A direct descendent of Cadbury’s founder is opening his own luxury chocolate shop near Oxford Street in the run-up to Christmas, as part of Westminster City Council’s ‘Meanwhile On’ project, supported by Places for London.
James Cadbury is the great-great-great grandson of John Cadbury who opened his first shop selling tea, coffee and drinking chocolate 200 years ago in Birmingham.
Now, James is throwing open the doors of his first Love Cocoa store to the droves of Christmas shoppers on South Molton Street.
Four generations on, James is selling delicious, high-quality chocolate produced in an ethical and sustainable way. As a registered B-corp, the company is on a mission to provide real change within the chocolate industry.
And with a nod to his ancestor’s original fare, hot chocolate will take pride of place on the store’s menu.
Love Cocoa will stock a full range of the brand’s bars, luxury chocolate boxes filled with uniquely flavoured truffles, hot chocolates and biscuits. Ice cream will also be on offer, alongside beautiful gifting hampers and chocolate letterbox gifts.
The store is part of Westminster City Council’s Meanwhile Onproject, set up to provide innovative brands with access to high-profile retail spaces. The project gives brands significant relief on business rates, budget for store design, and end-to-end support from project delivery partner Someday Studios.
It is offered at reduced rent, thanks to support from landlord Places for London – The TfL Property Company. James was one of the businesses chosen out of over 800 to set up shop in Westminster.
Other brands to open their doors as part of the Meanwhile On campaign include clothes rental platform By Rotation, sneaker artist CANVVS, premium knitwear label Hades, ethical jewellery brand YSSO and skincare members club Beauty Pie.
This will be the first store opening for chocolatier Cadbury, who has followed in his family footsteps by trading in chocolate products.
Forging his own path in the chocolate industry has not been easy, despite his world-famous family heritage – as Quakers, the family profits were ploughed back into philanthropic acts, leaving each subsequent generation to fend for and support themselves in business. But this hasn’t held Cadbury back in his dreams of opening an ethical sustainable business in the world of chocolate, a dream soon to become reality, when the store opens its doors to the public for the first time in the coming weeks.
Designed by the award-winning team at Formroom, the store will be part chocolate cafe part retail store. Promising to sell ‘climate friendly chocolate’ in an ethical and sustainable way, Love Cocoa will stock a luxury selection of single-origin, sustainably sourced chocolates, crafted from the world’s finest cacao, beautifully presented in eco-friendly, plastic-free packaging.
James Cadbury said “The inspiration behind Love Cocoa comes from my great-great-great grandfather John Cadbury, who was a philanthropist and anti-slavery campaigner. Like him, I want to build my company on great ethical grounds. His focus was looking after his workforce and improving civil rights, and it is these same ethical values that remain at the heart of our company today.
“I could not have done this without the support and guidance of Westminster City Council and Places for London, who have made it possible for me to set up shop in the heart of central London. Something I could never have even dreamt of achieving myself. I will be forever grateful.”
Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development at Westminster City Council said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer brands a space in a prime West End location that would otherwise be vacant.
“The Meanwhile On project aims to bring innovative businesses to the heart of the West End, activating empty units and improving shopping experiences for visitors, office workers and residents alike.
“Love Cocoa is driving change in the chocolate industry, and we are pleased to be able to give a platform to a business that has sustainability at the heart of it.”
As a B-Corp, Love Cocoa is part of a global movement on a mission to transform the economy to benefit all people, communities and the planet. We look forward to seeing it and all other participating businesses going from strength to strength”
Becky Jones, co-founder of Someday Studios, shares: “The Meanwhile On project was created to give future retail superstars access to incredible spaces. Love Cocoa impressed us with their modern approach to chocolate retail as a B Corp, combining sustainability, ethical production, and a remarkable family legacy. We’re proud to support their first store launch in the heart of London—hopefully the first of many!”
Laura Fernie, head of commercial offices at Places for London, said: “We are delighted to be able to support Love Cocoa, an exciting new tenant for our portfolio, sitting under one of our prime Mayfair offices, and a great addition to Oxford Street. Our estate stretches across London and is home to more than 1,500 businesses, 95 per cent of which are small to medium sized enterprises. By taking up the opportunity to be on the world-famous street, we hope to see Love Cocoa go from strength to strength and will be with them every step of the way.”
