The Chocolate Shop

27/04/2026

The Chocolate Shop “factory” is also home to the magnificent Bonsai Nursery - Open this year during Hogsback Open Gardens

Explore our Bonsai Nursery, featuring Japanese Maples, Azaleas, Junipers, Chinese Elms, and more. All available to purchase along with Azalea and Maple seedlings
A short stroll through our gardens filled with Cyprus and Cedar Trees, Azaleas, Roses, Wisteria, and layers of Maples ends at
a tranquil Japanese Dry Rock Garden for a moment of calm.

Gardens open: 16-18 October, 23-25 October and 13-15 November

21/04/2026

Pleased to say that our chocolate contains only cocoa butter. Not vegetable fats and other cheap replacements. Thank you Barry Callebaut

While major chocolate companies quietly fund lab-grown alternatives that are set to hit shelves in 2027, they’ve already been replacing your favorite bars for years.

Cadbury’s ‘dairy milk’ contains so many substitutions that it’s not even legally considered chocolate in some parts of the world, yet millions still buy it thinking nothing has changed. The cocoa butter disappeared long ago, replaced with a blend of six industrial oils designed to mimic real chocolate’s mouthfeel. What remains gets diluted with polyglycerol and flavored with petroleum-derived vanilla to mask the waxy taste of those oil blends.

The transition happens through small reformulations every few months, which means your taste buds adapt gradually without noticing the difference. Companies count on you not reading the ingredient labels carefully enough to spot when “cocoa butter” vanishes from the list, replaced by vague terms like “chocolate flavoring” and “cocoa compounds”.

You can still find real chocolate’s mouthfeel made with actual cocoa butter and natural vanilla, but you need to know which brands haven’t compromised their recipes. Look for chocolate with five ingredients or fewer and avoid anything containing PGPR, polyglycerol, or vegetable fats where cocoa butter should be.

What are your thoughts on lab-grown chocolate?

16/04/2026

After a busy few months preparing for Easter, we’re back to the grind. Replenishing stocks. Can you guess which flavour we’re working on here?

07/04/2026

Don’t miss this event at the end of April. Long weekend with 2 days of running. Choose from night run to fun run to mad 2 day run to full marathon run to easy run to tough run. Whatever your distance, there’s a race for you.!

Design your own stage race in the Amatholes. 🌲

Some events ask you to choose one start line. Hobbit lets you shape the weekend. Build your own stage race across two days in the Amathole forests, mix distances, earn your forest name, and make it a proper Hogsback weekend away with the people you love.

How it works:
Choose one on Day 1, then one on Day 2. Or run one day only. Or stitch together a combo and run as a Pathweaver.

Day 1, Saturday 25 April 2026 ⬇️
21km Half Marathon
10km Trail
5km Fun Run
8km Night Run

Day 2, Sunday 26 April 2026 ⬇️
42km Mountain Marathon
16km Forest Fun
5km Fun Run

This is a rare privilege, singletrack through old forest, mist, moss, birdsong, and the kind of mountain quiet you only find when you go far enough in. Bring the family, let the kids run as Sprigs, take the night as Burrowers, or go deep as Trailkin and Wayfarers.

Come write your own weekend on the trail.

hobbitrun.co.za



Merrell

06/04/2026

We had as much fun seeing all the videos as these Golden Coupon winners did getting their tickets.

Kids. Adults. Young. Old. So much fun was had by all. Thanks for the amazing support this Easter.

We will be in touch with all the winners to arrange delivery of your prizes.

See you again next year 🐣 🐰 🪺

31/03/2026

PE customers .!! You can find our crack open Easter Eggs at Death by Coffee Roastery in Mt Pleasant. Not many left so grab one QUICKLY 🏃‍♂️

27/03/2026

Sometimes life is too short and you gotta do what you gotta do. This customer bought just ONE egg and won a golden coupon. We couldn’t be more pleased for this little cutie pie. Happy Early Easter 🐣

17/03/2026

Hang around a little on Sunday to enjoy our neighbours market day. Music. Pizza. Market. Pony rides….

🎉 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 🎉

📅 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧: Sunday, March 22nd at 10:00 AM
📍 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: RedClay Cafe

🌿 Sunday Garden Market at RedClay Cafe 🍕

Spend your Sunday soaking up the atmosphere in the garden at RedClay Cafe for our Human Rights Day Market.

We kick things off at 10am with pizzas fresh from the wood-fired oven, while Julie Baker sets the tone with live music under the trees.

Enjoy a full day of food and drink specials, good vibes, and a beautiful Hogsback setting. 🌞

14/03/2026

The market may be small, but the vendors go large. All the eats here are made purely with love and only the best ingredients. And of course there are the super talented crafts people selling their wares from art to cuddly toys to vintage jewellery to fresh produce. Don’t miss the Hogsback Saturday morning market at The Kings Lodge under the oak trees. Grab some food, buy something interesting, find a tree stump, have a seat and meet the locals 🤠

12/03/2026

We’re now starting to take pre-orders for our Crack Open Easter Eggs, although we’re still waiting for the final packaging to arrive later this week before confirming everything.

The expected price will be around R175 per box, just pending the final packaging confirmation.

Each Easter box will include:
🍫 A hollow Easter egg filled with chocolate bunnies, mini marshmallows & chocolate-coated nuts
🍫 A mini “Happy Easter” chocolate slab
🔨 A little wooden hammer to crack the egg open
✨ And some eggs will contain Golden Tickets (where you can win chocolates and discounts)

At this stage I’m taking orders but not payment yet, just so I can plan production.

If you’d like me to reserve one (or more) for you, send a WhatsApp to 0747214885 (pls don’t comment or message in FB or IG if you’re interested. I’m only taking orders via WhatsApp)

We’ll also be delivering to East London just before Easter (date to be confirmed).

Thanks again for the excitement around these — we can’t wait to show you the finished product! 😊