Wellington Chocolate Factory

Wellington Chocolate Factory (WCF) is a pioneering New Zealand bean-to-bar chocolate maker and the country’s first craft chocolate factory open to the public. Founded in 2013 by Gabe Davidson and Rochelle Alagar, WCF has played a central role in shaping Aotearoa’s ethical chocolate movement through transparent sourcing, certified organic production, and full control of the chocolate-making process. Based in Te Aro, Wellington, the factory sources cocoa beans primarily from Pacific Island nations including Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. Through its Grower Partner Programme, WCF works directly with smallholder farmers and cooperatives, paying premium prices well above commodity market rates. This direct-trade approach supports community-led initiatives such as access to clean water, solar energy, and local infrastructure, while maintaining full traceability from grower to finished bar. Wellington Chocolate Factory was the first New Zealand producer to create a certified organic chocolate bar, with both its products and factory holding BioGro certification. Organic certification ensures cocoa and ingredients are produced without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilisers. As sourcing increasingly focuses on Pacific cacao regions still developing formal certification systems, WCF prioritises direct transparency and documented farming practices over reliance on third-party logos alone. Chocolate is produced entirely in-house at the Wellington factory, where beans are roasted, stone-ground, conched, tempered, and hand-wrapped. Recipes are intentionally minimal, avoiding additives such as vanilla, emulsifiers, or excess cocoa butter, allowing the flavour of single-origin cacao to shine. In addition to production, the factory operates a café and offers immersive chocolatier experiences and factory tours, enabling the public to engage directly with the craft and ethics behind bean-to-bar chocolate making.