The Scottish Chocolate Centre Celebrates the Wonders of Fine Chocolate

 
The first visitor centre in Scotland dedicated to chocolate, its origins, and the wondrous ways of turning cocoa into the most sought after and adored of all confections, has opened in Highland Perthshire at a beauty spot by the River Tay.

The new attraction is part of Legends of Grandtully, whose enchanting coffee house, gift showrooms and gourmet chocolate shop is already highly popular with locals and visitors to this key area.

Iain Burnett – The Highland Chocolatier, who is based there, is renowned for his Cocoa Dusted Velvet Truffles, quality handmade range of spiced pralines, pure truffles and chocolate dipped glace fruits. He now supplies to some of Scotland’s most prestigious restaurants and hotels including Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Turnberry, and Loch Lomond Golf Club. Iain said, “The Scottish Chocolate Centre was a significant investment by the company at a difficult economic time but we felt we needed to spread the word of what we are trying to achieve in terms of quality and innovation to an even wider audience.”

The Scottish Chocolate Centre is part of a new building connecting Legends’ popular Coffee House with their retail showrooms in the centre of Grandtully. The village is five miles from Aberfeldy and four miles from the A9 Perth to Inverness road, in one of the most beautiful parts of Highland Perthshire.

The Scottish Chocolate Centre features two magical display areas, lit with the latest LED lighting, and has a special chocolate kitchen where pre-booked tasting tours are conducted. There are a variety of exhibits and pictorial displays and an area showcasing a range of elegant chocolate wedding cakes, breathtaking chocolate sculptures and delicate wedding favours, all made by Iain Burnett and his chocolatier team.

Multiple video screens, running continually, tell the chocolate story: where cocoa is grown, harvested, fermented, and processed; sculpting with chocolate; chocolate production in Iain Burnett’s specialized kitchen; and a trip to the Caribbean showing cocoa plantations and a tiny, pioneering chocolate production co-operative in Grenada.

The full complement of Iain’s chocolates are available in a retail area next to the Scottish Chocolate Centre and feature his new, elegant red and gold packaging. Products range from a delicate “butterfly box” of two chocolate favours to grand presentation boxes reminiscent of vintage cigar boxes, containing 48 truffles and pralines. Alternatively customers can pick and choose their own selection or, when further afield, order online at highlandchocolatier.com.

Business Development Director, Julie Collier explained, “Entry to the ‘Scottish Chocolate Centre’ is completely free. It is designed to educate our customers about the history of chocolate and its world embracing appeal, as well as the superior skills, ingredients and techniques employed by a master chocolatier.”

“Many people have no knowledge of the skill and dedication that goes into the production of gourmet chocolates. We hope that the Scottish Chocolate Centre will bring more visitors to us, and will increase the numbers of people who appreciate fine chocolate.”