Coco Collaborations

Coco Chocolate collaborations are a unique way for us to pair with people and companies we have admired to produce unique chocolates reflecting a taste, design, art, perfume or story in chocolate.
Chocolate is always the signature focus but our collaborations often change in the process taking twists and turns and becomes a taste and story of its own.
Many collaborations take place by us writing to those we respect highly in their industry and often would dream of working with them and are thrilled when it becomes a reality. After meetings and discussions of what makes them and us unique, we discuss how we can blend the two synergies to create a recipe that reflects the stories and pairings through the process.

Below are our most recent collaborations and further are extended writings on some of our favourite collaborations – Enjoy!

To discuss a colloboration with Coco Chocolate, please email Rebecca – [email protected]

THE SECRET GARDEN SERIES BY COCO CHOCOLATE IN COLLABORATION WITH WENDY WHITELEY Sydney Chocolatier, Coco Chocolate, partners with Wendy Whiteley to raise funds for Wendy’s Secret Garden, Lavender Bay

In a rare move from wife of renowned artist, the late Brett Whiteley, Wendy Whiteley has gifted the copyright for some of Brett’s most recognised artworks in a one-off collaboration with Sydney Chocolatier, Coco Chocolate, to raise funds for Wendy’s Secret Garden, Lavender bay with the launch of ‘The Secret Garden Series by Coco Chocolate’.

Wendy’s Secret Garden is a treasured landmark of Sydney, a special place to many – locals and visitors alike – to come and experience nature in all its beauty. It is also the place Wendy and Brett Whiteley called home when they moved to its neighbouring house in Lavender Bay in the 1970s, and where Brett painted many of his iconic Sydney Harbour pictures.

Following Brett’s death in 1992, Wendy threw herself into cleaning up the piles of overgrown rubbish on the large land filled valley of unused railway land at the foot of her house, this the space we now know as Wendy’s Garden.

The garden today is maintained by volunteers and spearheaded and funded by Wendy’s passion and commitment to keep it vibrant and flourishing for decades to come. With a desire to ensure the longevity of Wendy’s Secret Garden, the collaboration with Coco Chocolate campaign came about to raise funds for its ongoing maintenance.

From October 1, The Secret Garden Series by Coco Chocolate launches with a range of three delicious chocolate bars, designed to complement Brett Whiteley’s iconic Sydney paintings in support of the Wendy Whiteley Secret Garden Trust, with all profit raised from the sale of the chocolate bars being donated to the Trust.

The Secret Garden Series by Coco Chocolate comprises of three 70g, 100% Cocoa Butter artisan chocolate bars, hand tempered on marble and made here in Sydney:

  • Milk Chocolate with Lavender – Brett Whiteley’s The balcony 2, 1975
  • Dark Chocolate with Orange – Brett Whiteley’s Big orange (sunset,) 1974
  • White Chocolate with Hazelnut and Sea Salt – Brett Whiteley’s Self portrait in thestudio, 1976

On collaborating with Wendy, Rebecca Knights of Coco Chocolate who lives locally and frequents the garden with her children, said; “To create this collaboration with all profits going to support Wendy’s garden is a privilege and a joy.” 
In a message of thanks, Wendy reminds us: “nothing disappears faster than a garden, when it is not properly maintained. I’ve loved making the garden. It’s been a great gift to my life. It let me find myself again and it’s my gift to share with the public.”

 

 

 

 

DAVID JONES

When we were invited to present the Coco Chocolate range to David Jones in 2014 we were thrilled. Stocked nationwide, it was a wonderful way to grow our audience nationwide and being associated with such a respected luxury store. This then evolved to collaborating on David Jones own ranges for Christmas, Easter and the new foothills, delivering fresh chocolate to David Jones Bondi on a weekly basis and nationwide for seasonal specials

THE DALMORE

Producing a three chocolate gift box with The Dalmore signature stag head in silver cacao butter; Rebecca worked with the head distiller to capture the heady flavours of Aroma, Taste and Finish for the King Alexander 111

 

GIOVANNI PILU – PILU AT FRESHWATER

 

 

 

 

The Coco collaboration with Giovanni Pilu grew as the discussion flowed. Knowing we wanted to capture the taste of Sardina. We blended a series of oils, spices, almonds, bitter honey and coffee to create a unique range with packaging to reflect the stories of the sources of the ingredients (full brief below). The result was the Cortes Apertas series (Open Door)

CAMPOS COFFEE

We knew the blend of the Campos superior blend and our organic dark chocolate would be a taste sensation and were thrilled to meet Will and his team to not only collaborate but learn all about coffee. This collaboration started in the factory, seeing the full roasting process of the bean, to perfecting the grind for the texture we wanted in the bar. The finished result was a bar full of coffee aroma, taste and heady finish

 

HARVEY NICHOLS LONDON Honoured to have Coco Chocolate included in the Knightsbridge London Harvey Nichols foothill, we were thrilled to be given the opportunity to redesign the Harvey Nichols signature range of chocolate bars and drinking chocolate. Blended with a unique Ocumere chocolate base, we blended mixed berries, vanilla bean, hazelnuts, salted caramel, cranberries & spices to make a delicious range in milk, white and dark couverture

 

ART GALLERY NSW

Our first collaboration was with the fantastic Luxury Syndicate where we created edible chocolate eggs with edible art and a nod to Faberge eggs – such fun! Members finished their champagne then used their glasses for stands to carefully design the chocolate egg creation – what unexpected innovation! Coco Chocolate created the chocolates to the inaugural Archiball as edible tokens celebrating the evening

SARAH WILSON – I QUIT SUGAR

When Sarah first went on her quest for no sugar, we did not know what role as chocolatiers we would take. But with a lot of experimentation we learnt to work with 100% cacao mass with completely no sugar or no sweetener. We created the range of I Quit Sugar Easter bars and Easter Eggs which sold out completely. Since then the No Sugar No Sweetener bars by Coco Chocolate are our best online seller

VICTOR CHURCHILL WOOLLAHRA

Each Easter since 2015, we are thrilled to be asked to design the signature Victor Churchill range for their incredible store in Woollahra. To pair with the artisan meat terrines, Easter poultry and fowls we create Hot Cross Bun spiced eggs filled with quails eggs and olives (with the eggs being delicate praline and olives chocolate almonds).Each year the new Easter range is discussed carefully in the secret back room of the store and produced by hand with Churchills edible logo medallions. Bars infused with Rosemary, Cardamom and Spices

MAY GIBBS

Coco Chocolate is the Offical chocolate for the May Gibbs estate and the only chocolatier authorised to reproduce her beautiful artworks in cacao butter. Growing up with May Gibbs in our own childhood, it is an honour to create chocolates with such beautiful Australian artworks. Available in organic milk or dark chocolate and packaged in stunning keepsake May Gibbs boxes

TOM FORD PRIVATE BLEND FRAGRANCE – NOIR DE NOIR & TOBACCO VANILLE

Coco Chocolate was approached to match chocolates to the heady notes of Tom Ford’s Private Blend fragrances for the Harvey Nichols London launch. with the illustrious notes from the perfume it was an intricate match indeed! Noir de Noir creating elements of saffron, black rose, truffle and vanilla and Tobacco Vanille with oil of tobacco leaves, tonic beans and vanilla – full evening speech notes of Rebecca below (Chocolate & Fragrance)

 

 

NOTES

CORTES APERTAS

The Cortes Apertas (Open Doors) series was designed by Giovanni Pilu of Pilu at Freshwater and Rebecca Kerswell of Coco Chocolate. All Domori Coverture is Conched in Italy and Hand Tempered on Marble. The recipes and artworks reflect the stories told by Giovanni to Rebecca about the landscape and flavours of Sardinia. During the Sardinian Cortes Apertas festival; artisans open their homes to celebrate their work in food, wine and the arts. For Giovanni at Pilu, it is important that you are greeted with Welcome and for Rebecca at Coco, we bid you farewell with Enjoy. Therefore; Cortes Apertas – Welcome and Enjoythe sweetest of culinary journeys. A celebration of rosemary, orange, sage, coffee, spices, honey, almonds, dates Domori chocolate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHOCOLATE AND FRAGRANCE TOM FORD & COCO CHOCOLATE PRIVATE BLEND

NOIR DE NOIR
A dark Chypre Oriental, this scent opens with an earthy mantle of richly woven Saffron, Black Rose and Black Truffle, with hints of floralcy. Underneath, Vanilla, Patchouli, Oud Wood and Tree Moss soften the intensity, making the scent a sensual experience.
TOBACCO VANILLE
A modern take on an old world men’s club. A smooth Oriental, TOBACCO VANILLE opens immediately with opulent essences of Tobacco Leaf and aromatic spice notes. The heart unfolds with creamy Tonka Bean, Tobacco Flower, Vanilla and Cocoa, and finishes with A Dry Fruit Accord, enriched with Sweet Wood Sap.
Chocolate and Fragrance have so many wonderful similarities we at Coco are thrilled to be able to be a part of a project that for the launch is a marriage of the two.
Both chocolate and fragrance are heaven to the senses and are a joy to the soul. Both entice us and are our tools for those we want to entice. The wonderful scent of both fragrance and chocolate with nuances of such as ginger, tobacco, vanilla, rose and saffron allows us to play with our individual identity. The contrasting and intriguing flavours and scent of chocolate and perfume are the reason for their irresistible allure and perfect matching.
Both chocolate and fragrance are products of luxury. We either savour them or use a little every day to ready ourselves for what lies ahead or take us away to where we would rather be! Both are wonderfully self indulgent – the most desirable chocolate to be savoured and opulent fragrance adorned is best to seduce yourself! Just as a dusting of cocoa powder perfects a sweet, so does a spray of perfume perfect oneself. Ones choice of chocolate and perfume are telling!
Both fragrance and chocolate are sensual and seductive, used as capturing themes of enchanting stories.As in the novel Perfume, The Story of a Murder, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille illustrates perfumes emotional meaning. It is the ultimate portrayal that the fragrance you chose adds to your individual story of identity.
In Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate; the character Tita is only able to express her passions and feelings through her cooking, which causes the people who taste it to experience what she feels. Foods and imperatively chocolate are object, metaphor, and a means of expressing a range of human emotions.
And of course we can all imagine Vivienne (Chocolat) sensually enticing Johnny Depp with her signature scent and bowl full of bittersweet, rich melted chocolate!
Both fragrance and chocolate contain a chemistry set of effects on our biology. Theirpreparation, and the reactions—both physical and psychological– of the people who consume them are memorable. Pheromones are volatile chemical compounds in perfume. They act as chemical signals between individuals influencing physiology and behaviour in a manner similar to hormones. In chocolate the naturally occurring high of phenyl ethylamine increases serotonin levels in the brain inducing euphoria and energy.
Chocolate and fragrance also have a strong history of literally being combined together, including Estee Lauder.
Estée Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude is an oriental fragrance based on amber and resins, including chocolate absolute. Much more than a new take on the classical Youth Dew, Youth Dew Amber Nude explores the novel direction of a gourmand theme—dark and mysterious, rather than sweet and pretty. Radiant and weightless, despite its dusky character, Youth Dew Amber Nude is a stunning beauty.”
Both perfume and chocolate have been savoured for thousands of years and both have rich and intriguing histories. Perfume is thousands of years old – the word “perfume” comes from the Latin per fume “through smoke”. One of the oldest uses of perfumes comes form the burning of incense and aromatic herbs used in religious services, often the aromatic gums, frankincense and myrrh, gathered from trees. The Egyptians were the first to incorporate perfume into their culture followed by the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans. The earliest use of perfume bottles is Egyptian and dates to around 1000 BC. The earliest record of chocolate was over fifteen hundred years ago in the Central American rain forests. Created as a drink by the Mayans and Aztecs and regarded chocolate as an aphrodisiac.
Chocolate’s reputation as an Aphrodisiac is exemplified by the Aztec emperor, Montezuma who drank fifty golden goblets of chocolatea day to enhance his sexual prowess . When chocolate was discovered by the Spanish Conquistadors and introduced to Europe by Cortez, it was natural that the Spanish, and eventually, the rest of the world, continued to associate it with love. Perfume has also been used as an aphrodisiac from ancient times using aromas for bringing to attention to oneself. The name Aphrodisiac takes its roots from the name of the Greek goddess of beauty Aphrodite. According to legend, she had a wonderful belt, which shed a magic aroma, with the help of which she could tempt not only man but also god.
Finally with our fragrance and chocolate exploration, I hope you enjoy the heady combination of Tom Ford’s private blend fragrances and Coco Chocolate’s complimenting chocolates – the dark finale for two ever intriguing elements of luxury – fragrance and chocolate.

Rebecca Kerswell