Foundry Chocolate

Silverdale, New Zealand

David and Janelle Herrick are born-and-raised New Zealanders who are slowly transforming New Zealand’s chocolate culture. Based just north of Auckland, they make an exceptional, multi-award winning selection of single origin chocolate bars. 

Key Info

  • All Foundry Chocolate bars are made with just cacao and organic cane sugar (except the annual, limited edition whisky-infused bars)

  • All bars are dairy free, vegan, gluten free and nut free

  • All bars are dark chocolate, ranging from 70% to 90% cacao content

  • All packaging is paper-based and fully recyclable 

  • Highly awarded at home and overseas, including many International Chocolate Awards and Academy of Chocolate Awards. The Kilombero Valley, Tanzania 70% bar was named best in show at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in 2024. 

  • Made in New Zealand

New Zealand Chocolate Makers

“As our chocolate making techniques have refined over the years, always with a focus on two ingredient chocolate and the remarkable tasting notes possible when the single origin is celebrated, what I can now achieve with my latest roasting techniques blows my mind. Knowing we are honouring the effort that has gone into the cacao before it arrives to us, by unlocking the full potential of each new vintage's flavour notes by developing the optimal roast profile for that harvest, makes the arrival of each new harvest all the more special. Then there is the unbeatable joy of watching people try our chocolate for the first time and having their understanding of what chocolate can taste like altered forever, done using only two ingredients - cacao beans and organic cane sugar.”

— David Herrick

David stumbled upon a short article about craft chocolate in London, and it lit a spark. He hadn’t realised chocolate could be made on a small scale, and as a coffee lover, he was intrigued by the concept of different flavour notes in different cacao origins. For two years, he researched quietly before sharing his vision with his wife Janelle. Together, they began building equipment, testing recipes, sourcing cacao and designing a brand.

After selecting beans from 51 origins and crafting test batches by hand, they launched with 8 beautiful, micro-batch bars in September 2018.

Foundry’s approach is simple but uncompromising: two ingredients – cacao and organic cane sugar. No added cocoa butter, emulsifiers or unnecessary additives. The flavour of each bar is entirely shaped by the origin, genetics, and processing of the beans, which means each batch requires a unique and meticulous roast, grind, and maturation time.

David handles everything from bean selection to chocolate making to machine repairs, while Janelle leads design, packaging and marketing. Foundry’s intricate and beautifully designed wrappers are inspired by the form of cacao pods, and the colour for each wrapper represents the flavour experience. Janelle designs and hand-illustrates a unique pattern for each origin.