about

My name is Agnes Almeida and I am the head Chocolatier and creative director of Xocolatl. I opened Xocolatl with the help of my partner Raymond after selling my handmade artisan chocolates at the Dean's Bush Farmer's Market and the Arts Centre Weekend Market for over a year and a half. We used to tote our 3 month old son to the markets in the freezing cold to see if there was a market for very dark chocolate in Christchurch! It didn't take us long to establish a good clientele and a great reputation so we set our sights on opening a shop. Finally, after many misses, we were able to take over the lease of Fendalton Antiques and after three very long months of renovations we were open on June 4, 2008.

Xocolatl chocolate boutique was created with very little money but a whole lot of heart. Here at Xocolatl we make what we consider to be the best chocolate in Christchurch. I feel that I can stand behind this strong statement because I have 10 solid years of working as a professional pastry chef behind me. I was once the head Pastry Chef at the prestigious Auberge Hatley in North Hatley, Quebec and one of Genevieve Grandbois' head Chocolatiers.

At Xocolatl I work with only the best chocolate in the world such as Callebaut, Valrhona, Amedei and Pralus. Everything we sell we make on site in our little Fendalton boutique. Cakes, brownies, cookies, cakes, mousse and ice cream are made daily and we make the chocolates in small batches bi-weekly to ensure their freshness.

In addition to all of our delectable edibles, we have seventeen hot chocolates to choose from! It can be a little overwhelming deciding which one to try, but we have a hot chocolate to suit everyone's palate. From our signature Evil Chilli to our Valrhona 100% PURE, our hot chocolates are becoming very popular in Christchurch.

I hope to awaken Christchurch's palate with the gorgeous chocolates that I make and I hope you love eating them as much as I love making them.