About Us

Chocolats Marionnettes produces handmade chocolate in Knysna, South Africa.

In 2005 Emily fulfilled an ambition to move her family down to Knysna in the Western Cape and become a professional chocolatier. She and her advertising writer-director business partner Jonathan, launched their own brand, CHOCOLATS MARIONNETTES, and established a chocolate factory where giant dark, milk and white French and Swiss chocolate blocks are tempered to fill an array of moulds.

The company produces a range of 85g and 45g %-grand cru and flavoured artisan bars, and individual delights including cocoa-butter design-topped caramel-filled chocolates. Emily also enrolled on a Chocolatiers’ internet course that culminated in a trip to Paris to complete her studies. Between classes she hiked the streets of the Left Bank to absorb its chocolate trends. “Parisian patisseries and chocolatiers are revered as temples - there’s a chocolatier on almost every boulevard displaying confections ranging from the finest grand cru bars to the most exquisite hand-enrobed truffles I’ve ever tasted. I particularly loved fresh raspberry and passion fruit ganache as a filling.” A Parisian chocolatier who enrobes a variety of French cheeses in dark chocolate also caught her taste buds.

“Since they’ve discovered that quality dark chocolate is actually good for you, it’s becoming more and more popular, and with that popularity comes a greater awareness chocolate-wise. The trend, as in wines, is to choose a type of chocolate that best suits your palette. This is why,” explains Emily, “single cocoa plantations are becoming prominent along with their produce - grand cru chocolate.” She predicts a growth market in ‘chocolate tasting’ events and enthuses about the fact that “dessert wine and chocolate make a superb combination.”

Emily then caught the EuroStar to London to check out the chocolate shops of Chelsea, “London is more experimental than Paris; there’s a predilection for more unusually flavoured chocolate and fillings. Sugar-free is also gaining ground in the UK.” She is passionate about her own organic and sugar-free bar ranges, and is experiencing a huge growth in demand.