Our best ideas come from curiosity, connecting ingredients and processes in new ways.
New profiles of bean-to-bar chocolate being stone-ground.
The Chocolate Studio, since 2007
All of our creative choices grow out of the research we do and the many chocolate samples we make and compare.
The lab in the Studio is a place of focus and curiosity, where the raw materials are studied and developed. It is where early ideas take form, and the work ahead is planned.
Filtering tomato juice from the fresh tomatoes we grow.
The working space
The Studio gives us the room and the tools to experiment with ingredients, processes and methods.
For each new chocolate we usually develop new processes, or adjust the ones we have. Balancing creativity with production is a real part of the work.
Behind every MayHawk bar is a process the Chocolate Studio created to make it possible.
Researching the right roasting profile for our single-origin cocoa beans can make a big difference.
Unique profiles
Precision roasting, grinding and conching shape everything. The Studio perfects the single-origin profiles at the heart of our chocolate.
Understanding the science at every stage is fundamental to better chocolate. When we focus on that, we find it’s where the real gains are.
Fresh blueberries lacto-fermented in sea-salt, bringing little bursts of acidity, saltiness and sweetness.
Natural ingredients
We experiment with natural ingredients and preserving methods to find new ways of creating inclusions for our bars.
A large part of our work centres on natural ingredients. We add no artificial preservatives, working only with methods of preserving that have stood the test of time. So how do we make these ingredients better? How do we make them last?
We reimagine industry-standard methods and processes to find new ways of making better chocolate.
The ideas behind the Edition and Project bars are born in the Chocolate Studio.
A new point of view
The Chocolate Studio has always been a place where we look for a new perspective on established methods and processes.
New is not always better — this distinction matters to us. Anything new has to show a real improvement. Our Studio Edition and Projects Bars are closely linked to this research. Each limited edition batch is the result of experiments in how chocolate is made and how natural ingredients are prepared.
Growing the organic chilli plants we need for ingredients.
Growing ingredients
Many of the organic herbs, spices and botanicals used in our chocolate are grown in a greenhouse run by the Chocolate Studio.
Since 2012 our greenhouse has become a fully integrated part of our chocolate-making. Growing our own ingredients has taught us an entirely different set of skills.
We always look for new perspectives in the Chocolate Studio — to shape the ideas we explore next.
Chocolate in the moulds, means the end of the journey.
Realising our potential
Real progress often comes from finding the limits of a process or a new method, then finding practical ways past them.
The problems that come up in development are part of the work — and each one we overcome deepens our understanding.
Honey Spiced Fig & Whisky. Natural ingredients are explored in new ways.
Simplicity and delight
How can we make our chocolate better? The Chocolate Studio exists to explore that question — and it shapes everything we do.
We work by removing distractions — making a simple chocolate that feels honest, shaped by a deep understanding of the ingredients.
The Chocolate Studio
Every project in the Studio begins with an idea.
The Studio is where we develop the new ingredients and processes that future projects are built on. The decisions made here define the chocolate we make and the methods we refine — a place where curiosity, careful testing, and long thinking sit together.
We could make chocolate easier. We choose to make it better.
Where our values lead
The principles behind our chocolate don’t stop at our products. They run through where the cacao comes from, how we make it, and what we leave behind.