Our Latest News and Events
We are very happy to announce that Friday 21st November 2008 will be our celebration of 5 years being open. Since 2003 Chocolate Mill has expanded to include a cafe and now has 16 staff on board making 10,000-12,000 chocolates a week. We look forward to sharing our celebration with dedicated chocoholics on Friday and throughout the weekend. Many thanks to all who have supported us over the years, especially to our family and friends.
Jen & Chris with a big block of chocolate to celebrate 5 years open
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Chocolate Mill has been voted by Victorians as overall ranking #11 in the State out of a total of 588 places and 22,000 votes. This was also:
- Top Chocolate Business in Victoria
- Top Retail Business in Victoria
- Highest placing in Central Victoria
Why did Chocolate Mill do so well?
Feedback from customers tell us:
People enjoy our quality, fresh product and great customer service, with friendly staff who have excellent product knowledge. We are not just a shop in town, we have become a destination in this area.
Many thanks to all our new and dedicated chocoholics :-)
Another exciting weekend at Chocolate Mill brought an added bonus of a 5kg block of beautiful Belgian chocolate to be won. After receiving over 200 entries in our Block Buster Competition, Fiona, our longest serving employee, drew Nicole G. of South Yarra out of the bucket. When Jen reached Nicole by phone, she was very thrilled. Many thanks to everyone who entered our competition.
Chocolate Mill enjoyed a visit from the crew from Channel Nine's Postcards program in July. A day of shooting was edited down to a fabulous segment on their show on Sunday, the 27th July. We had a lot of fun with Lauren, who became our Chief Taster for the day. However, by the end of the day, Lauren was all chocolated out after working very hard tasting everything.Postcards website
Jen, Chris and Lauren with a Chocolate Mill Monster Chocolate Bar for Postcards
Daylesford ChillOut
Chocolate Mill is proud to be a Sponsor of ChillOut, the largest gay and lesbian festival in regional and rural Australia over the upcoming Labour Day long weekend, 7-10 March 2008. A festival like no other in the world, ChillOut turns the beautiful and relaxing Central Victoria spa town of Daylesford 'Queer as Country Folk' for four fun-packed days. ChillOut will also focus on raising both awareness and funds to enable more primary schools to introduce the Better Buddies Framework in conjunction with The Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
Chocolate Mill was proud to support RMIT marketing students Samantha Jordan, Abbey Glassford, Ella Cooper, Grace Stripekis, Georgina De Visser and Danielle Pantaloni raise funds for Breast Cancer Research on Saturday 6th October, 2007. The students raised over $700 from selling cupcakes and sweet buns in the Hot Chocolate Cafe, as well as giving people the opportunity to sponsor a "Pink Lady". Chocolate Mill's support included a $100 donation. Well done girls!
Raising Funds for Breast Cancer Research
From left: Abbey, Ella, Grace, Georgina, Samantha, Danielle.
Chocolate Mill celebrated 3 years open for business on the 21st November, 2006. Champagne and cake were in the wings and customers making purchases over $5 received a FREE CAR!
Thankyou to everyone for their ongoing support. Chocolate Mill now employs 13 staff and we still can't keep up with the demand.
Celebrating 3 years.
Back from left: Tess, Peta, Kristen, Fiona, Sam, Chris. Front from left: Courtney, Jen & Nat. Absent: Kathryn, Bec, Steph, Emma.
Meet 7 Local Artists & Producers showcasing their unique products.
We have invited some local artists & producers to make Easter even bigger and more exciting at Chocolate Mill. Now with our Hot Chocolate Cafe open you can enjoy the environment while sipping on a drink or munching on choccies and browse amongst the stalls in and around our shop, cafe and garden.
Come and see the wonderful work and produce from Bridgewater Grove Olives, Dunja Ceramic Creations, Faraday Lavender, Ken Sluce, Hot Iron, Pachamama & Wombat Forest Winery. STOP PRESS- Jinari Berg, massage therapist, will also join us to revitalise weary necks & shoulders. Aaahhh!
Over 60 attended an event on Thursday evening, the 23rd March 2006, when the big 5kg block was broken to officially open the new cafe. Plenty of food and beverages together with good company and warm weather made for a terrific night. Chris thanked those that were involved in helping to make the extension and support it happening.
We were lucky to have Sharon & Nelson with us from Montreal to break the block and enjoy the festivities. Sharon made a fabulous Yule Cake from a secret family recipe and Dunja's salads & tsatziki were divine. John & Chris did a good job on the steak & salmon, while Tim & Clarke took some great shots of the evening. Thanks to all for a great night.
Sharon & Nelson break the 5 kg block, with Chris & Jen, to officially open the Hot Chocolate Cafe.
Some of the friends, staff & supporters at the opening
Chocolate Mill is celebrating 2 years open
Yes, we are celebrating 2 years on the 21st November, 2005. It's hard to fathom the amount of hard work that has created an ever increasing success story in chocolate. Not only are we busy in our business but we are also expanding next door. This expansion includes a "Hot Chocolate Cafe" which we hope will be open by mid December. Chris is building the the extension during the week and then in the kitchen on weekends. No rest for the wicked they say ;-)
Visit from the Lions Club and CWA "Great Crib Trek"
We were very excited to receive a visit from the brave team doing the "Great Crib Trek". They are pushing an humidicrib (90kg) over 400km from Albury to Melbourne to gather funds to provide affordable accommodation for families from rural and interstate regions who have loved ones receiving treatment at the Mercy Hospital for Women and Austin Health in Melbourne. The Great Trek Team at the Chocolate Mill included Diana Morgan, Heather Speer, Wendy Cauchy, Rachael O'Connor, Gary Ward, Gary Bromley, Cathy Godbold, Judith Bell, Ron Bell, Hendy O'Toole and Gerrard O'Toole.
Chocolate Mill supplied chocolate for the participants to combat the merciless hills around Hepburn and Daylesford. We wish you all the best and encourage people to assist however they can for the funding of Lions House. Check out their website to find out more.
Great Crib Trek at Chocolate Mill
Chocolate Mill won the Tabaret Goldfields Best New Business Award 2004 on the 5th October, just over 10 months of being in business.
We are very honoured to receive this recognition. Many thanks for the local support, as well as from people visiting the area coming to see us. Thanks also go to our team who have helped us build this vision. And to our family and friends who are always in our hearts.
Our team celebrate the Goldfields Awards.
Left from back: Andrew, Fiona. Middle: Bec, Brooke, Kathryn, Sam. Front: Jen, Chris.
Celebrating 6 months...
On Friday May 21st, we celebrated 6 months since we opened our doors. We have taken on more staff and now have 2 new machines from Holland which will help us to keep up with the ever increasing demand for our chocolates. We have further plans for expansion and will keep you informed on more detail of this in the coming months.We have also been able to support local not-for-proft community organisations and events: Meals on Wheels, Longest Lunch, ChillOut Festival and Youth Skateboard. Working in the community
It is amazing, even only after six months, to be able to experience how a little idea with a big vision and focused effort can become such a fantastic reality for us.
Thanks to our staff for your hard work and to our friends and family who have given us their continued support. Special mention to Andrew, Kathryn, Bec and Brooke for the great surprise...
5 Months on...
Well, things have been incredibly busy here, with no time to update the News diary. And so much has happened I don't know where to start. We have been lucky enough to have articles and editorials in the Advocate News and Lost Magazine (Daylesford Region), The Courier (Ballarat), The Age and the Herald Sun.We've also had a visit from the "Great Outdoors" crew, so we're looking forward for the segment to be shown. Easter has come and gone like a whirlwind and I think we are still recovering from the 'holidays'. Chris and I worked on entries in the 2004 Melbourne Food and Wine Easter Egg Competition. We have them on display in the shop until the end of April.
Easter Egg Hunt Down Under- close up of Chris' entry in the Melbourne Food and Wine Week Easter Egg Competition
5 Weeks on...
Here we are after Christmas and the New Year with lots of happy customers having passed through our doors. In the past five weeks if we got to bed before 2am we counted ourselves lucky- trying to keep up with the demand for our fresh hand-made chocolates. Some nights we worked 'til 4:30am gathering enough kangaroo poo to satisfy all of the almond connoiseurs.People came not only from around the district but from all over Oz and also as far as Canada, Germany, Venezuela, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, NZ, England, Scotland, USA and Switzerland.
Chocoholics of all ages were often spotted enjoying a choccy break on our strawbale benchseat.
Hannah, Meg and Sam- 3 content chocoholics :-)
We also had our first "Official Chocoholics", Vanessa and Zdena (hope I spelt that right). Many thanks from us for your fantastic support and encouragement.
Vanessa and Zdena: Chocolate Mill's First Official Chocoholics
Our Opening...
We opened our doors on the 21st November, 2003. Thanks to all our friends and family for their ongoing support. Without you we wouldn't have made it. Here are a couple of images that we hope capture the spirit of our first day.
Tim, Chris, Jen and Joanne celebrate the end of Day 1 with champers :-)
Beautiful flowers and wishes sent from our family in Canada and the guestbook for our opening
Chocolate Mill in the Press
Here are some snippets of the reviews we've had in the press:
"...uncompromising commitment to quality" Epicure, The Age, 03/02/2004.
"Chocolate Lover's Heaven" Sunday Herald Sun, 11/06/2006
"The Chocolate Mill is one of those little out of the way finds" Country Style, Jan/Feb 2005
"Over 70 varieties of fresh chocolates…visitors are crowding to taste" Gourmet Traveller 02/2004
"Indulgent and sophisticated chocolates that produce wicked tastes" Herald Sun, 28/04/2004
"Their Port and Raisin Truffle…deliciously intoxicating" Epicure, The Age 24/10/2006
"…elevated one of life's great pleasures to a new level" Epicure, The Age 24/04/2007
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