The Inspiration Behind Kakawa
Why choose us?
Our Food Hygiene Rating
Hygienic food handling - Very Good
Hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage
Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building - Very Good
Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene
Management of food safety - Very Good
System or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.
Our Mission
To always provide high quality, top notch products, delivering first class customer satisfaction and phenomenal results, but without charging the earth. Ensuring the highest possible standards when it comes to hygiene, health & safety, and of course environmental impact.
Our Chocolate & Suppliers
Our suppliers are committed members of the initiative on Sustainable Cocoa, thus contributing to the initiative’s joint efforts towards improving the livelihood of cocoa farmers and increasing the proportion of certified sustainable cocoa. Waste (such as noise, dust, sewage and smell) are reduced in compliance with current requirements and released into the environment after undergoing bundling and neutralisation.
CEO, Chocolatier, business man and founder of Kakawa by day - socialist, nature lover and foodie by night.
I’m passionate about creating something new, more than just ordinary - most of all, making it taste great and having fun with it!
I feel a recipe is only a theme, a tune which anyone can play, but add some inspiration each time with a different variation!
My weekends mainly consist of winding down the busy week with leisurely strolls through the countryside of Kent, culinary creations, and socialising with everyone whenever I get the chance!I pride myself on having accomplished, (and smashed!) many of the goals I have set myself, continuously setting the bar higher for myself, and always striving to achieve more!
I leave no stone unturned and have worked (very!) hard to get where I am today - Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it’s still standing, loud and proud for everyone to see!
Many people say dreams do not become your reality, but I say, you can sure as hell work your hardest to prove them wrong - I did, and I'd never look back - onwards and upwards is my motto, build your plan, stick to it and the world can be yours!
The Story
Since I was a child, (and after watching many, many episodes of The Apprentice and being so inspired by how Lord Sugar achieved all he has in business) all I dreamt about was having my very own business within the food sector and more recently, surpassing the chain brands both in being a leading brand in the chocolate world, but most importantly, in taste!
After being in the food industry for quite some time (19 years to be exact!), one evening, Something just clicked, suddenly realising that this was my time, my chance and immediately I needed to address my dreams, after maintaining others for so long - it was then that I decided to make a go of it.
I made a start with a very small number of slabs (3 flavours), and very quickly word spread about this ‘new chocolate’ being ‘the best I’ve ever tasted’
As the interest in my chocolate and my story continued to grow, so did the ideas and the range of products.It was then that I realised, without a doubt, that I could in fact not only make my dreams come true, but surpass all expectations in the process!
Now, fast forward to 2022, a good few years of hard work and patience, we now offer in excess of 200 handmade chocolate products within our collections, a selection of which we were fortunate enough to showcase in one of the high streets top tier retailers in the lead up to Christmas 2021!
Driving me to continue to grow, and achieve my ultimate goal of being one of the industry leaders within the UK independent chocolate market.
With all this in mind, I want to also show, particularly young entrepreneurs, that your dreams are worth chasing!
You can start your very own business from your kitchen table, with nothing more than a pen and paper - and in my case, chocolate!
Believe in yourself, to believe in a better future.
John Jeffery 'JJ'
Founder Kakawa Artisan Chocolate & Co Ltd