The Chocolate Lab
The Lab is a place for research and developing new processes, for us it opens a world of innovation and opportunity.
Our future plans nearly always come from building surprising connections between ideas and processes.
New profiles of bean-to-bar chocolate being stone-ground.
The Chocolate Lab, since 2007
All of our creative choices grow out of the research projects we do and the many chocolate samples we make and compare.
There is an intense focus and enthusiasm in the Lab, where the natural raw materials to make chocolate are studied. This is where fragile ideas turn into something compelling, with momentum, where future product goals are established and workflows are set out.
Filtering tomato juice from the fresh tomatoes we grow.
The working space
The Lab gives us the freedom and tools to explore and experiment with new ingredients, processes and methods.
For each new chocolate we normally have to develop new processes or adjust traditional methods. This means balancing our creativity with production methods is an important part of our work.
Behind every MayHawk chocolate bar, the Chocolate Lab created the essential processes that made 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 are incredibly important. The Lab perfects the single-origin profiles at the heart of our chocolate.
Understanding the science of chocolate making at every stage of the process is fundamental to making better chocolate. When we focus on the science, we often find this is where the magic happens.
Fresh blueberries lacto-fermented in Welsh sea-salt, bringing little bursts of acidity, saltiness and sweetness.
Natural ingredients
We experiment with natural ingredients and traditional methods to find new ways to create stunning inclusions for our chocolate bars.
A large part of our work centres on using natural ingredients. We don’t add any artificial preservatives, working only with traditional preserving techniques… So, what can we do to make these ingredients better? What can we do to make them last?
We reimagine traditional techniques and ingredients to reveal new ways of crafting remarkable chocolate.
The ideas behind the Edition and Project bars are born in the Chocolate Lab.
A new view of point
The Chocolate Lab has always been a place where we look for a new perspective on past methods and traditional processes.
New is not better. This is a distinction we take seriously. Our new has to be better. Our Studio Edition and Project Bars are directly linked to this research. Often each small-batch of these limited edition bars comes from experimenting with how chocolate is made or 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 Lab.
Since 2012 our greenhouse has become a fully integrated part of our chocolate-making process. Growing our own ingredients has built up an entirely different skill set and working practice.
We always look for new perspectives in the Chocolate Lab. To shape the next ideas we explore.
The ideas behind the Edition and Project bars are born in the Chocolate Lab.
Realising our potential
Our creative best often emerges from uncovering hidden constraints to new processes – and then finding innovative new ways to achieve our goals.
“It’s not what we expected.” Overcoming the problems that we face when turning ideas into reality is part of the process and furthers our understanding.
Honey Spiced Fig & Whisky. Natural ingredients are explored in new ways.
We focus on simplicity and delight
How can we make our chocolate better? The Chocolate Lab is where we answer that question, and where we get to see what the future looks like.
If we were to distil our primary creative priorities, it’s how we block out distractions and focus on simplicity and delight. Our aim is to keep our chocolate beautiful, natural, and full of surprises.
The Chocolate Lab
In the beginning there is always just an idea…
But ideas and creativity in the Lab don’t come from ‘nothing’ on a Monday morning, they come from embracing what you do know and exploring what you don’t know. It can also be a story of accidental discovery or collaboration. Success in the Lab is a blend of all these things and more.
Tailored to our needs, the Lab brings our team together and helps us discover new ingredients and processes that will form the foundations of future projects. Decisions made here define the chocolate we want to make. This is a place where spur-of-the-moment intuition guides us and long-term concepts continue to evolve.