Popular chocolatiers and cafe owners, Mocha are moving the production side of the business to The Riding School Building on Aske Estate.

The new property will incorporate all their chocolate making as well as another cafe serving coffee, cakes, sandwiches and hot meals.

Decorating is already well underway in the new building with the team hoping to be open for the busy Easter period. 

The business is owned by Elizabeth Graves and was set up in partnership with her late husband Dennis. 

Elizabeth and Dennis moved to Richmond and set up Mocha in 2013 after wanting to set up a business that they could both play a part in together. 

The business has since gone from strength to strength and has become synonymous with the town of Richmond and its many independent shops and businesses.

Whilst the original premise was a coffee shop following their rediscovery of Richmond after moving from North Lincolnshire, they had the idea to incorporate their own chocolates and sell them in the shop and online to make the store more unique.  

Elizabeth’s husband Dennis also became a key member of the local community, helping with various projects from Christmas markets to cleaning up the town and gardens. 

That community spirit has been a big part of Mocha’s success with Elizabeth saying: “We immersed ourselves in the community and are so proud of this town and Dennis was even was the poster boy for the Great Highstreet Awards.

“It was always important for us to have a place in a tourist destination for the footfall but you've got to look after your local customers because they are your bread and butter when it's not tourist season."

Customers have always been at the forefront of Mocha too, with guests always being greeted with a smile and staff are happy to have a good chat and catch up with visitors. 

Mocha was also another of many businesses to have to close during Covid but were able to carry out orders during Easter which turned out to be an extremely busy time with Elizabeth saying: “You felt like you were giving something back by being able to take something to people's doors and see regular customers again.”

The chocolates were originally made by Dennis, in a tiny kitchen with only a few variations that went down a storm.

Mocha now sells over 60 different chocolates from their larger production space on Aske Estate.

Following a meeting with fellow Aske based business, Kiss The Moon in August last year Elizabeth and Dennis found themselves looking through the window to the Riding School building and came up with the idea to have it be the location of a new cafe. 

Dennis sadly passed away suddenly the next day and Elizabeth said: “Thank god we've been able to continue with this little seed of an idea that we had. 

“I've never had to do anything like this on my own before so to be able to see this project through and get us all established there and to see it be a success would be absolutely amazing because when it came to project management it was always Dennis who did that.

“It has been hard and still is but my goodness we've got stuck in and now we are going into an even bigger facility it's great for the future and my team have been so supportive.” 

The cafe will be the company's second in Richmond and will still have a strong focus on chocolates as well as bringing opportunities for new events. 

They also want to provide good quality food using local produce for those that live and work on the estate using fresh jams, meat, cheeses and local bread. 

With plans to have an extensive breakfast menu and hot meals of the day, it is set to be a great addition to the Estate and wider town. 

Customers will even be able to see the chocolatiers at work.

The space will also allow for the possibility of chocolate making events that could range from a couple of hours to more intensive multiple day courses. 

Despite several hardships over the past couple of years, Mocha is stronger than ever as Elizabeth said: “ You can't help but be positive, my team are amazing, Den and I moved up here just the two of us and started doing takeaways and shop sales.

“Now we have 15 people working for Mocha now and it's like how did that happen?

“We've just grown and grown, it's so busy, people wait outside to be seated and that makes me feel amazing that people want to come to our shop.”

We wish Mocha all the best ahead of their move into the Riding School and have no doubt the addition of a second cafe will be a great asset to have on the Estate. 

For more information about Mocha and to purchase their wonderful chocolates visit their website here or give them a call on 01748 825655.