Firetree, a new super-premium chocolate brand, founded in 2017 by industry veterans David Zulman and Martyn O’Dare, has announced a new range of single estate range of chocolates sourced from small island plantations in the South Asian Pacific and Madagascar.
The company also announced it had recently secured £1.2m ($1.6m) of new investment funding from The British Business Bank (BBB), Foresight Group and Independent Growth of Finance (IGF) to increase the capacity of its craft production facility in order to meet increasing orders.
According to Firetree, the terroirs in South Asian Pacific and Madagascar produce cocoa beans with natural flavours that change, merge, and linger on the palate. “The cocoa beans are of the very best quality and create smooth, rich chocolate, which is also dairy free and vegan-friendly.”
The company says it works closely and directly with all their farmers to ensure best, sustainable agricultural practice rather than buying through agents, and they take social responsibility seriously ensuring that the farmers are paid a premium necessary to support their families and invest in their business.
Firetree’s craft manufacturing process is designed to enhance, develop and bend the taste; this includes fermentation, the drying process in the tropical sun, whole bean roasting in the shell to lock in the flavour, and slow conching, it stated.
Due to the founders’ wealth of chocolate knowledge and passion, they said their ambition is to create depth to the tasting experience by educating their audience, building their knowledge and appreciation of chocolate. They are committed to producing first-class tasting chocolate with the best flavours and aromas on the market, as well as bringing a sense of wonder and discovery back into chocolate
CEO David Zulman said: “Firetree is extremely grateful for the support we have received both from our existing shareholders and for the investment commitment that British Business Bank, Foresight and Independent Growth Finance have made to enable us to deliver our vision. The investment will be used to extend our distribution amongst the UKs leading premium retailers and top chocolatiers, build distribution overseas and provide us with the resources to build an exciting new super- premium consumer brand.”