Daaahhling, it's diviiiine!

I had an interview in store yesterday with the editor of Bahrain This Month – one of the biggies round here. We’re getting a full editorial in the next issue.


The editor asked me we want to come to Bahrain, and I told him we believe the Middle East market is ready for an innovative, contemporary, aspirational approach to chocolate, a move forward from the very traditional offering currently found here.


I reckon I managed to do a pretty thorough journey through all the brand values, differentiation of being a cocoa grower and chocolatier, and lots of focus on Less Sugar More Cocoa, which is definitely our main theme here.

Slipped in a bit of blond Criollo/hotel/manufactory for good measure and had some fun with the ‘molten chocolate on cool marble’ shape of our giant slabs.

Then we got tasting, and tried some of our own Rabot Estate dark chocolate, comparing it to some Ghanaian 85%, which amazed the magazine crew. I don’t think they’ve ever realised that different beans, roasts and cocoa solid levels can give completely different flavours. This gave me a good chance to explore the lameness of the ‘Belgian chocolate is best’ concept, and show that, when you really know what you’re talking about, ‘best’ is a matter of personal judgement and experience, and who better to help you explore the options? (I love being an HC ambassador – can you tell?)

I know a Fredrik just like you…. To my delight, a rather tasty Creative Director arrived to supervise the trainee photographer which was a real bonus and got us upgraded from half page to full page, because he was so excited about the look of the store. The Fredrik-alike was smitten, and I whipped out a catalogue to show him how we really do it, and even found myself mentioning Studio 54, at which he nodded gracefully. I could feel a kindred spirit there and he’s promised to make a good spread for us. "Dahhling, give me more soft focus."

He asked if I was the face of the brand and I said, yes, of course, splash me all over everything. Well, actually, I said Angus is the face of the brand, but it’s ok to use kindly images of me if you really have to, but really, please make the chocolate and the products the hero.

I soon will also be doing an interview with the leading Arabic women’s lifestyle magazine, so will be rehearsing my spiel on why it’s time to move on from big ornate urns full of foil-wrapped ordinariness if you’re really in with the in crowd these days.

Off to the pool now to catch a few rays. Something else to make me smile. Happy Friday.