Willie Harcourt-Cooze
Encyclopedia
William "Willie" George Harcourt-Cooze (born London
, 29 April 1964), is a British
-based entrepreneur
. He came to public prominence in 2008 with the airing of the Channel4 fly-on-the-wall documentary
, Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
, which centred around his efforts to grow, import and produce his own chocolate
.
mother, he has two younger, and two older sisters, as well as a younger brother. His father fled Burma during the Second World War. When Willie was four his father bought Horse Island (51.515309°N 9.467401°W) on the south west coast of Ireland
between Ballydehob
and Schull Willie, where his father started farming and living a self-sufficient life.
He attended school in Waterford. Returning to England aged eleven, he was unhappy and returned to Ireland after a year where he attended a comprehensive school in Cork
. After completing basic schooling there, he moved back to England again to study for his A-levels and was considering following in his father's footsteps and becoming a property developer. In 1982, whilst on a night out with some friends, he was stabbed by an unknown assailant, but made a good recovery. Soon after this happened, he received the news that his father had died. He decided to travel and visited Australia
, Peru
and the Far East
.
Having met the model
Tania Coleridge while residing in London, he flew to her home in Los Angeles
and proposed.
El Tesoro (meaning treasure in Spanish), in Choroni.
They fell in love with the property before returning to London for a year.
They eventually decided to sell his flat in London, and emigrated to Venezuela to purchase El Tesoro. They planted more than 50,000 cacao trees of the Criollo cultivar, and built up an eco-tourism venture. In 1998 he started making 100% cacao
bars for locals from the farm, with moulds made from a clay pipe. In 2008, after being falsely accused, investigated and cleared by the regime of Hugo Chavez
for exploitation of locals, they mothballed the farm temporarily.
Relocating to a rented property in Devon
, England, after several years of assembling suitable equipment, and the resumption of cocoa farming, he began production in 2007 in Uffculme
, Devon
, filmed by Channel4. In 2008 the TV show was recommissioned for a second series, the follow-up series Willie's Chocolate Revolution: Raising the Bar, aired on Channel 4 on 7–9 April 2009 and followed Harcourt-Cooze's attempt to introduce a high-cacao chocolate bar, "Delectable", to the British market.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 29 April 1964), is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. He came to public prominence in 2008 with the airing of the Channel4 fly-on-the-wall documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory is a television documentary series broadcast on Channel 4 in March 2008. Filmed in "fly-on-the-wall" style, it shows the efforts of Willie Harcourt-Cooze to establish a brand of 100% cacao chocolate in the UK....
, which centred around his efforts to grow, import and produce his own chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
.
Biography
Born to a Burmese father and IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
mother, he has two younger, and two older sisters, as well as a younger brother. His father fled Burma during the Second World War. When Willie was four his father bought Horse Island (51.515309°N 9.467401°W) on the south west coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
between Ballydehob
Ballydehob
Ballydehob is a coastal village in the southwest of County Cork, Ireland, located on the N71 national secondary road.-History:Ballydehob is a microcosm of Irish local history, and legends and folklore abound in the locality. At the dawn of the Bronze Age , copper was mined on Mount Gabriel, just...
and Schull Willie, where his father started farming and living a self-sufficient life.
He attended school in Waterford. Returning to England aged eleven, he was unhappy and returned to Ireland after a year where he attended a comprehensive school in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. After completing basic schooling there, he moved back to England again to study for his A-levels and was considering following in his father's footsteps and becoming a property developer. In 1982, whilst on a night out with some friends, he was stabbed by an unknown assailant, but made a good recovery. Soon after this happened, he received the news that his father had died. He decided to travel and visited Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
.
Having met the model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
Tania Coleridge while residing in London, he flew to her home in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and proposed.
Chocolate
After marrying, they honeymooned, trekking on horseback in Venezuela where, in 1993, whilst speaking to a beach umbrella salesman he was directed to the 1000 acres (404.7 ha) cocoa haciendaHacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
El Tesoro (meaning treasure in Spanish), in Choroni.
They fell in love with the property before returning to London for a year.
They eventually decided to sell his flat in London, and emigrated to Venezuela to purchase El Tesoro. They planted more than 50,000 cacao trees of the Criollo cultivar, and built up an eco-tourism venture. In 1998 he started making 100% cacao
Cocoa solids
Cocoa solids are the low-fat component of chocolate. When sold as an end product, it may also be called cocoa powder, cocoa, and cacao....
bars for locals from the farm, with moulds made from a clay pipe. In 2008, after being falsely accused, investigated and cleared by the regime of Hugo Chavez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
for exploitation of locals, they mothballed the farm temporarily.
Relocating to a rented property in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England, after several years of assembling suitable equipment, and the resumption of cocoa farming, he began production in 2007 in Uffculme
Uffculme
Uffculme is a village located in the Mid Devon district, of Devon, England.-History:Situated in the Blackdown Hills on the B3440, close to the M5 motorway, near Cullompton Uffculme is on the upper reaches of the River Culm. Historically, it was a parish in Bampton Hundred, under the Peculiar...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, filmed by Channel4. In 2008 the TV show was recommissioned for a second series, the follow-up series Willie's Chocolate Revolution: Raising the Bar, aired on Channel 4 on 7–9 April 2009 and followed Harcourt-Cooze's attempt to introduce a high-cacao chocolate bar, "Delectable", to the British market.