Bring the Magic of Chocolate to Your School with Coeur de Xocolat

Chocolate is much more than a treat.

It's a story of history, geography, science, culture, farming, sustainability and extraordinary people and it provides a brilliant way to bring classroom learning to life.

At Coeur de Xocolat, we bring the fascinating world of cacao and chocolate directly into your school through interactive workshops, assemblies, lessons, tastings and hands-on chocolate-making experiences.

Led by award-winning chocolatier, chef and chocolate consultant David Greenwood-Haigh, our school programmes combine professional chocolate knowledge with first-hand experience of cacao farming, chocolate production and cocoa-growing communities.

Chocolate Across the Curriculum

Our workshops are designed to complement classroom learning and can be adapted for different ages, year groups and learning objectives.

Chocolate gives pupils the opportunity to explore a remarkable range of subjects in a way that feels exciting, relevant and memorable.

The History of Chocolate

From the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica to the chocolate bars we recognise today, pupils can explore how cacao has travelled across continents and changed through centuries of trade, innovation and culture.

Geography

Where does cacao grow? Why does it grow close to the Equator? What is life like for the farmers who produce it?

Pupils can follow chocolate around the world while exploring producing countries, climate, landscapes, farming and global trade.

From Cacao Pod to Chocolate Bar

Most children know what a chocolate bar looks like.

Far fewer have seen where it actually begins.

Our bean-to-bar journey follows chocolate from the cacao tree to the finished product:

Cacao pod → cocoa beans → fermentation → drying → roasting → grinding → chocolate

Using cacao pods, cocoa beans, photographs, films, demonstrations and real-world examples, we transform something familiar into a much bigger story.

The Science of Chocolate

Chocolate is also a wonderful way to explore science.

Why does chocolate melt in your hand?

Why does temperature matter?

What happens when chocolate is heated and cooled?

Why does professionally tempered chocolate snap and shine?

Depending on the age of the pupils, we can explore ingredients, temperature, melting, crystallisation and the physical changes involved in making chocolate.

Bring Literature to Life

Chocolate creates some wonderful opportunities for literacy too.

Stories such as Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory can become the starting point for discussion, storytelling, creative writing and practical classroom activities.

Instead of simply imagining a chocolate factory, pupils can begin discovering how chocolate is actually made.

Hands-On Chocolate Making

Of course, sometimes the best way to learn about chocolate is to get your hands involved.

Depending on the programme selected, pupils can make or decorate their own:

Chocolate bars
Chocolate lollipops
Chocolate crispy cakes
Other age-appropriate chocolate creations

Along the way, we can explore ingredients, flavour, hygiene, creativity and some of the science behind working with chocolate.

Chocolate Tasting and the Five Senses

Chocolate tasting is about much more than whether something tastes nice.

Pupils can learn to use their senses to explore chocolate:

Look. Touch. Listen. Smell. Taste.

We can introduce children to the same basic sensory techniques used by professional chocolate makers, judges and tasters, encouraging them to describe flavour, aroma, texture and their own sensory experiences.

Fairtrade, Sustainability and the People Behind Chocolate

Who grows the cacao in a chocolate bar?

How much work is involved?

What does a fair price mean?

And what responsibility do chocolate companies and consumers have towards the people producing cacao?

These questions provide powerful starting points for conversations about Fairtrade, sustainability, farming, global trade and ethical sourcing.

David's work has taken him directly into cocoa-growing communities and chocolate businesses, allowing these subjects to be explored through real experiences, photographs and stories from the people behind chocolate.

For additional information about Fairtrade, schools can also visit the Fairtrade Foundation.

A Real Journey into the World of Cacao

One of the things that makes a Coeur de Xocolat school visit different is that the story does not stop at the chocolate factory.

David has worked with cacao farmers, chocolate makers, chefs, students and producers in cocoa-growing countries.

That means pupils can encounter the people, farms and communities behind the chocolate they eat — turning an everyday product into a story about people, place, food and the wider world.

What Can a School Visit Include?

Every school is different, so we can build a programme around your pupils, timetable and learning objectives.

A visit can include:

Interactive chocolate lessons
Whole-school assemblies
Cacao pods and cocoa beans
Bean-to-bar demonstrations
Chocolate tasting and sensory activities
Films and photographs from cocoa-growing countries
Stories from cocoa farmers and producing communitiesHistory and geography activities
Fairtrade and sustainability discussions
Practical chocolate-making sessions
Question-and-answer sessions with a professional chocolatier

We Bring Everything With Us

Coeur de Xocolat can provide the equipment and resources needed for your workshop, including:

Audio-visual presentations
Films and photographyCacao pods and cocoa beans
Teaching resources and stimulus materials
Professional chocolate-making equipment
Chocolate and ingredientsPractical workshop equipment
Cleaning and hygiene materials

Our workshops are designed to be nut-free, and dietary requirements can be discussed with the school before the visit.

Sessions are delivered by experienced professionals with appropriate enhanced DBS checks.

Why Choose Coeur de Xocolat?

We don't simply talk about chocolate, we work with it, we taste it, make it, judge it, teach it and travel to the places where cacao is grown.

That experience allows us to introduce pupils to chocolate through real objects, real stories and real people rather than simply another classroom presentation.

Most importantly, our aim is to get children asking questions.

Where did this come from? Who grew it? Why does it taste like this? How was it made?

And what can chocolate teach us about the wider world?

School Visit Prices

We want schools to be able to build a visit that works for their pupils and budget.

Half-day school visits start from £350.

Full-day educational programmes start from £650.

The final cost will depend on factors including your location, number of pupils, length of visit and the activities you choose.

We can create anything from a focused classroom workshop to a full day combining assemblies, tasting, demonstrations and practical chocolate-making.

A Chocolate Experience Your Pupils Will Remember

Chocolate can open the door to history, geography, science, literature, food technology, sustainability and global citizenship.

But most importantly, it gives pupils something tangible to explore.

They can see it.

Touch it. Smell it. Taste it. Make it.

And discover the extraordinary journey behind something they thought they already knew.

Bring Chocolate to Your School

Tell us about your school, the age of your pupils and what you would like them to explore.

We will work with you to create a chocolate experience designed around your pupils, your timetable and your learning objectives.

Contact Coeur de Xocolat today and let's start planning your school chocolate experience.