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The Herald Scotland

Highland Perthshire chocolatier on Michelin chefs' smiles

Flagging his love of the science of creating 'truly fresh chocolates', Mr Burnett declares: 'It's great to see the smile on everyone's face when they try a Velvet Truffle for the first time - whether children or Michelin chefs!' Job title Master chocolatier What is your business called? Highland Chocolatier Where is it based? Grandtully village in Highland Perthshire What does it produce/do? The Velvet Truffles and Audio Guided Chocolate Tasting Flights To whom does it sell? Michelin chefs, five-star hotels, corporate gifts and online retail. What is its turnover? Just under £2 million. How many employees? 22 (five in the chocolate kitchen) What attracted you to your current role? It's great to see the smile on everyone's face when they try a Velvet Truffle for the first time - whether children or Michelin chefs! I love the challenge in chasing excellence and the science behind creating truly fresh chocolates which are free of artificial preservatives and added fats. What were you doing before? Product design engineer at Glasgow School of Art What do you least enjoy? Administration and chasing suppliers. What do you consider to be the main successes of the business? Supporting local families is a big part, but the level of craftsmanship behind chocolates repeatedly awarded 'Best Truffle in the World' is actually a by-product of us all trying to transform ourselves in order to support the people around us. What are your ambitions for the firm? To keep transforming ourselves in order to keep supporting others, and then we might just manage to keep creating these award-winning chocolates, and create many new ones! What are the challenges facing the sector and market, and what could be done to overcome or address these? The 400% increase in the worldwide costs of cocoa ingredients is challenging but necessary in supporting the farmers who supply us. However, the biggest challenge is being unable to get enough applications for staff who want to work in the gourmet service industry. The solution to the first is for us all to get used to paying more for good quality chocolate in order to support the farmers. We simply need a larger labour market for the second. Read more What single thing would most help? Getting the word out that this is an incredible group of people to work with, and the joy that comes from working really hard to provide something amazing for other people! What is the most valuable lesson you have learned? To always spend the time it takes to reach the highest quality, never to drop your quality during hard times, and to find team members that all share the same values. What was your best moment? Realising it was about developing the people, not the product. The why and how, not the what! Read more What has been your most challenging moment in life or business? The worry when the business was out of control a few years back, when our family were on the verge of losing our homes and everything we had put in. It means we have so much gratitude now for coming through stronger than ever before. How do you relax? Hot chocolate in front of an open fire, somewhere on the west coast of Scotland. What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most? 'I want you to be laugh, smile and rejoice in order that others may be made happy by you.' Baha'i Writings What is the best book (fiction or non-fiction) you have ever read? Why is it the best? 'The Hidden Words' by Baha'u'llah – contains in brief poetry the solution for pretty much every possible problem! Where do you find yourself most at ease? Experimenting in the kitchen. If you weren't in your current role, what job would you most fancy? Working with wood – the next best material after chocolate! What countries have you most enjoyed travelling to, for business or leisure, and why? Norway, New Zealand, British Columbia, Patagonia for the environment (like Scotland with an amplifier!). Then Japan for unity in teamwork and artistic excellence in all things culinary and crafted.