Willie Harcourt-Cooze

Willie Harcourt-Cooze

William "Willie" George Harcourt-Cooze is a British entrepreneur who came to public prominence in 2008 with the airing of the fly-on-the-wall documentary, "Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory", centred around his efforts to be one of the first Britons since the Cadbury family to grow, import and produce their own chocolate. He lives in Tiverton, Devon with his wife Tania and three children - Sophia (nine), William (seven) and Eve (four). cite web
last = Goodhart
first = Benjie
title = Interview: Willie Harcourt-Cooze
work = News
publisher = Channel 4 Sales
date =
url = http://www.channel4sales.com/news/home?id=534
] cite web
title = Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
publisher = Channel 4
url = http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/willies-wonky-chocolate-factory/
] cite news
last = Weinberg
first = Kate
title = Willie's wacky chocolate factory
publisher = The Daily Telegraph
date = 23 February 2008
url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main.jhtml?xml=/wine/2008/02/23/edwonka125.xml
] [His children's ages are as of Telegraph article dated 23 February 2008] cite web
title = TM: a selection of Trade Marks and Brand Names registered in April 2007
work = Food Trade Review
publisher = Entrepreneur Magazine
date = August 2007
url = http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/171295664_2.html
]

Born to a half Burmese father who had fled Burma for Ireland during the Second World War and an Irish mother, the family settled in Ireland where they bought a 180 acre island. Rather than live on it, they farmed sheep and cattle on it, which would swim across the sea to reach the mainland. The family lived near the island, on the mainland, where they grew oats and wheat, kept goats and bees and cultivated a 120ft tunnel of vegetables, "We were all dressed in hand-me-downs, had overgrown hair and were constantly inventing ways to make money. It was very much The Good Life."

After leaving school and a succession of bar and club work, he considered following his father and becoming a property developer, when in 1996 he met model and actress Tania Coleridge, sold his house and they left England for Venezuela where they ran a small hotel, a restaurant and organised tourist walks through one of the national parks. They married, and whilst on honeymoon discovered, and later purchased, a convert|1000|acre|ha cocoa hacienda in Choroni. They planted more than 50,000 criollo cacao trees, the highest quality strain of cocoa and built up an eco-tourism venture before having to mothball it temporarily due to the political and economic climate. cite news
last = Wynn-Davies
first = Patricia
title = Me and My Home: At home with history
work = The Independent
publisher = findarticles.com
date = 17 March 2004
url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040317/ai_n12773773
]

Back in the UK, after several years of assembling suitable equipment, and the resumption of cocoa farming, he began production in 2007 in Uffculme, Devon. cite news
title = Documentory Follows Willie's Chocolate Quest
publisher = Express & Echo
date = 04 March 2008
url = http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=137199&command=displayContent&sourceNode=136986&contentPK=20049539&folderPk=79934&pNodeId=137002
]

He produces three 100% cocoa varieties under the Venezuelan Black label - Hacienda El Tesoro which has berry fruit characteristics and is made from multiple varieties from his hacienda - El Tesoro (which translated, means 'Treasure'). Carenero Superior which has nut and spice characteristics and Rio Caribe Superior which has citrus characteristics are each made from high quality single variety beans sourced from other farms. The subtle flavour characteristics occur from the beans themselves, as no flavouring additives are used.

The cocoa bars are available from retail outlets Selfridges and Waitrose and direct via his website, as well as being supplied to Marco Pierre White's White Star Line restaurants.

ee also

*Tania Harcourt-Cooze

References & footnotes


#
  • cite news
    last = Dowling
    first = Tim
    title = Extreme measures
    work = Food & Drink
    publisher = The Guardian
    date = 7 April 2007
    url = http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2051785,00.html

    #
  • External links

    * cite web
    title = Venezuelan Black
    url = http://www.venezuelanblack.com/

    Persondata
    NAME = Harcourt-Cooze, William George
    ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Harcourt-Cooze, Willie
    SHORT DESCRIPTION = British entrepreneur who came to public prominence in 2008 with the airing of the fly-on-the-wall documentary, "Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory", centred around his efforts to be one of the first Britain's since the Cadbury family to grow, import and produce their own chocolate.
    DATE OF BIRTH =
    PLACE OF BIRTH =
    DATE OF DEATH =
    PLACE OF DEATH =


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    Look at other dictionaries:

    • Tania Harcourt-Cooze — Tania Rosamund Harcourt Cooze (née Coleridge) (b Birth date and age|1966|1|22|df=yes) is an English former model and actress. cite news last = Wynn Davies first = Patricia title = Me and My Home: At home with history work = The Independent… …   Wikipedia

    • Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory — is a television documentary series broadcast on Channel 4 in March 2008. Filmed in fly on the wall style, it shows the efforts of Willie Harcourt Cooze to establish a brand of 100% cacao chocolate in the UK. [cite web title = Willie s Wonky… …   Wikipedia

    • Uffculme — is a village located in the Mid Devon district, of Devon, England.HistorySituated in the Blackdown Hills on the B3440, close to the M5 motorway, Uffculme is on the upper reaches of the River Culm. Historically, it was a parish in Bampton Hundred …   Wikipedia

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