Orkney residents, certainly pre Covid, seem on average to be happier and enjoy higher rates of employment than most of the UK. Would you agree and were you born there?
Averages are always tricky. I grew up in Orkney, but I used to live in Primrose Hill in London and loved that - where there's so many events to go to and lots of creative energy. It may seem like a small thing, but I really missed good, clean air - something that Orkney has in abundance. There's a salmon-like pattern among the people here - we go away to university, swim around in the wide world for few years and then return to the river we sprung from.
What did you do before starting Chocface [1] and what prompted you to change tack?
Originally, I worked as a research mathematician, and then ran a company doing data visualization. By contrast, Chocface is straightforward, simple and fun.
Where did the idea come from and how do you fulfil orders from such a remote part of the UK? Do the islands enjoy reliable broadband?
Chocface started as a "joke business pitch" in lockdown. The logic was: What does everyone like to eat? Chocolate. What does everyone spend most of their time doing? Scrolling on social media. How do we put the two together? Put your selfies on chocolate. And so Chocface was born.
Our physical orders are fulfilled in Derbyshire by a bakery that's been in the same family for four generations. Derbyshire has a long history of manufacturing because it is in the midpoint of the UK. The first chocolate bar was made by Fry's in 1847, and back then having a central delivery point was really important.
The orders and website are handled remotely. I'm in the main town of Orkney, Kirkwall, and on around 70Mb/s which is fine for most video calls. In the countryside one quickly drops to <10Mb/s. Within two years, Elon Musk's Starlink is going to be a game changer for remote areas. Suddenly one can have high speed connectivity anywhere - whether a cottage on a cliff or a yacht in the bay.
Was it an early success and what has the last year been like for Chocface? And for the remainder of this year and next?
We've had a lot of interest but it doesn't happen overnight - more steady growth as we put out articles and find new partners and bloggers to work with. My Instagram is continually beeping with requests by mums and babies asking for free chocolate and sending out sample boxes is a satisfying part of the job.
We had an unexpected win when Facebook banned us for selling "The Brexit Box". We had a British flag, Boris, Dominic Cummings and few others on the chocolates. We thought it was a bit of fun - you could buy it as a celebration, or melt them in your microwave - but Facebook banned us for being too political. Luckily an Irish newspaper loved the story and we got some great coverage - "Facebook bites back over Brexit Chocolates" was the headline. Then we got a Facebook apology and reinstatement, so it worked out really well. I had friends from long ago writing to me and telling me how it had given them a chuckle.
For more information visit Chocface [2]