Blind chocolatier thriving as chocolate making business flourishes
Watch the interview with the blind chocolatier.
A blind chocolatier is thriving as the proud owner of a flourishing chocolate making business.
Stuart Hann from Staveley near Kendal opened 'the Blind Chocolatier' in 2019. He has a genetic disorder which only started to affect his vision a few years ago when he was in his 20s.
The former pastry chef has now learned to overcome the challenges of being registered blind.
Stuart Hand, said: “When I am making my chocolates, like when I am putting the coloured cocoa butters in, I just look closely to see that I am using the right colours. I have all my different chocolates different shapes and colours.
"One of the reasons is because they look better for the chocolate box and also so I can identify the different colours. I use my phone to zoom in on stuff like ingredient labels and stuff so I know I am putting the right ingredients in.
“You can do all sorts of different things. I have made Saturn out of chocolate hung on a bit of fishing wire. I have made chocolate tea cups and tea pot. You can be very creative and do all sorts of different things.
Stuart supplies various hotels and caterers across the Lake District and he even wants to expand.
He said: "In the long term I would like to have another shop. This could be just production but that is something in the long term."
Ann Dallaway Stuart's mother speaks about how being registered blind can affect him in normal everyday life.
She said: "I can actually walk past him in the street and he wouldn’t actually see me. When you are sat talking to Stuart he doesn’t actually look at you and from a mother’s point of view that is the bit that is quite upsetting.
"He does really well doing his business and we do help him a little bit with some of the deliveries. He has got a very strong group of friends that help him."
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