about cacao

How Rosemary started her journey

How it all started

Once upon a time, a girl named Rosemary fell in love with chocolate. She came to be known as the proud benefactor of a little artisanal chocolate shop in England. Our founder, Rosemary Ndukuba, grew up on a cacao farm in Nigeria, with the warmth of a family that introduced her to the wonders of chocolate. Soon, she started exploring the vastness of flavours and textures, and the love for chocolate was ingrained in her psyche. Things took off from there and soon began the quest for turning her admiration for chocolate into a business.

In the Spring of 2017, Cenu Cacao was born. Located in a quiet corner on Regent Street in Royal Leamington Spa, UK, Cenu Cacao is a “bean to bar” chocolate shop. Therefore, as you walk in, not only will you be welcomed by a fresh aroma of chocolate, but you can also watch it being prepared right in front of you. Our chocolates are baked using Aztec methods, making Cenu Cacao one of the first chocolate bars to do this in the West Midlands.

Our freshly selected ingredients

Our Carefully Selected Ingredients - Fresh, and Never Better!

Our wide-eyed dream of making chocolate commenced in Venezuela and Panama, making it our trusted source of fully-certified, freshly grown cacao beans. Our treasured cacao beans are crushed in stone grinders in the shop itself, followed by the creation of exclusively handmade batches. These batches then make their way to the bar in the form of pralines and truffles infused with a novel taste for you to relish. Speaking of the delicacies we offer, we have to mention our remarkable hot chocolate and cacao tea that is made with a flavour unique to our brand.

To find a “bean to bar” chocolate shop in the UK is a rare occurrence. Why? Most chocolate manufacturers make their desserts with premade cocoa liquor. But not us. We believe in individuality, and like to do things our way. And that is to give you the chance to witness the sweet miracle of chocolate, right in front of your eyes.

Every bite of our chocolate is heavenly

Enjoy our special chocolate with your friends!

As we make our way into the third year of Cenu Cacao, we are proud to tell you that we remain in complete charge of the chocolate-making process. Each and every step, from sorting, roasting, cracking, winnowing, grounding, and conching to finely ageing the chocolate before chilling, is handled by us. The artisanal value of our chocolate is deeply rooted in the process we follow, making particularly rare chocolates and drinking chocolates with authentic flavours. With our unique chocolates, you will be able to taste the subtlety of cacao clearly, because it shouldn’t be any other way. Furthermore, you can rest assured that our chocolate doesn’t have even a hint of palm oil or Lecithin.

With the goodness of chocolate and the earthy texture of cacao, our chocolates make for a beautiful blend of delightful and organic extracts.

SHOP OUR PRODUCTS

Whether it’s distance or time, nothing should stop you from having these delicious chocolates. Hence, you can shop these fresh mouth-watering chocolates online at Cenu Cacao: The Classic Chocolate Makers. Your options are a wide variety of dark chocolates, classic truffles, selection boxes, coffee that’s inspired from the Southern region of India, organic cacao beans, and roasted cacao nibs.

Be a part of our world of chocolate

Contact us today!

At Cenu Cacao, we firmly believe in letting our customers inside our little chocolate- making them watch as the best chocolate-eating experience of their life takes place. We make our chocolates right here at Royal Leamington Spa, down to the careful grinding of organically grown cacao beans. Our work has given us the liberty to meet and greet several people every day, and we would love to have you.

You can contact us via email, call, or better yet, drop in for a quick chat at our humble chocolate bar!

Our customers satisfaction is our top priority

Few words from customers

There is nothing better than the atmosphere in this shop. You walk in blessed by the smell of chocolate. Then the warmth of the people serving really touches your soul. And then the coffee and chocolate is just divine. Guilty pleasure.Thomas CotterillOctober 12, 2024

Quaint chocolatier in heart of Leamington Spa serving vast array of milk and dark chocolates. I tried the hot chocolate while choosing chocolates. Utterly delicious! Velvety texture, packing a punch of cocoa. Wow! The owner was patient in helping me select chocolates. I have no doubt they will be delicious. Definitely recommend this place.Andy IoannouOctober 9, 2024

Bought some chocolates for my daughter's birthday. Lucky for me, my daughter shared... Wow! Absolutely delicious.....you get what you pay for. Also had a hot chocolate: thick, rich, velvety, delectable ambrosia.Helen ThompsonSeptember 4, 2024

Best hot chocolate bar none! My partner first discovered Cenu 6 years ago and have gone back frequently ever since. W have tried many many many places across the UK to find a hot choc even close to Cenu's but none are as thick, chocolate rich and smooth. If you are in the area or are looking to try it, get the spiced milk hot chocolate and you won't regret it (especially in winter!). Rosemary and her team are just lovely and really know their stuff so it's worth every penny and the chocolates on display are a fantastic present for any chocolate connoisseur.Jack RosenthalAugust 25, 2024

Had hot chocolate from the Solihull branch and it is THE BEST hot chocolate I've ever had. Absolutely perfect and I will be returning (multiple times haha!)NicolleAugust 21, 2024

Nina BakshukAugust 17, 2024

A delicious collection of artisan chocolates. Master chocolatiers I would call cenu cacoa. I was literally spoilt with choice. Tastes amazing! Staff are so friendly and welcoming. I absolutely recommend Cenu Cacao in Leamington Spa. The very best!Charlotte FrimpongAugust 10, 2024

Great little artisan chocolates!! Very nice people and delicious, inventive chocolates 😍🤩Visit And TasteJuly 22, 2024

Subin George PanickerJuly 20, 2024

FionaJune 25, 2024

Amazing shop of artisan chocolates with great vegan options. Delicious ice cream. Rosemary the owner is so friendly and welcoming. Looking forward to our next annual visit. Highly recommend.Roshni ModhaJune 3, 2024

Me and my partner did Rosemary's chocolate making workshop and I would highly recommend giving it a go! She was very generous with prosecco and chocolate strawberries on entry then gave us some tasting and lots of Interesting information about cocoa then we proceeded to temper the chocolate and make our own bars. Very good experience and beautiful chocolatelindsey woodfieldJune 2, 2024

Beau PollardMay 30, 2024

Best hot chocolate in the Midlands. I don't even live near here but every time I'm in the area I will goAlex PlattsMay 29, 2024

Amazing service in this shop, the staff are so lovely and greet everyone warmly, the smell of chocolate travels down the street and is truly enticing. Wonderful products and a must visit.Little EmzMay 19, 2024

Was walking past and it smelt amazing, and walked in and got coffee and 5 different little chocolates and all them were delicious!! Really recommend & staff were lovely.Laura BarlowMay 18, 2024

Don PaulMay 13, 2024

I never usually buy individual chocolates, but this place looked so unique I had to check it out. The chocolates are amazing (definitely recommend the whiskey and marmalade one), beautifully made with interesting flavours and complex without being too sweet.Jieran MengApril 27, 2024

Furqan RaiApril 22, 2024

Nice to be vegan and welcome in a chocolate shop! Didn't charge for oat milk so automatic 5 star review from me anyway ✨⭐RApril 11, 2024