Food & Drink: Prestat, the Quintessential British Chocolatier

Prestat/Esoko [São Tomé / Madagascar / Ghana]

[Image credits: left, Sao Tome; right, Madagascar Single Origin Chocolate Buttons – Prestat]

You’d have thought I’d have had my fill of chocolate over Christmas, and given I’m still making my way through the leftovers I now have my eye on some chocolate buttons, a particular favourite, I do like the way they melt in your mouth one drop at a time…makes them a very moreish treat. The targets currently in mind are some Single Origin Chocolate Buttons from Prestat, the quintessential London-based chocolatier whose confections I came across when I took a detour through Liberty of London’s Chocolate Shop, in search of a gift. The cocoa used to make the buttons come from; Madagascar, Ecuador and São Tomé.

I knew that São Tomé is situated off the West African coast, but I did not know that the country produces cocoa, and the tiny volcanic island is said to produce some of the world’s finest cocoa, which makes these buttons a treat and gorgeous packaging adds to the offering. Prestat’s branding is luxurious yet fun; and sees quirky and colourful packaging and shop outfittings in a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sort of way, calling to mind the eccentricity of Willy Wonka, whose creator, children’s author Roald Dahl was said to favour Prestat Truffles.  With a shop in London’s Piccadilly, Prestat has a heritage dating back over 100 years when founder Frenchman, Antoine Dufour saw a gap in the market to bring the skill of making quality chocolates to London and became an instant success. Today the business is owned by half brothers Nick Crean and Bill Keeling who are carrying on the tradition with the help of a team of talented chocolatiers. Prestat chocolates are handcrafted, filled, and wrapped in the same place to ensure that a high level of quality is achieved each and every time, and for over the 35 years, Prestat has had a Royal Warrant as purveyors of chocolate to the Queen. A Royal Warrant is a mark awarded in recognition of service, quality of produce, and outstanding value. 

Relating to the cocoa the company uses, Prestat is invested in fair trade initiatives and has been working with  Esoko, a pioneering Ghanian entrepreneurial IT company, on a system that can complement the strengths and overcome the weaknesses of the Fair Trade system. Esoko developed a powerful set of web and SMS tools designed to help farmers, governments and other business sectors track accurate prices for their produce and services during sale negotiations, and relies on the increasing availability of mobile technology throughout the African continent to help make international markets more transparent and efficient. The biggest drawback to the system is that farmers need the phones and network access to be able to use it, however, this is something Esoko and Prestat are helping to provide with the assistance of various organisations and currently sees 1000 farmers being sponsored in the initial stages. It is an ambitious programme, one that could bring great benefits not only to local farmers but to. If interested in finding out more do read the full explanation on Prestat’s website and visit Esoko’s website directly.

Additional details:
Chocolate Buttons priced at: £7.50
For further information about Prestat and to order online visit: www.prestat.co.uk
For further information about Esoko visit: www.esoko.com