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to Durness Local News
16th June
2006
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Durness
Cape Wrath - Members of Durness Community Council and the Durness
Development Group met recently with solicitors representing the Northern
Lighthouse Board. The meeting was requested by the community council after
the community had successfully registered an interest in buying the land at
Cape Wrath. It is hoped that this opening dialogue will lead to a good
working arrangement to improve the facilities and visitor experience at the
most northwesterly point on mainland Britain. Leaseholder John Ure has been
renovating one of the old lighthouse buildings at Cape Wrath and has
converted part of it into an interpretative centre. This facility will be
open for visitors to Cape Wrath on a daily basis, where they can read
information about the history of the lighthouse and the Stevenson family who
built it. Minibus drivers operating tours to Cape Wrath will have a key to
the premises and will be able to attend to the property while visitors are
in the area from May to September.
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Chocoholics have a new mountain to climb!
A haven of temptation for chocoholics has opened in the Sutherland
village of Durness, where a local resident has launched a luxury
chocolate manufacturing business called Cocoa Mountain. Chocolatier
Paul Maden is offering mouth-watering delicacies such as dark
chocolate truffle with coffee and sweet cinnamon, whisky and vanilla
coffee with bitter cocoa dust (adults only), and imported Turkish
delight dipped in a dark 73 per cent Cuban chocolate. A regular summer
visitor to Durness, Paul conducted considerable customer research and
completed a professional chocolatier course with Ecole Chocolat in
Vancouver, Canada, before setting up the production facility and
chocolate bar at 19A Balnakeil Craft Village with James Findlay, his
next door neighbour. |
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He explained: "I think enjoyment of quality chocolate sales is increasing
as people are becoming aware that it can be good for you, providing you with
antioxidants and stimulating serotonins that make you feel happy. I know a
little chocolate fix in the mid-afternoon really gets me going again."
Behind the delicious taste are hard figures, however. Paul used to work for
the Scottish Institute for Enterprise with entrepreneurial students at the
University of Paisley, and his business acumen has come in useful when
compiling a sound financial plan for Cocoa Mountain.His confidence was
boosted by a Chocolate Manufacturers Association report that sales of
speciality chocolates are rising in the UK at over 17 per cent, while
Cadbury report that the average British resident chomps his or her way
through 10kg of chocolate a year. Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise helped
Paul to set up Cocoa Mountain with a business start-up grant of £3600, which
is paid in 12 monthly instalments. Business start-up grants provide new
businesses with support and financial assistance by providing a regular
income over the first year of trading, usually the hardest time for a
fledgling company. "The help and advice from CASE has been excellent, " said
Paul. CASE development manager Keith Muir commented: "There can be little
doubt that chocolate in all its forms remains one of the world's favourite
commodities. The evidence is clear that there is potentially a massive
market for a quality chocolatier." Working from the open-view chocolaterie
at Balnakeil, Cocoa Mountain is already meeting a brisk trade from visitors
and locals who are coming to buy chocolates and call in for hot chocolate or
organic coffee and teas.
In the autumn Paul and James intend to launch into e-commerce and sell
their products over the internet to a wide customer-base. They have already
had a number of requests for postal deliveries from customers worldwide.
They will also be producing chocolate truffles for the Achfary Arts and
Craft Fair from 2nd July. "We've been really busy since we opened, " said
Paul. "People have been coming to enjoy cappuccino and chocolate and look
out at the view to Cape Wrath and the mountains, or just take a box on a
leisurely walk for a delicious treat. "A couple from Dorset came in to buy a
box of truffles every day of their holiday here, and even popped in to buy a
box of nine for the journey home!" More information on www. cocoamountain.
co. uk
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