The Darkroom Chocolate story, made in Norfolk

Can you start by introducing yourself and what you do?

Hi, I’m Mike, a craft chocolate maker, and I run Darkroom, a bean-to-bar chocolate company with my partner in North Walsham. As well as making chocolate, I’ve been a baker since 2007 and moved to Norfolk from Wales in 2014 to open Timberhill Bakery in Norwich, and later Bun Club in Anglia Square. While I was researching plant-based baking during 2020, I also wrote a baking cookbook where I tested lots of different alternatives to traditional baking.

Who’s behind Darkroom Chocolate day-to-day? 

It’s myself, my partner Natalie Stringer, and Pumpkin, a rescue staffy. Like most small companies, we don’t have very defined roles, but I suppose I head up the What Should We Make? the How Do We Make It? and the How Do We Sell It? departments. Natalie leads the Doing What We Said We Would, the Getting Things Done, and the Paying Everyone on Time departments. Pumpkin takes care of relaxation and sleeping, where she brings a lot of natural talent and experience.

What led you away from a corporate career and into food? 

Looking back, going into a corporate career was probably the wrong thing for me. There’s a strong social pressure to get a degree and land a well-paid job in a big company in order to feel successful. But for a lot of people, it’s the wrong thing to do. I think it depends on your personality type. After ten years of feeling like a square peg in a round hole, I realised that maybe I would never fit in, so decided to go it alone. I come from a food-focused family and spent every school holiday working in a craft bakery growing up, so I followed my passion for baking that started with that Saturday job when I was thirteen.

What drew you towards high-quality, plant-based baking and chocolate? 

One of the surprising things we’ve learned from plant-based baking is how much eggs and dairy can overpower flavours in both bakes and chocolate. The traditional view is that eggs and butter add richness, which can be true, but they also dilute other flavours you are trying to bring out. For example, adding milk powder to our chocolate would just add fat and take away from the natural flavour of the cacao. I remember converting a lemon and raspberry cake to a plant-based recipe at Timberhill without saying anything, and sales actually increased. Customers noticed something had changed and said it was more lemony, more fruity.

What sets your chocolate apart? 

There are a number of very good bean-to-bar makers in the UK sourcing cacao responsibly and producing high-quality chocolate. What we do differently is keep things to just two ingredients, cacao and sugar. We roast very lightly so the natural flavour comes through more clearly. Only a small number of makers work this way because it’s more difficult. There are trade-offs too. The bars are less polished and more challenging, but that’s what we’re aiming for, bringing out the individual character of each cacao.

How do you approach sourcing your cacao? 

There are two reasons why working with independent farms makes sense for us. There’s the emotional side of connecting with other small businesses building something of their own, but also a practical one. The highest quality cacao is traded very differently from commodity chocolate. Growers focused on quality and ethics tend to avoid large-scale systems and instead work with craft makers or specialist importers. We’re not at the stage where we can buy directly from farms, so we spent time finding the right importer. We now work with someone in the Netherlands whose values align closely with ours.

Your visual identity is distinctive. How did that come about? 

I’m still amazed by the range of natural flavours in cacao beans. It’s incredible how vibrant and fruity dark chocolate can be, just based on where the cacao comes from. It’s similar to wine or coffee in that respect. I wanted the packaging to reflect that sense of mystery, and from there a noir theme felt right. We worked with NUA graduate illustrator Lily Blakely, who helped bring the idea to life and turn it into something visually engaging.

What have been your most popular products? 

Our best seller is a 70% bar made with Mexican lavado cacao, which is washed rather than fermented. It keeps a high level of the natural compounds found in cacao and creates a very intense, bitter chocolate. We nearly didn’t release it because of that bitterness, but people have really taken to it. Some enjoy that stronger flavour, and the health aspect is an added bonus.

What draws you to working with independent shops and cafés? 

Darkroom is the opposite of what large corporations stand for, so working with big retailers doesn’t feel right. There are so many independent shops and cafés looking for products made with care. The people running them usually care deeply about what they sell and share similar values. We’re lucky these places still exist, as they play a big role in keeping independent producers going.

How has being based in Norfolk shaped what you do? 

People in Norfolk tend to be supportive of independents and open to something a bit different. That was a big reason for moving here. It’s given us the confidence to try things we might not have elsewhere.

What has your experience of the Norfolk creative scene been like? 

There’s a strong creative influence here, partly due to NUA. It’s helped create an open-minded audience that’s more receptive to ideas that are a bit different. There’s also a sense of mutual support between people working in the area, which makes a big difference.

Are there any Norfolk-based businesses that have influenced you? 

Mark at Fika on Wensum Street is one. He runs his business with a clear point of view and isn’t afraid to show it, which encouraged me to do the same. Another is Agile Box in Lenwade. They handle our packaging and approach problem-solving in a very creative way, even if it’s not always seen as a traditional creative field.

How do you see things changing for independent food and craft businesses? 

It’s becoming more challenging, especially in retail and hospitality. The businesses that will last are the ones that stand for something and offer a clear perspective. Being able to adapt quickly is also becoming more important. The way people buy is changing, so having different routes to market, local, seasonal and online, is key.

What advice would you give to someone starting out? 

Keep your day job for as long as possible while you get started. Save as much as you can, as everything costs more than you expect. Start local but make sure what you’re doing has wider appeal. Focus on making something distinct rather than trying to compete with mass-produced products. Treat suppliers well and pay them on time. Keep your costs low where you can and give yourself the time and space to develop what you’re making.

Conclusion 

As Darkroom Chocolate moves into its next chapter, the closing of the Factory Café in North Walsham marks the end of more than a decade of baking in Norfolk and a refreshed focus on of a bean-to-bar chocolate.

What Mike Sweetman and Natalie have built over the last few decades has become part of a wider Norfolk story, shaped by independent thinking, creativity and a strong sense of community. From baking on Timberhill to lockdown pop ups in NR3’s iconic Anglia Square, soon to be demolished, to collaborations and local markets, Darkroom Chocolate has become part of our changing local history.

That support from local makers, shops, and customers has helped shape Darkroom Chocolate into what it is today and now gives it the space to refine its focus as a dedicated bean-to-bar chocolate maker.  

Their incredible chocolate is available online and we highly recommend trying it - not just for its flavour but as a way of supporting the creatives and independents that continue to define Norfolk. When you do, we'd love for you to share your thoughts with the Nor-Folk community.