A new chocolate café will open on East Parade in Harrogate on Monday to help those with learning difficulties gain work experience.
Planning for the The Harrogate Chocolate Factory Café, which is run the by charity, Harrogate Skills 4 Learning Centre, has been underway since 2019 but opening was delayed due to covid.
The café has a barista bar and seating inside and outside. One of the first thing you’ll notice when entering the café is the colourful packaging design on the main pillar.
Fran Riley, the programme lead, told the Stray Ferret what the charity’s vision for the café is:
“The idea was that we would have a business where we could develop a process all of our young people could access. So making chocolate bars from bean to bar… while sourcing the beans as ethically as we could.”
The employees make a variety of handmade chocolate- all the chocolate is made with dairy alternatives so that “everyone can enjoy some”.
The chocolate is made from scratch in the charity’s main building nearby. It starts with roasting the cocoa beans in their kitchen and ends with pouring liquid chocolate in a moulding tray.
Kelsey Cuthbert, who works at the café, said it is a positive experience:
“I’ve grown from when I started trying to make coffees and stuff, and now I can do the job almost independently.”
A chocolate mixer in action at the café this week
The charity has described the café as a “social enterprise” giving its workers the skills for future employment.
Only 6% of people with learning disabilities have paid employment in the UK, according to the latest government figures.
The Harrogate Chocolate Factory Cafe also offers an outside seating area that is equipped to serve customers with disabilities.
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All details about the café’s opening can be found on their website here.
