News Release

Monday, 19 August 2013

Chocolate Factory in Full Force in Wobbly Wellington

Despite a few shaky days in the capital, the Pop-Up Chocolate Factory continues to buzz, keeping thousands of people happy and high on endorphins.

More than four thousand people have visited the make shift factory over the past ten days, including the capital’s Mayor Celia Wade Brown, and the recent quakes have done little to stop Wellingtonians from getting their hands on chocolate.

“Friday afternoon slowed down quite a bit as people left the city after the 6.6 quake but already on Saturday it was all back on”, says the factory’s Manager Frank Stoltenberg.

“There were families and groups of friends all over the waterfront and it was pleasing to hear from so many that they were happy the factory was still open as some of the city’s events had to be postponed or cancelled.

“Closing isn’t an option for us. We just have to keep going and make tens of thousands of chocolates before 6 September in time for the New Zealand Chocolate Festival”, says Stoltenberg.

Hundreds of kilos of chocolate are being melted, tempered and shaped inside the Pop-Up Chocolate Factory and the chocolates destined for the festival are being made by chocolatiers in full view of the public.

Visitors to the factory get to enjoy samples of the sweet stuff and can also have a go at making their own chocolates under the watchful eye of master chocolatier Jiri Havlik and guidance from WelTec’s culinary staff.

“Everyone loves chocolate but few understand how to work with it”, says Havlik from Bohemein Fresh Chocolates.

“It’s been great seeing so many people make their own chocolate truffles and start to gain an insight into what it takes to deal with what is at times a very tricky and demanding ingredient.

“Tempering or preparing melted chocolate for production takes years of experience to master but most visitors get the hang of how to shape and coat their truffles pretty quickly. The problem comes though when they need to fight temptation and hang onto them long enough to take them home”, says Havlik.

The Pop-Up Chocolate Factory, which is free to the public, operates on Queens Wharf under the sails until Sunday 25 August. To visit the factory, go to chocolatefestival.co.nz to find out more.

Photo credit Jun Tanlayco - Copyright New Zealand Chocolate Festival

ENDS

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