Hidden in Port Elizabeth’s Kensington lies a chocolate factory that produces treats filled with the goodness of peanut butter. The brains behind this operation is Nelson Mandela Bay’s own Mr Willy Wonka, Chris Parkin.
Armed with chocolate secrets of his own, the MD of COTi Chocolate Manufacturers Parkin is like a child in a candy store when he talks about the chocolate goodies he and his team (no oompa loompas were insight) create.
He is especially passionate about their latest creation, the Peanut Butter Max — made with no extra sugar.
Parkin, who is a diabetic, said: “This is a real game changer for the business. No-one that I know of has created a 0% sugar peanut butter bar. There is no bar like this in the world.
“As a diabetic myself I have a chocolate that I can eat without guilt. It is a healthy indulgence,” he said.
Parkin, who looks remarkably like US billionaire Bill Gates (they stop him in the street to ask if he is in fact THE Bill Gates) is quite slim for someone who runs a chocolate factory.
This would be a dream job for many.
“Just say of all the chocolate you can eat,” I say but he laughs and says “bizarrely, your chocolate consumption goes down because it is constantly available!”
Parkin, who has been in the chocolate industry for more than 15 years, said: “In the beginning, we were making slabs with nuts but we kept having problems with production when the nuts stuck together and blocked our depositors.
“As I like peanut butter we looked at making our own to overcome the production challenge and, of course, we made something that just tastes great.
“The zero sugar was just a logical step when you understand that consumers want to cut back on sugar but without sacrificing the taste,” he said.
Parkin has just returned from a successful business trip to New York. The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) sponsored a trip for COTi to attend the annual New York Wine and Food Fair in October. More than 6,000 people attended the show.
“I approached the ECDC about this festival. I was looking at breaking into the US chocolate market which would be amazing for us if we get it right. We have also attended courses on export” he said.
“It was an extremely busy show. We ran out of stock halfway through the festival! More than 2,000 people tried the Peanut Butter Max.
” The Americans said things like ‘Wow, this is wonderful’; ‘I love this peanut butter taste, where can I buy the product?’ and ‘I can’t believe that it is not made with sugar, it tastes so good’.
“This just confirms that we have a wonderful, unique product that will do well in the US.”
Parkin is not only passionate about chocolate but creating sustainable employment.
COTI employs 44 people but he would love to create more jobs and he hopes this trip will bear fruit. He already has three leads.
Just this week, COTi received an order for 20 boxes from a US vending machine operator.
“This could be a way forward into the US,” he said.
“And we can create more jobs. We have the capacity to make more chocolate. We are not at full capacity yet.”
It does sound very glamorous running a chocolate factory but Parkin says it has its challenges too.
“The hours are long and as MD I never switch off. But the reward is seeing people enjoy something that you have made.”
The Peanut Butter Max range is available in Dis-Chem, SPAR and Checkers.
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