Shops / Shop of the Week
Shop of the Week: Radek’s Chocolate, Church Road
Recently opened on Church Road, Radek’s Chocolate is making waves with its range of vegan, naturally-sweetened chocolate and expertly brewed mochas.
On a recent morning, Bristol24/7 was warmly greeted by Joe McDonnell and Jemma Wyles, the friendly faces behind the shop and cafe.
Jemma shared their journey from running a chocolate kitchen in Fishponds – supplying around 40 Bristol shops – to opening their very first customer-facing store.
“It’s been a really nice way to get to know the community. It’s nice to finally put a face to a name” said Jemma.
Radek’s sell over 90 different products
Joe discussed how Radek, the founder, developed the business’s unique selling point – organic, sugar-free chocolate designed as a healthy indulgence.
“A big part of what we do is being organic certified,” he said.
“Radek started the business in 2008, selling his brownies at festivals. He’s always been health conscious and diet conscious.
“He worked at Cafe Maitreya, which was an award-winning vegetarian restaurant in Easton.
“From there, he started making his truffles and brownies, always using coconut sugar and agave rather than cane sugar.”
He added that coconut sugar, low on the glycaemic index, avoids the sugar spikes that typical chocolate can cause – a principle that remains central to Radek’s philosophy.
All Radek’s chocolate bars are vegan, a choice driven by Radek’s lactose intolerance.
Joe added: “We don’t have milk powder in any of our bars. We are serving cow’s milk and oat milk in the cafe, but everything we make is vegan.”
Joe started working with Radek around nine years ago
Joe walked Bristol24/7 through the chocolate-making process, explaining why Radek’s is a ‘bean-to-bar’ chocolate maker – as is Ruby Hue in Finzels Reach.
“We buy beans from farmers, roast them, crack the shells off to get the nibs,” said Joe.
“Then we roast those nibs to separate the cocoa butter inside the bean.
“We then temper the bars. It’s about us having full control over the entire process.”
Radek’s mission, according to Joe, also involves educating people on “the difficulties in the cocoa industry”.
Education people on ethical sourcing is key to Radek’s mission, Joe said.
“Sourcing is a big part of how we work in terms of auditing our suppliers.
“Inside of a lot of our bars, we try and specify the genetic origin of the bean, how it’s fermented, what the drying methods were, how we’ve roasted our beans, where they’ve come from, what region.
“You want to know exactly the farm it’s come from. And then how much those farmers were paid per kilo.”
Joe’s connection with Radek began nine years ago through a family link in the chocolate business.
“I met Radek about nine years ago. My mum had a chocolate business, and I heard through a friend that Radek was looking for someone new to work with him.
“He called me and that afternoon I started working with him straight away.”
Jemma has worked with Radek for the last three years
Jemma joined three years ago, bringing her coffee expertise to the cacao world.
She said: “I found similarities between the way coffee is processed and how cacao is processed.
“When I met Joe and Radek, I was working for a coffee company at the time, so we did a little collaboration.
“I realised I was able to put my passion for chocolate in something new.”
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Radek’s has been warmly received in St George, with “feedback really, really positive”, according to Joe.
“We’re lucky to have had a lovely, loyal customer base in Bristol for many years”, he said proudly.
“We’ve got a lot of parents, coming getting a nice hot chocolate with their babies.
“But then our historical customers have always been health conscious and looking for something alternative.”
The brand offers over 90 products, including single-origin bars, “inclusion bars”, infused hot chocolates, truffles and catering packs.
Several Bristol business have collaborated with Radek’s on products, including Bristol CBD and Easton Chilli.
Radek’s have collaborated with Bristol CBD
Radek’s maintains an eco-friendly production process, with fully compostable packaging.
Following their Church Road success, Radek’s is also planning to open another shop and cafe in Totnes in Devon.
Reflecting on how their chocolate-making has developed over the years, Joe explained: “Back then, all the chocolate was made in little bowls of two kilos, hand-tempered and hand-ladled”, he told me.
“There’s been a lot of growth since that time, but we’ve still got our printers opposite our chocolate factory in Fishponds.”
Radek’s sells chocolate and drinks over the counter on Church Road
All photos: Lenny Osler
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