Best known for our epic stories & taste adventures, Baron Hasselhoff's are multi-award-winning artisan chocolatiers who always bring the mouth party.

Led by Chief Chocolate Disciple Clayton McErlane and Chief Everything Else Officer Erin Todd, our family business blends cacao magic and a whole lot of love into every bar, truffle and caramel.

We’re big fans of planet Earth and the people on it, so we take sustainability seriously. From how we source our ingredients to what we do with slightly wonky chocolates, here’s what we’re doing to tread lightly and do right:

RESPONSIBLE SOURCING
We know exactly where our ingredients come from, and we work only with partners who share our values.
Cacao: Fully traceable, sourced direct from smallholder co-ops and trusted cacao ambassadors.
Cacao butter: From a farmer-led co-op in Papua New Guinea, where prices are set by the growers themselves.
Sugar: Organic and Fair Trade, grown in Paraguay. It’s better for the planet and the people producing it.

CRAFT, NOT COMPROMISE
We make all our chocolate bars from scratch right here in Wellington.
We never use industrial couverture (chocolate coatings). Ever.
Our caramels and truffles use couverture from Weave Cacao, which is ethically grown and produced in the Pacific.
We collaborate locally with legends like Aro Bake, Dirty Donuts and Rich Coffee.

HEALTHY PLANET
We’re little, but we think big about climate, soil and sustainability.
Soil health is key to amazing chocolate. Our growers keep things organic and wild, with no pesticides. 
We connect our business with farms and cacao ambassadors that share our values of environmentalism and keeping things natural. 
We go organic wherever possible and avoid ingredients linked to deforestation or synthetic chemical use.

CAREFUL ENERGY USE
While our workshop mostly runs on chocolate and elbow grease, we do need electricity. 
We do most things by hand, reducing our energy footprint.
We use Toast Electric as our power provider. They’re a not-for-profit that helps locals experiencing energy hardship.

LOW WASTE, HIGH STANDARDS
We aim to waste as little as possible and make the most of every scrap.
Kitchen waste (food scraps, baking paper, coffee grounds) is composted out the back of our shop.
Cacao husks are sent to a local orchard for tree mulch.
We’re plastic-free. All of our packaging is biodegradable, compostable or recyclable, including FSC-certified water-activated paper tape and plant-based cellophane bags.
If you’ve got a home compost, we recommend you cut up your wrappers and chuck them in (it’s what we do at the shop).

SECOND CHANCES FOR CHOCOLATE
Speaking of waste, not every chocolate is perfect. But even imperfect chocolate is delicious. 
Seconds go into our ‘Cost of Living’ basket. Slightly wonky, still delicious, and sold at half price.
We donate plenty to Kaibosh Food Rescue, including special batches of ‘Charity Balls’ made from Swinging Sultan offcuts.

CLIMATE AND TRANSPORT
Cacao doesn’t grow in Wellington, but we do our best to source close to home.
Our bean-to-bar chocolate uses cacao from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
Our couverture chocolate (for truffles and caramels) is made in the Pacific by Weave Cacao.
We source a small amount from Mexico, the birthplace of cacao, to honour its roots and support traditional growers.
We’re also tracking our carbon footprint and working towards B- Corp accreditation. In the meantime, we offset emissions by donating to Trees That Count.

PEOPLE FIRST
People are the heart of our business, in Wellington and around the world.
We pay everyone in our Baron Hasselhoff whanau at or above the Living Wage.
We regularly support local schools, Women’s Refuge and Kaibosh Food Rescue.
We pay a premium for our cacao because it supports our growers and their communities.