Chocolate may be associated with Easter for many people, but for one Harrogate social enterprise it’s a year-round obsession.
Harrogate Chocolate Factory has been making its own chocolate “from bean to bar” for the last three years.
With new equipment being brought in, it will significantly increase its manufacturing capacity over the coming weeks. More bars will soon be available from its website and from local stockists including Crimple and Artizan.
CEO Hadyn Moorby-Davies said the way the project has developed has been rewarding:
“You have got to have some optimism to start projects like this, but it’s really satisfying seeing it now.”
After a delay thanks to covid, last summer Harrogate Chocolate Factory Cafe opened next to the Odeon cinema on East Parade. The last year has proven to be a successful one and now Harrogate Skills 4 Living Centre (HS4LC), the organisation behind the project, is looking to build on its growth by engaging with the business community.
The chocolate factory and café are staffed by people with learning difficulties. They were set up to provide a stepping stone to employment, providing real-world experience in a familiar and supported environment.
From there, students go on to placements with local companies, ranging from small businesses to large corporations. Among the list of places to have taken students so far are Labcorp, Rudding Park, the Army Foundation College and Ilk Homes at Flaxby.
Students and staff at Harrogate Chocolate Factory Cafe
Angie Russell, who runs several local businesses including Skye Blue Cleaners and Harrogate changeovers, has also taken on two students from HS4L. She said:
“We advertised for somebody to work in the laundry. Paul [from HS4L] said he had someone who might be interested.
“My initial reaction was ‘no, we can’t’. My perception was there would be to many problems with stairs and so on. He said, ‘can we come and have a chat?’.”
With some of her fears allayed, Angie took on a student for a couple of hours a week doing administrative tasks such as sending out letters. Now, she is working in the laundry, and Angie has taken on another student to join her housekeeping team.
The result has been a complete turnaround in Angie’s attitude to the programme, so much so that she’s now working with HS4LC to increase its engagement with the business community and provide more opportunities for students – and for businesses themselves.
“Having someone who comes in who doesn’t care if you have a Gucci handbag or who said what about who – it changes the atmosphere.
“The employers we work with have a genuine interest in the students. People get to realise there are far more benefits to employing that diverse workforce: it can just brighten up a room.”
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The training the students are receiving at the Harrogate Chocolate Factory and Café could be perfect for Harrogate hospitality businesses, which have reported significant problems recruiting since the covid pandemic began.
While many business owners are nervous about the practicalities of taking on an employee with learning difficulties, often, they are more risk-averse than is necessary.
Students are given a job coach who comes to work with them to begin with. That direct support remains in place for as long as is needed, whether it is a few months or throughout their employment.
However, in many cases, once they get to know the role, the students are confident to be left alone with their coach checking on them and their employer from time to time.
The chocolate factory itself has proven that students can adapt to, or even enjoy, some of the most mundane tasks.
Hadyn added:
“It’s really that routine with steps that is great for people with autism. We’ve got quite a few students who really love that routine.
“Often, the boring jobs that nobody wants to do, they like it because they can focus on it. That was quite satisfying to realise that initial idea worked.”
Now, as part of their plans for expansion, staff at HS4LC have launched Engage 22. The project is designed to put the interests and aspirations of students at the heart of the services on offer, from the training they receive to the social activities they can attend.
The charity’s home on North Park Road has been offering classes for many years, but the calendar of events is still expanding. Gym memberships, swimming sessions and cinema trips are all adding to the variety of art, craft, music, dance and drama lessons.
Angie said:
“They really aspire to working. They can see their friends and peers doing similar stuff and living independently.”
Hadyn added:
“Our purpose is to overcome inequality and help people do what they want to with their lives.”
