Hogarth Chocolate
Indulge in the exquisite flavors of Hogarth Chocolate, where each artisan-crafted bar reflects their dedication to quality and invites you to relish the artistry in every bite.
Hogarth Chocolate's Story and Philosophy
The Founder:
Karl started a life at sea at the age of 16 where he transitioned straight out of school to fishing. Working his way up the ranks he became a skipper of his own trawler by 26, often taking 3 week voyages out into the Pacific, 4 days “steaming” away from the nearest land, or down to the Auckland Islands deep in the Southern Ocean, working in atrocious sea conditions with nowhere to shelter. After 20 years of battling the oceans he hung up his sea boots to take a course of study, gaining a business degree in 2007.
Shortly after university he embarked on a long overdue OE which took him through Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and continued through Mexico, South and Central America. During this trip he had two life changing experiences, he met (soon to be wife) Marina in Buenos Aires and he “discovered” cacao in Guatemala. With both he thought…where have you been all my life?…and why haven’t we met before?
Trying real cacao for the first time got Karl thinking about how chocolate is made and where it comes from. He started to investigate and soon found how to make chocolate at home. After some time, Hogarth was born, and now produces globally-recognized chocolate.
Hogarth Chocolate's Bean-To-Bar Process
Crafting Excellence
Hogarth craft chocolate is born out of a passion for chocolate, craftsmanship & art. Using the highest quality cacao beans from around the world, Hogarth creates small batch, award-winning chocolate. Their small factory is located in Nelson, New Zealand where they sort, roast, crush and classify, winnow, grind and conche, age, melt, temper, mold, and wrap all by hand.
The process uses minimal ingredients and is focused on preserving the natural flavors within the cacao to create a chocolate with a true cacao flavor which is typically lost in industrialized processing. Together with Ana Aceves of Sugarcube Studios, Hogarth developed a chocolate bar and packaging design which illustrates Karl’s journey from sailor to chocolate maker, and the voyage the cacao takes to reach their distant pacific island.
1. SORT
Hogarth hand sorts every batch to ensure only the best beans make it into their chocolate. They discard broken, moldy and germinated beans, plus any other foreign matter such as small pebbles or sticks which may have made it into the sack.
2. ROAST
Hogarth roasts batches of 10-15kg in their modified coffee roaster according to a roast profile they have developed for that particular bean. They roast to tame acidity, develop chocolate flavor, evaporate moisture and puff the husk away from the bean center to allow easier winnowing.
3. CRUSH AND CLASSIFY
To successfully winnow (remove the husk) the bean needs to be broken apart and the pieces sorted into different fractions according to size. Hogarth does this in a their home-built classifying machine that vibrates the pieces through a series of sieves.
4. WINNOW
Winnowing is the process for separating the husk from the bean’s interior, which is known as the nib. Hogarth uses a system they have built themselves where the light husk is pulled up an airstream to be removed while the heavier nib falls to the bottom of the machine for collection.
5. GRIND AND CONCH
The goal is to grind the nibs and sugar until Hogarth reaches their desired texture and the cacao’s inherent acids left over from the fermentation have been released (conched), being careful not to over grind or over conch.
6. AGE
Once the grinding/conching process is complete, the chocolate is poured out into blocks, wrapped and stored for a minimum of 1 month. Aging allows the remaining acidity in the chocolate to mellow, and it is a vital and unique step in Hogarth’s chocolate making.
7. MELT, TEMPER & MOULD
The aged chocolate is re-melted and tempered. Tempering is a complicated process of heating and cooling where Hogarth forces the chocolate to set in the correct crystal structure that will give the best shine, the loudest snap and longest shelf life. The tempered chocolate is deposited into each of their custom moulds.
7. HAND WRAP
Once taken from the molds, each bar is sealed in a gold foil pouch, then enclosed in one of Hogarth’s beautiful & colorful envelopes, all by hand.
Distinctive Flavor Profiles
High Quality Cocoa
Exotic Origins
Hogarth Chocolate brings out the unique flavor of each cocoa origin, all designed to celebrate the richness of cacao and offer a truly memorable tasting experience.
Unique Flavors
Hogarth uses local flavors from the vast landscapes of New Zealand to encapsulate unique inclusions into their chocolate.
What Their Customers Say
“Great chocolates & service. Packaging is beautifully done and would be perfect for gifting.”
– HY
January 2021
“The Hogarth chocolate is insanely good. The hazelnut one is to die for! Beautifully packaged, and even more beautiful to eat!!”
– SM
January 2021
“I’ve eaten a lot of chocolate in my time and these guys are up there with the best in the world. They are true to their craft, creating amazing flavour concepts and tasty single origins. More please!”
– TC
January 2023
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