Seriously Good Chocolate Company

The name is a big claim but very well substantiated at The Seriously Good Chocolate Shop. Jane Stanton has built her business over the last twenty years with one goal - to use chocolate as a medium with which to promote New Zealand to the world. She’s certainly achieved this.

After trialling her products with friends and family she approached Gibbston Valley Wines with an idea to use their wines to create a specialty, Story of Wine, chocolate collection. The project was the first of its kind and a smash hit. Since then Jane has expanded her business here and abroad while staying committed to Southland and Kiwiana.

Since that first Gibbston Valley Wines project Jane and her team have created chocolates for Air New Zealand, Speights, Te Papa Museum, Allpress Coffee, Mainland Honey and fifty odd New Zealand wineries and breweries. All products are made on site at the Invercargill store but a Te Anau store will open in 2020. Some of the most notable items include:

Sheep’s poo: freeze dried boysenberries covered in milk chocolate. They’re tart yet creamy and extremely moreish. 

Pinot noir gin chocolate: Jane’s personal favourite alongside the classic hard caramels.

Mitre Peak chocolate: caramel and toffee with chocolate ganache.

Apricot balls: apricot chocolate inspired by Otago stone fruit.

Allpress chocolate-covered espresso beans.

At The Seriously Good Chocolate Shop you’ll also find loads of preserves, manuka honey products, savoury cabinet food, chocolate cheese rolls (a brandy snap full of chocolate ganache), chocolate making classes and training, and proper hot chocolates that can warm the soul even on Southland’s wicked wintry days. 

Even after all their success, The Seriously Good Chocolate Shop remains experimental and unassuming. They’re always coming out with new flavours (a recent addition is a sheeps milk ice-cream) and upon first glance you’d never guess so many delicious goodies are produced in this tiny store for some of New Zealand’s biggest brands. This place is seriously good and we seriously think you’ll agree.