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Chocolate Lovers Guide to the Margaret River Region

Chocolate: One of life’s great pleasures. Here's a guide to exploring the best chocolate spots in the Margaret River Region.

24.03.2016
Local Produce & Farm Gates

Chocolate – one of life’s great pleasures and, thanks to some delicious examples made in the Margaret River region, it’s a pleasure to be enjoyed right at the heart of your visit.

 

God love the ancient Aztecs for inventing chocolate. Known as the food of the Gods, many of us have an ongoing love affair with chocolate. If you don’t love chocolate, then we can’t be friends. For chocolate lovers, read on as we discover the Margaret River Region’s finest and tell you a little more about those responsible for its creation.

Gabriel Chocolates Yallingup
Gabriel Chocolate is a chocolate-filled haven.

Gabriel Chocolate

At Gabriel Chocolate, you can see the chocolate machine at work through a viewing window, taste different origins and blends, and enjoy a coffee with a chocolatey treat in the café. The modern chocolate gallery is marketed as a playground for adults.

Single origin chocolate is made from beans from Venezuela, Ecuador, Ghana and Madagascar, and flavoured blends such as espresso, mint and orange are all popular.

margaret river chocolate factory
The popular Quokka's at Margaret River Chocolate Company.

Margaret River Chocolate Company

The region’s first venue dedicated to chocolate swung open its doors in 1999. Known for offering generous tastings, the Margaret River Chocolate Company draws hundreds of visitors every day of the year, except for Christmas Day when they are closed.

Through the viewing window you can see the chocolatiers sculpting handmade truffles, and making flavoured chocolate bars of salted caramel, mint chip, orange, coconut rough, sandalwood and cookies and cream. There are speciality chocolates, giant freckles, rocky road, chocolate-coated nougat, chocolate sauces, drinking chocolate, cocoa powder and even sugar-free chocolate.

Margaret River Chocolate Factory
Margaret River Chocolate Company was the first chocolatier in the region.

The family-friendly factory utilises the vibrant flavour of single origin chocolate from Ghana, Tanzania, Java, Uganda, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Papua New Guinea and Venezuela, and are sure to impress.

The Chocolate Café serves lunch – everything from burgers to salad to soup – and they boast the best brownies in Australia.

Rather than spending money on a holiday house in the 1990s, business partners Martin Black and Patrick Coward decided to open a chocolate factory instead.

“I’ve been a chocolate addict forever, and at the time, there weren’t many gourmet food experiences,” Black said. “We wanted to create a exciting place where visitors could have fun, and it went crazy from day one.”

“We use local honey, dried fruits and nuts, milk and creams – essentially local ingredients wherever we can.”

We wanted to create a exciting place where visitors could have fun

Yallingup Chocolate has opened this spring
Yallingup Chocolate bars are wrapped in Ric Chan's iconic surf photos.

Yallingup Chocolate

Yallingup Chocolate is from the same team behind Commonage Coffee Co, and they have replicated the chilled out vibes in the beautiful store. Browse the range of tasty locally-made chocolate wrapped in beautiful surf imagery by legendary photographer Ric Chan (it makes a perfect gift if you can restrain from saving it for yourself), and then enjoy coffee and a treat in the shady backyard. It’s the quintessential Yallingup experience, laid-back yet elevated.