"Easter wouldn't be Easter without chocolate," says Willie. "We eat more chocolate at Easter than at any time of the year." But it's not the amount of chocolate we eat that Willie's worried about, it's the quality. In fact, according to Willie, most of our favourite chocs don't even deserve to be called chocolate. "It's confectionary," Willie explains, "it's sugar and vegetable fat with a thin coating of chocolate." The cacao maverick is on a mission to create a proper bar and introduce the confectionary guzzling Brits to the true taste of chocolate. If that wasn't enough, he's even got the ultimate incentive - Willie believes that his chocolate will actually burn fat. Will the men in white coats agree?
As families stock up on choc for Easter, Willie is on a mission to retrain the nation's cocoa cravings. But going head to head with the confectionary giants will be no mean feat. "The plan is to make some chocolate bars in my chocolate factory at some sort of price that people can afford," explains Willie. That sounds simple enough but as Willie's chocolate will be using a higher percentage of cacao than regular mass produced bars, he'll have to revolutionise consumer taste buds on route. Such a tall order means a big factory financed by money Willie doesn't have. He's planning to move to a larger unit on an industrial estate in Tiverton but as yet he has no way of paying for it. In a frank chat with his accountant, Willie explores his options. "Do I have to offer personal guarantees?" he gulps. "I'll stop sleeping."
Willie's on a mission to create the perfect bar of chocolate but, before he can pitch the idea to retailers, he needs to start with the perfect beans. Having hand selected a high grade variety from Venezuela, Willie thought he was home and dry - but a mix up on the order has sent his cacao to the other side of the world and Willie to the doldrums. "With the current economic climate, is it the worst possible time ever to a have launched a bar of chocolate?" he mopes. Bean issues and finance worries are a world away from the birthplace of Willie's chocolate obsession, Venezuela. Willie pops across to meet artisan chocolate maker, Pedro Rosa, for some confectionary inspiration. "People like Pedro are key to finding out those little secrets," Willie tells us. "It's all about flavour."
