About Us
Coastal Cocoa was founded by me, James Bridger, in 2019. The company is dedicated to the creation of chocolate truffles, filled chocolates and other sweet treats. We use innovative flavours and textures, but always with a focus on creating the chocolates we would like to eat. And of course the chocolates have to look as good as they taste! Where possible we source ingredients locally, but our first priority is always creating the best possible taste experience. All of our chocolates are handmade in our hometown of Hastings, East Sussex. Our hometown provides the inspiration for our initial collection of chocolates, which are based on childhood holidays to the English seaside.
I first learnt to make chocolates on a course at the Leith cookery school over 20 years ago. It was 15 years ago that I started to take being a chocolatier more seriously, making chocolates every weekend and giving them to friends, family and workmates on a Monday morning. Through successes and failures my skills developed and I learnt what appealed to my taste testers (many thanks to the Murex teams at Commerz and UBS and Hastings Response B, C and D). Eventually, after over 20 years working in the technology sector, I decided to step away from my desk job and dedicate my life to my passion for chocolate. And share the delights of Coastal Cocoa with the public at large.
In late 2021 we opened our shop and kitchen in the historic Queens Arcade in Hastings. The Arcade is famous as the birthplace of television, where John Logie Baird first demonstrated TV in 1924. We have our kitchen in the shop as well, so everything is made on site, and you can come along and watch production. This has also allowed us to launch our popular classes, workshops and parties, for children and adults.
Coastal Cocoa chocolates are available from our shop in Hastings, online and at food fairs and specialist markets.