use the type of chocolate (milk or white) for the main flavour in a mould, and visitors could choose one of the following items: car, wrapped candy piece, bunny, or pig. Using the other type of chocolate, the detail was drawn on using piping sticks. I selected the car, but then traded it for the candy piece as the bloke wanted the car.
The second chocolate piece was a slab with half of it white chocolate and the other half of it milk chocolate. We were asked what colours we wanted, and I selected green and orange. Green was created using yellow and blue, and it had to be mixed in the chocolate, which was quickly beginning to dry. The bloke chose red. We were then asked for the flavours from a selection, and I selected rose. It was dropped on top of the chocolate in certain areas but had already started to dry, and the colours got more messy. The bloke choose a lime flavour. We could then decorate with other colours and pieces of sweets and toppings provided. The main issue was that the chocolate dried so quickly, but I managed to create a slab that looked a little bit like a garden, and I think the bloke was inspired to create something similar with candy pieces.
The last chocolate was a lollipop. I selected milk chocolate, and the bloke selected white chocolate. You started by pouring out a cup of chocolate and then sticking and covering the stick in the chocolate. Mine started to overlap the paper. We were then given different colours to decorate with and could use the toppings.
Our creations looked nice when they were completed, though a couple of them did not survive the journey home. The car had a small crack in it. The chocolate was still tasty, though.
The mascot for the chocolate factory hangs out at the entrance, overlooking the hills in Dumfriens and Galloway.
I also purchased a few chocolates at the shop. They sell individual chocolates, slabs, hot chocolate, gift sets, and chocolate numbers decorated with colourful toppings.
I had a lot of fun making these chocolates, and judging by how noisy it was here, the families and children were having a great time too.
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