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Possessing the Cadbury’s name could have struck fear into James Cadbury, the great-great-grandson of the chocolatier, but he’s ready for the challenge with a confectionery business of his own – Love Cocoa.
Possessing the Cadbury’s name could have struck fear into James Cadbury, the great-great-grandson of the chocolatier, but he’s ready for the challenge with a confectionery business of his own – Love Cocoa.
Entering the chocolate business isn’t something that’s been done for the sake of it, however. Indeed, James Cadbury is well aware the pressure of being associated with the Cadbury’s legacy, which is why Love Cocoa has an entirely different business model.
In his own words, Cadbury called his brand an online gifting and subscription service. Sure, that means you won’t stroll into your local corner shop for a bite when you have a sugar rush, but that’s because Love Cocoa is designed with quality in mind, the type that should be savoured and not wolfed down at a moment’s notice.
A box of bars can be ordered online for occasions, such as birthdays, or alternatively chocolate lovers can take out a subscription to receive a Love Cocoa through their letterbox on a regular basis – think Graze or Bloom & Wild.
Cadbury recalled the inspiration for Love Cocoa, which coincided with his mother’s birthday. “My mum loves chocolate, but for her birthday last year I couldn’t really find anything appropriate. I looked around at various brands, but they all took three days plus to deliver and all had to be signed for, so she’d have to go and collect it if she was out it,” he said.
“In the end I went to a really nice chocolate shop and put the box in a jiffy bag with a card, which she really really liked. There wasn’t anything simpler out there, so it gave me the idea to sell something different around chocolate. It’s worked for Bloom & Wild with flowers.”
Prior to this point though, Cadbury, 31, hadn’t experienced any desire to move into the chocolate business and follow the Cadbury’s name. In fact, his career has, until now, been based in finance.
“My parents are both lawyers and they never really encouraged me to be an entrepreneur. They always pushed me towards nice steady job, which is why I ended up in finance. I did enjoy my time doing it, but it didn’t inspire me,” he admitted.
Find out how Cadbury responded to our quick-fire Black Cab Entrepreneur questions in the video below:
