Our Story, Mission & Values
Lucid Chocolate aims to provide a selection of quality chocolate bars that exceed the standard for artisan chocolates in New Zealand, created with the utmost respect for the heritage of the cocoa, production techniques, and the environment of our beautiful country.
At Lucid Chocolatier our core value is the careful consideration of all aspects of chocolate production. This begins with the cacao beans, which we make sure are sourced from farms that are organic and operate in harmony with the surrounding environment, while also ensuring the care and wellbeing of their workers. We also consider the local terroir of each bean, to ensure that our small range can deliver a large variety of exotic flavours.
Once the beans arrive in our kitchen, we prepare them in line with traditional French techniques to ensure that the quality found within the beans is expressed to their fullest extent, resulting in an array of textures, flavours and aromas. Any additional ingredients used also need to be of the finest quality and organic (where available/practical).
Finally we aim to leave as little environmental footprint as possible, and this is why we have ensured that our interior wrap is compostable and the box is recyclable. We also dispose of our organic waste in a responsible manner by composting it for use in the Lucid orchard. This way you can enjoy our chocolate secure in the knowledge that every care has been taken to create a quality product that doesn’t harm our earth.
Meet the Maker
Johnty has been destined for the culinary world since he wrote his first recipe from scratch at the age of 7 and delivered a speech about his dream to one day own a restaurant. Before he had completed primary school he was equally as competent at cooking dinner for the family as he was baking goods for a special occasion.
Following the path of passion has seen Johnty study cookery, bakery and chocolate, as well as work in fine dining, patisserie, bakery and as a chocolatier. Competing to win gold in an open chocolate based petit four competition was the final nudge he needed to decide to devote his career to working with chocolate and he hasn’t looked back since.
Throughout his teenage years Johnty became obsessed with various art forms, in particular design and painting with which he achieved an NZQA scholarship for his work in year 13. Before committing to the culinary pathway Johnty studied part time at Massey's College of Creative Arts to complete papers on topics such as design, photography, fine arts and culture.
This creative background oozes into Lucid and its place in the craft chocolate world. The approach to chocolate making at its roots is very much from an arts background, and Johnty hopes to explore and share this with you more over time.