Choccywoccydoodah Brighton

General information

Choccywoccydoodah
Jim the baker gets through 3000 eggs a week.
He makes about 10,000 portions of cake a week.
We use about 60 tons of chocolate a year. Maybe more.
That's about 1.2 million portions of chocolate.

We were born in Brighton in October 1994.
Choccywoccydoodah started out with just 2 people, Christine Garratt and Christine Taylor. There are now 50 of us.
We call ourselves Doodahs. And anyone who doesn't get us, we call 'Dontdahs'.

The Brighton shop, cafe and studio are known as the Mothership.
Christine and I take turns at the helm, sailing the ship through ups and downs, full of Doodahs, some Dontdahs, with plenty of room for lovely people who want to share our journey.
The London shop, cafe and Secret room is known as the Flagship.
It's just off Carnaby Street in Soho. It's our posh address.
The online shop is our Spaceship. Run by astronaut Doodahs who understand the concept of technology, but with their feet firmly on the ground.

We all love chocolate, we all love cake. We all love working together and we love the world we've created and live in.
But we are not conventional, we don't like rules, we don't often do as we are told.

Lovely chocolate facts.

One chocolate chip can give a person enough energy to walk 150 feet

It takes approximately 400 cacao beans to make one pound (450 gr.) of chocolate.

Chocolate has an anti-bacterial effect on the mouth and protect against tooth decay.

The name chocolate comes from the Aztec word xocalati meaning bitter water. Not at all surprising, being that they concocted a drink by combining cacao with chillie peppers, achiote, cornmeal and it's believed they added a form of hallucnogenic mushroom (possibly helped to take their minds of the taste).

17,000 people in Belgium work in the chocolate industry

Ninety percent of the worlds cacao is grown on small family run farms, no larger than 12 acres.

Nearly all cacao trees grow within 20 degrees of the equator, and 75% grow within 8 degrees of either side of it. Cacao trees grow in three main regions: West Africa, South and Central America, and Southeast Asia/Oceania.

Research suggests that dark chocolate boosts memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain. Studies have also found that dark chocolate can improve the ability to see in low-contrast situations (such as poor weather) and promote lower blood pressure, which has positive effects on cholesterol levels, platelet function, and insulin sensitivity.h

In 1846 the Fry family made the first chocolate bar. The recipe is still pretty much the same today.
Prior to that most chocolate was consumed as a drink.

Cocoa contains magnesium.
Magnesium is essential to keep us calm and enhances a sense of well being.
It is an important factor in the control of serotonin in our brains.

Serotonin reduces our stress, acts as a natural anti-depressant and promotes our sense of well being.

Cocoa contains theobromine. Theobromine makes us a little high.
We get happy on theobromine.

Chocolate stimulates the secretion of endorphins into our system.
This is the same substance we naturally release into our systems when we fall in love.
Chocolate is an aphrodisiac.

Chocolate contains iron, copper, zinc, calcium, potassium, vitamins A, B12, B complex, C, D and E.
These minerals help brain function, cell growth, tissue repair and absorption of nutrients.

The fats in cocoa butter are good fats, not saturated fats.

Flavenols, which are natural chemicals found in cocoa, boost the production of nitric oxide, crucial for regulating blood pressure.

Medical research shows that eating good quality chocolate is as beneficial as taking an aspirin every day.

French dentists recommend eating chocolate after a meal. It naturally contains fluoride and less sugar than an apple. It actually helps to prevent tooth decay.
Cocoa contains substances that combat oral bacteria.

When chocolate was first introduced into Europe it was well received for its medicinal properties.
Particularly used for cough relief, indigestion, fertility and depression.
It is still used for soothing indigestion, upset stomachs and coughs.
Chocolate has plenty of dietary fibre, it keeps the intestinal and stomach walls clean and aids digestion.

Powerful antioxidants in chocolate protect body cells against free radicals.
More so than almost any other food types.
These also slow down the aging process, strengthen the immune system, lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Chocolate contains a unique saturated fat which has a neutral effect on the production of bad cholesterol and promotes good cholesterol.
Dark chocolate is cholesterol free.

Because of the unique composition of chocolate, sugar is absorbed very slowly into the bloodstream. It has low GI.

Dogs cannot eat chocolate. It is toxic for them.

The correct name for chocolate or cocoa is Theobroma Cacao.
This translates as 'Food of the Gods'.
Making Choccywoccydoodah a bit of a religious experience....