International Confectionery converses with Barry Colenso, business owner of Barry Colenso Master Chocolatier, to discuss his career achievements and response to recent trends.
- What do you believe will be the next big industry trend?
I believe the next trend has already started in earnest, for my mind Veganism and Sustainability are the key going forward. If I was starting my chocolate life now this where I would be concentrating my efforts.
And of course, there is huge growth in the Bean to Bar concept, which is really exciting, as long as companies understand the complexities of this, and are able to produce a consistent quality product.
This is where start-ups need to reach out for some guidelines from either the equipment or ingredients suppliers.
There are many trends in flavours which is always exciting to see, I remember developing the first Aromatherapy range which we thought was amazing, unfortunately our customers did not agree.
From the many after dinner the presentations I give there is clearly this mystery around Cocoa % and Single Origin, because we are close to this my feeling is we are underestimating the opportunity which there is still out there to educate the public.
2. Are there any developments in your business lately?
My consultancy business continues to flourish, especially now that travel restrictions are beginning to ease, there is a high demand for guidance in all areas of the Confectionery world.
I guess I am slightly unique, in that I understand Blue Sky Product Development but also what it takes to make things happen in production.
I have now ceased production of my own brand of chocolates to concentrate on consultancy.
3. How did COVID-19 impact in running your business effectively?
Like many businesses, COVID-19 did have a massive impact on the food industry. Obviously with the ban on travel the Covid situation had a massive impact on my Consultancy, I did manage to keep several projects going remotely, this clearly was exceedingly difficult when you cannot visit the companies and understand their culture and capabilities. Now, I am very happy to report that these have all come to fruition over the past few months.
4. What was your involvement in the creation of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding cake? How did you find that process?
For Prince Williams Wedding Cake I was delighted to be invited by the McVities Cake company to design create and deliver this amazing project.
The recipe for the cake was the favourite afternoon tea cake of HRH Prince William, which contains Rich Tea Biscuits, the actual recipe will remain with me and never be shared.
The actual design was an assortment of intricate flowers made with various techniques.
All of the elements were transported separately and then I spent two memorable days in Buckingham Palace putting the cake together. We were honoured to meet HRH The Queen, Prince William and Prince Harry during our time in the Palace.
It still amazes me to this day the level of interest there still is in my creation of this cake, whenever I am asked to talk to companies or groups it is always the story of the wedding cake they want to hear about.
5. How do you make chocolates a commercial reality?
Making chocolates a commercial reality is not an easy task, there is very tough competition these days.
I think you need to create something which is totally unique and not seen before, I remember when I created the very first box of chocolates which was based around desserts and my life as a Pastry Chef in some of the world’s finest hotels.
As excited as we were, I had never dreamt that it would be copied by so many brands and taken into other categories, this was true innovation and something to be very proud of.
6. What do your chocolate training/courses entail and how do they benefit the industry?
My chocolate courses are tailored to the individual needs of my customer.
I hope that the benefit to the industry is in helping small entrepreneurs get on the chocolate ladder, flourish, and not make too many expensive mistakes.
I also firmly believe that I am giving something back to the chocolate world from my past experiences and mistakes.
7. As someone who excelled in the industry from a young age, what have been your biggest challenges?
My biggest challenges in the industry have been varied and numerous. Trying to create a can-do attitude. Cultural differences in products and thinking.
Trying to create something totally unique and unseen before. Driving Innovation through ingredients or technology.
Trying to keep quality at the forefront of my colleagues thinking. Avoiding the dreaded recipe reengineering, our customers know their products and they should not be cheapened. Avoiding meetings for meetings sake.
8. Anything else you would like to add?
My hopes for 2022 is to continue to help and support all my customers, large and small, and have some chocolate fun along the way, we are very lucky to be working with such an exciting product which keeps us all so happy and gives so much satisfaction to so many people across the world.
Read more of the latest industry news and developments here: March 2022 Single Issue form – International Confectionery Magazine (in-confectionery.com)
Media contact
Roshini Bains,
Editor, International Confectionery
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: editor@in-confectionery.com
