Jonathon Barnes & Justine Gray
Founders of Rose Chocolates
Interview by: Holly Houlton / Photography by: Mauyah Johnson
When two talents in the fields of baking and healthcare come together, with a passion for food and indulgence, what could be more fitting than to establish a luxury chocolate brand with self-care attributes?
Jonathon, you’re an acclaimed pastry chef and Justine, the content creator of Rose Chocolates as well as a paediatric nurse, what made you decide to create this brand?
Both of us are on a journey of eating more mindfully, chocolate can boost your mood and we use art on our chocolate to enhance feelings in our customers’ experience. With Justine taking further studies in mental health, her love for art, and Jonathon training as a chocolatier, we combined all our interests to create Rose Chocolates with the aim of making handmade and beautifully crafted treats.
Customers can personalise orders (design and shape, to theme and flavours) this must be a popular feature, but what inspired you to offer this?
Everyone has their own preferences, unique taste buds and desire of experience. A taste of luxury is our slogan because we believe it’s measured by asking: ‘What is luxury to you?’ As self-care and self-treating are solely about oneself, we want our customers to be able to choose which chocolates they enjoy indulging in or gifting someone.
The decorations on your products are beautiful, how do you balance keeping the designs aesthetically pleasing and making mouths water?
This is all about using distinct colours, designs and techniques, to make them shine; hopefully enhancing their desirability. The process for creating our chocolate art is another form of communication and expression; such as the African collection with animal prints and a sunset to represent the beauty of Black culture.
What motivated you to branch out into offering an events service, and how do you find those orders differ from the regular consumer?
Our customers. Although we always wanted to provide bespoke designs to suit any occasion. Our larger orders, for 250+ chocolates, tend to be personalised for a specific event. Whereas our regular orders may want to try a bit of everything and order a range in two boxes.
What would you say your ultimate goal is and where do you see yourselves in five years?
Our goals are to sell in shops and at events, gain a bigger customer audience, have our own cacao farm abroad with Black workers and sustainably give back to Black communities abroad in schools, healthcare, homes and with food. Our five-year goal is to have our own shop or pop-up, showcasing our range.
Finally do you have hopes or ideas of change for the luxury chocolate industry?
Yes we do. There is a massive increase in people using chocolate - not just for eating but also in cosmetics, drinks and more. Workers are not being paid well, children are being deprived of basic needs and families from a safe home environment. We hope changes are made in the industry and we want to be a part of that change.
