Ex-Lawyers Turn to Chocolate For New Life

Ex-lawyers turned chocolate entrepreneurs, Helen and Simon Pattinson, founded Montezuma’s in 2000 with one little chocolate machine and one shop in Brighton 

After years of paperwork, long hours, commuter trains and a life dominated by money, Helen and Simon Pattinson had had enough of being city lawyers in London.

And it was the sweet smell of chocolate that gave them that final push to quitting their jobs, selling their house and taking the first plane to South America to find a new direction in life.

Fast forward to present day and these ex-lawyers have become chocolate entrepreneurs having founded one of the UK’s leading quality chocolate makers, Montezuma’s.

“Although we had left the UK with a vague notion that we would be inspired and find a new direction in life, I don’t think we ever imagined that this would really be the case,” explains Helen.

“We both had a love of chocolate but the chocolate business was not something we had considered until we went to a little town in the middle of the Argentinean lake district where a large German population ran several very exciting chocolate shops.

“We reached Venezuela a couple of months later and accidentally ended up staying on a cocoa plantation and both became fascinated at the complexity of cultivating quality cocoa.”

Helen and Simon then spent the next few weeks experiencing cocoa being grown, harvested and processed into cocoa liquor and soon enough chocolate was all they could think about.

One year after returning from their travels, the couple opened their first store in Brighton stocking more than 200 products ranging from organic chocolate lollies to huge boxes filled with chunky truffles.

Eight years and seven stores later, Montezuma’s is fast becoming a household name. “I only have to wander into one of our stores and listen to the customers comments to know that we have made the right choice”, says Helen.

Montezuma’s is fast becoming a household name, with seven successful stores across the UK in Windsor, Newbury, Brighton, Chichester, London, Winchester, and the latest to open in Kingston-Upon-Thames.

With plans for the opening of another 10 stores over the next year, this award-winning British chocolate is sure to become a firm favourite within the UK.

Fancy a taste?

Speciality Bars, £1.20 each

These small and intriguing bars were originally designed to be that every day snack but always with fabulous combinations and a wide variety.  Each is based on one of the house blends of organic dark, milk or white chocolate.

Be warned, Montezuma's are very restless with this range and find it necessary to change, drop and introduce new bars the whole time.  If it stands still for too long they change it!

Truffle Bags, £3.75 each

Single truffle varieties in their pretty little bag!

Get your teeth stuck into a firm centre with a good snappy chocolate shell.  Every one of the forty or so truffles has an individual appearance and most of the centres are based on a butter and cream ganache together with the house blends of chocolate.

Lime Pickle, £4.95

"genius" said The Daily Telegraph!

Air-dried mango strips dipped in a blend of white chocolate, lime and chilli.

Mango will never be the same again!

www.montezumas.co.uk