Our Chocolate

Cocoa Bothy chocolate is handmade in the Highlands using carefully selected Belgian couverture chocolate, quality fillings and flavours chosen for comfort, nostalgia and a little bit of drama.

We are not bean-to-bar chocolatiers. Instead, we work with high-quality couverture chocolate, then temper, mould, fill, cap, wrap and box everything by hand in our standalone kitchen in Tomatin.

It is proper chocolate with a Highland heartbeat.

Why couverture chocolate?

Couverture is the kind of chocolate used by chocolatiers for its higher cocoa butter content, beautiful melt, glossy finish and clean snap.

When handled well, it gives filled bars and bonbons that lovely polished look, smooth mouthfeel and satisfying bite.

That matters to us. A Cocoa Bothy bar should feel generous, glossy and properly made. No sad little square of chocolate pretending it has somewhere better to be.

The chocolate we choose

Our main milk chocolate has been with us from day one. It is creamy, rounded and gently caramelly, with enough cocoa depth to hold its own against bold fillings.

Our white chocolate is smooth, milky and vanilla-led, making it ideal for flavours like White Lemon Posset, White Biscoff and White Raspberry Ganache.

Our dark chocolate is Belgian, rich and around 60% cocoa, giving a deeper, more grown-up flavour for bars such as Dark Berry Ganache and Dark Ginger Truffle.

We also work with Gold caramel chocolate for flavours like Gold Salted Caramel, and Ruby chocolate when we want something naturally fruity, bright and a little unexpected.

We are always sampling and tasting new chocolates, but consistency matters. The milk and white chocolate that helped build Cocoa Bothy have stayed at the heart of what we do.

Pure, traditional style

Cocoa Bothy chocolates are kept deliberately pure in style.

We do not use coloured cocoa butter decoration. We prefer the classic look of traditional Belgian-style chocolate: glossy shells, generous fills, simple finishes and gold foil for a little theatre.

It feels more us.

Less glitter cannon. More beautiful chocolate, properly wrapped.

Our flavour style

Our flavours are nostalgic, playful and premium.

We look back at childhood favourites, dessert counters, brilliant cakes, seasonal ingredients and the sort of flavours people actually get excited about eating.

Some flavours are smooth and elegant. Some are chunky and joyful. Some are inspired by the honesty and ruggedness of the Highland landscape.

The Highlands are not fussy. They are wild, bold and full of texture. That spirit runs through our chocolate too.

Favourite flavours have included:

Isle of Skye Sea Salt
Smooth Pistachio
Cornflakes & Milk
Mint Crisp
Rich Caramel
Chocolate Orange
White Lemon Posset
White Biscoff
White Raspberry Ganache
Gold Salted Caramel
Dark Berry Ganache
Dark Ginger Truffle

Weekly drops

Cocoa Bothy is built around limited weekly releases.

Production takes place each week in Tomatin, with online drops released on Sundays and fresh stock made for the Steeple shop opening days.

That rhythm keeps the chocolate exciting, seasonal and full of movement. One week might be summer berries, the next might be something cosy, caramelised and autumnal.

The only real rule is that it has to taste brilliant.

Hall of Fame flavours

At Cocoa Bothy at The Steeple, customers can leave flavour suggestions in our chocolate suggestion box.

The best ideas may become future Hall of Fame bars, released seasonally and available exclusively in store.

So yes, technically the public can influence the chocolate.

A dangerous but delicious democracy.