Amelia’s Magazine | An Interview with Paul Tomlinson of Cocoa Hernando Chocolates

cocoahernando-chocolate case
I first tasted Cocoa Hernando chocolates when I visited the Startup Showcase at Somerset House a few months back: so when founder Paul Tomlinson offered to send me some samples of his latest ‘collection’ I of course jumped at the chance to sample some of this fabulous artisanal chocolate. The deliciously smooth flavours of Cocoa Hernando are also delightfully unusual – try Masala Chai or Chipotle Chilli – and beautifully packaged to boot. I caught up with Paul to find out a bit more about the launch of his new range.

Cocoa Hernando India
What is the ethos behind Cocoa Hernando chocolates, and what is different about your brand?
Cocoa Hernando discover the finest chocolate and most exciting flavours from around the world. It is these unusual flavours complemented by the beautiful travel inspired packaging which makes us different.

A bit like a fashion label you have curated collections of flavours: what prompted this approach to chocolate making?
Indeed. I think it’s a lovely and refined way to present the chocolate bars. I’m an avid collector of records and books which also inspired this approach. Penguin paperbacks and Factory Records especially spring to mind…..

Cocoa Hernando Himalaya
You have some very distinct flavours in your range – how do you establish what works well together?
I’ve always been obsessed with food, so it’s an absolute pleasure to experiment with different flavours. Like any creative process, you keep researching and experimenting until you come up with something that blows your mind!

It was your wonderful packaging and display that caught my eye at the start up showcase: how did you come up with these designs and who created them?
Thank you. I’m also obsessed with design, especially the styles which typified the golden age of travel. We did all the graphic design of the packaging ourselves and then commissioned an illustrator to add the magic.

Cocoa Hernando Mexico
What was the process of producing the labels?
Since discovery is a key theme of the brand, we first looked for wonderful and unusual locations from the countries of the chocolate bars. We then created extremely detailed briefs and handed them to our talented illustrator, Rui Ricardo.

I was unfortunately unable to join you for the launch of the Herbs and Spice collection: what did I miss?
You missed lots of delicious chocolate and a wonderful party in the classy surroundings of Monmouth Street. It was great to finally celebrate our achievements so far!

Cocoa Hernando Morocco
Where can fans buy bars of Cocoa Hernando chocolate?
We sell online and hope to be in certain department stores before the end of Summer. Smaller shops are starting to pick up on us now too. We also like to pop-up with our suitcases around London whenever we can, so keep an eye out.

Do you have any new launch plans you can share with us?
We’re currently working on the next collection, which I’m very excited about and we’re also planning an exciting and extended pop-up event for the end of the year. Exciting times!

You can keep in touch with Cocoa Hernando and find out about upcoming events by following them on twitter and facebook. I can’t wait to try their next collection…

Categories ,Chipotle Chilli, ,chocolate, ,Cocoa Hernando, ,Factory Records, ,Herbs and Spice collection, ,Masala Chai, ,Monmouth Street, ,Paul Tomlinson, ,Penguin, ,Rui Ricardo, ,Somerset House, ,Startup Showcase

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Amelia’s Magazine | An Interview with Paul Tomlinson of Cocoa Hernando Chocolates

cocoahernando-chocolate case
I first tasted Cocoa Hernando chocolates when I visited the Startup Showcase at Somerset House a few months back: so when founder Paul Tomlinson offered to send me some samples of his latest ‘collection’ I of course jumped at the chance to sample some of this fabulous artisanal chocolate. The deliciously smooth flavours of Cocoa Hernando are also delightfully unusual – try Masala Chai or Chipotle Chilli – and beautifully packaged to boot. I caught up with Paul to find out a bit more about the launch of his new range.

Cocoa Hernando India
What is the ethos behind Cocoa Hernando chocolates, and what is different about your brand?
Cocoa Hernando discover the finest chocolate and most exciting flavours from around the world. It is these unusual flavours complemented by the beautiful travel inspired packaging which makes us different.

A bit like a fashion label you have curated collections of flavours: what prompted this approach to chocolate making?
Indeed. I think it’s a lovely and refined way to present the chocolate bars. I’m an avid collector of records and books which also inspired this approach. Penguin paperbacks and Factory Records especially spring to mind…..

Cocoa Hernando Himalaya
You have some very distinct flavours in your range – how do you establish what works well together?
I’ve always been obsessed with food, so it’s an absolute pleasure to experiment with different flavours. Like any creative process, you keep researching and experimenting until you come up with something that blows your mind!

It was your wonderful packaging and display that caught my eye at the start up showcase: how did you come up with these designs and who created them?
Thank you. I’m also obsessed with design, especially the styles which typified the golden age of travel. We did all the graphic design of the packaging ourselves and then commissioned an illustrator to add the magic.

Cocoa Hernando Mexico
What was the process of producing the labels?
Since discovery is a key theme of the brand, we first looked for wonderful and unusual locations from the countries of the chocolate bars. We then created extremely detailed briefs and handed them to our talented illustrator, Rui Ricardo.

I was unfortunately unable to join you for the launch of the Herbs and Spice collection: what did I miss?
You missed lots of delicious chocolate and a wonderful party in the classy surroundings of Monmouth Street. It was great to finally celebrate our achievements so far!

Cocoa Hernando Morocco
Where can fans buy bars of Cocoa Hernando chocolate?
We sell online and hope to be in certain department stores before the end of Summer. Smaller shops are starting to pick up on us now too. We also like to pop-up with our suitcases around London whenever we can, so keep an eye out.

Do you have any new launch plans you can share with us?
We’re currently working on the next collection, which I’m very excited about and we’re also planning an exciting and extended pop-up event for the end of the year. Exciting times!

You can keep in touch with Cocoa Hernando and find out about upcoming events by following them on twitter and facebook. I can’t wait to try their next collection…

Categories ,Chipotle Chilli, ,chocolate, ,Cocoa Hernando, ,Factory Records, ,Herbs and Spice collection, ,Masala Chai, ,Monmouth Street, ,Paul Tomlinson, ,Penguin, ,Rui Ricardo, ,Somerset House, ,Startup Showcase

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Amelia’s Magazine | Change Your Mind: 57 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Self – Book Review

Change your mind by Rod Judkins book review
Are you a creative person? Given the nature of my website I suspect that almost all my readers would regard themselves as creative in some way – and if not actively creating themselves, then appreciating, encouraging and inspiring the creations of others. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, right? In fact I agree with Rod Judkins when he says that we all of us have the potential to be creative. I would go even further and say that humans are instinctively creative or we would not be where we are today, with an advanced society that generates so many amazing ideas in every area of life.

But maybe you are reading this and thinking ‘Pah, I don’t feel very creative. At least, not as creative as I’d like to be.‘ Well, fear not for help is at hand with the aid of Change Your Mind: 57 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Self from Hardie Grant, a nifty little yellow book by the aforementioned RCA fine arts graduate Rod Judkins, who lectures in creative thinking at places such as Central Saint Martins. According to Judkins self belief accounts for 90% of success, and this book is here to bolster just such a positive outlook when it comes to creative thinking.

Change Your Mind by Rod Judkins book review
I must admit when I first saw this book I thought it might just be a lot of hot air like so many others of this ilk, but it proved me wrong. Sure, it’s petite, pretty to look at and easy to digest, either by dipping in and out of for inspiration, or in just an hour or two wholesale. But it also contains plenty of great ideas backed up by handy quotes from famous people and interesting historical facts.

‘Do not see failure as a sign of defeat, but one of many stepping-stones to success.’

Some ideas are more controversial than others, for instance Judkins implores us to embrace technology – or risk being overwhelmed by it. There are probably many determinedly luddite artists who disagree with him. He also says that ‘People will support someone with a passion. They will want to help you and money will be part of that help.‘ Having run Amelia’s Magazine for nigh on ten years, during which time I’ve had no great offers of financial worth, and indeed have barely scraped together a living, I’m not sure I wholly agree with this postulation: it might give people false hope. But then again, I am a living breathing example of passion driving someone forward or I wouldn’t be writing this today: I run Amelia’s Magazine because I can’t help myself.

Change Your Mind by Rod Judkins book review amateurs
‘Don’t look for fashion in a clothes store or history in a museum. Look for fashion in a grocer and history in a funfair.’

Many of the snappily titled mini chapters undoubtedly offer good advice: creatives are urged to Live the Dream, to let their minds wander to create the stuff that our world is made of. Collaborate, innovate, don’t find excuses for why you can’t create, make sure you hang out with people who encourage you, not those who pull you down. Don’t strive to be original, when producing imitations often sparks the creation of brand new work. One of the most fascinating elements of this book are the little details such as the fact that Francis Bacon copied Picasso: you can imagine Judkins entrancing his students as he metes out these tidbits in his lectures.

‘To live creatively you have to surround yourself with things that interest you…Most creative thinkers are collectors, often of esoteric object.’

I particularly like this quote: manna to someone like me, an inveterate hoarder who has a house full of stuff that I’ve collected just in case I may need to use it in a project one day. In the next breath though, we are urged to make our workplaces streamlined… that one I could do with working on. The book ends with the comment that ‘While everyone else is thinking of reasons why a task is too difficult, impossible, the creative are thinking of reasons why it’s possible.’ So, what are you waiting for?

Change Your Mind by Rod Judkins book review creativity
If you need anymore persuasion why not pick up a copy of Change Your Mind for yourself? It’s a pleasure to read and I’m fairly sure it will get those creative juices flowing. And if you are in need of more practical help, there’s always the Startup Showcase from the School for Creative Startups: on this weekend at Somerset House. There’s a fascinating array of speakers including my mentor Patricia van den Akker of The Design Trust.

All images courtesy of Change Your Mind: 57 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Self, published by Hardie Grant.

Categories ,57 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Self, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Change Your Mind, ,Francis Bacon, ,Hardie Books, ,Live the Dream, ,Patricia van den Akker, ,picasso, ,rca, ,review, ,Rod Judkins, ,School for Creative Startups, ,Somerset House, ,Startup Showcase, ,The Design Trust

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Amelia’s Magazine | Change Your Mind: 57 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Self – Book Review

Change your mind by Rod Judkins book review
Are you a creative person? Given the nature of my website I suspect that almost all my readers would regard themselves as creative in some way – and if not actively creating themselves, then appreciating, encouraging and inspiring the creations of others. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, right? In fact I agree with Rod Judkins when he says that we all of us have the potential to be creative. I would go even further and say that humans are instinctively creative or we would not be where we are today, with an advanced society that generates so many amazing ideas in every area of life.

But maybe you are reading this and thinking ‘Pah, I don’t feel very creative. At least, not as creative as I’d like to be.‘ Well, fear not for help is at hand with the aid of Change Your Mind: 57 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Self from Hardie Grant, a nifty little yellow book by the aforementioned RCA fine arts graduate Rod Judkins, who lectures in creative thinking at places such as Central Saint Martins. According to Judkins self belief accounts for 90% of success, and this book is here to bolster just such a positive outlook when it comes to creative thinking.

Change Your Mind by Rod Judkins book review
I must admit when I first saw this book I thought it might just be a lot of hot air like so many others of this ilk, but it proved me wrong. Sure, it’s petite, pretty to look at and easy to digest, either by dipping in and out of for inspiration, or in just an hour or two wholesale. But it also contains plenty of great ideas backed up by handy quotes from famous people and interesting historical facts.

‘Do not see failure as a sign of defeat, but one of many stepping-stones to success.’

Some ideas are more controversial than others, for instance Judkins implores us to embrace technology – or risk being overwhelmed by it. There are probably many determinedly luddite artists who disagree with him. He also says that ‘People will support someone with a passion. They will want to help you and money will be part of that help.‘ Having run Amelia’s Magazine for nigh on ten years, during which time I’ve had no great offers of financial worth, and indeed have barely scraped together a living, I’m not sure I wholly agree with this postulation: it might give people false hope. But then again, I am a living breathing example of passion driving someone forward or I wouldn’t be writing this today: I run Amelia’s Magazine because I can’t help myself.

Change Your Mind by Rod Judkins book review amateurs
‘Don’t look for fashion in a clothes store or history in a museum. Look for fashion in a grocer and history in a funfair.’

Many of the snappily titled mini chapters undoubtedly offer good advice: creatives are urged to Live the Dream, to let their minds wander to create the stuff that our world is made of. Collaborate, innovate, don’t find excuses for why you can’t create, make sure you hang out with people who encourage you, not those who pull you down. Don’t strive to be original, when producing imitations often sparks the creation of brand new work. One of the most fascinating elements of this book are the little details such as the fact that Francis Bacon copied Picasso: you can imagine Judkins entrancing his students as he metes out these tidbits in his lectures.

‘To live creatively you have to surround yourself with things that interest you…Most creative thinkers are collectors, often of esoteric object.’

I particularly like this quote: manna to someone like me, an inveterate hoarder who has a house full of stuff that I’ve collected just in case I may need to use it in a project one day. In the next breath though, we are urged to make our workplaces streamlined… that one I could do with working on. The book ends with the comment that ‘While everyone else is thinking of reasons why a task is too difficult, impossible, the creative are thinking of reasons why it’s possible.’ So, what are you waiting for?

Change Your Mind by Rod Judkins book review creativity
If you need anymore persuasion why not pick up a copy of Change Your Mind for yourself? It’s a pleasure to read and I’m fairly sure it will get those creative juices flowing. And if you are in need of more practical help, there’s always the Startup Showcase from the School for Creative Startups: on this weekend at Somerset House. There’s a fascinating array of speakers including my mentor Patricia van den Akker of The Design Trust.

All images courtesy of Change Your Mind: 57 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Self, published by Hardie Grant.

Categories ,57 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Self, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Change Your Mind, ,Francis Bacon, ,Hardie Books, ,Live the Dream, ,Patricia van den Akker, ,picasso, ,rca, ,review, ,Rod Judkins, ,School for Creative Startups, ,Somerset House, ,Startup Showcase, ,The Design Trust

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