Overview
Wellington's tastiest laneway, Eva Street, will become a chocoholic's paradise this July as some of New Zealand's best craft producers join forces for the first-ever Chocstock festival. Presented by the folks from Wellington Chocolate Factory and bean-to-bar retailer The Chocolate Bar, the one-day festival will be the spot to devour everything from chocolate beer and pizza to one-off desserts.
Chocstock aims to shine a light on New Zealand's blossoming craft chocolate industry. Tasting craft chocolate is often described more like the experience of tasting craft beer or fine wine, with a plethora of flavours possible thanks to cocoa bean varieties and techniques. The organisers hope to shine a light on the entire chocolate-making process, from bean to bar, to educate people about why this matters and help them understand their purchasing.
Craft chocolate creators already on board include Baron Hasselfhoff's, Lucid Chocolatier, Ocho, Foundry Chocolate, Shirl & Moss, Raglan Chocolate, Flint Chocolate and Wellington Chocolate Factory.
The event on Saturday, July 3, 2021, will be presented as eight one-hour sessions where ticket holders can meet the makers and taste and learn about craft chocolate. All attendees will receive a complimentary bar of chocolate.
Surrounding local businesses have also jumped on board and will be serving a chocolate menu item across the weekend. Hop between Pomodoro for chocolate pizza, Golding's Free Dive for chocolate-infused beer, and Shepherd for a one-off craft chocolate and cocoa nibs dessert.
Elsewhere, Luke from The Chocolate Bar and Jack from Hanging Ditch will explore some of the world's finest whisky and bean-to-bar craft chocolate, and a beer and chocolate tasting session will pair brews from Fortune Favours with WCF's award-winning creations.
The first-ever Chocstock festival is set to take place on Saturday, July 3 throughout Eva Street, Wellington. Tickets go on sale Monday, May 24. For more information, visit wcf.co.nz/chocstock.
Image: Wellington Chocolate Factory.