Something Sweet on Hastings Street at Noosa Chocolate Factory
Hastings Street has never lacked for indulgence but, as Carlie Wacker discovers, it will gain the sweetest kind of treat when Noosa Chocolate Factory opens at Bay Village.
It feels like a homecoming for a brand that locals love and visitors covet: Noosa Chocolate Factory is bringing its cult following of couverture creations to the heart of Noosa’s most walked stretch of pavement, Hastings Street.
For locals who’ve been making the pilgrimage elsewhere for their handcrafted chocolate fix, and for visitors who are yet to discover the magic, it’s very good news indeed. There is something special about seeing a product with ‘Noosa’ in its name open on Noosa’s main street.
Hastings Street is home to some gorgeous international brands but the shops that give it real character are the ones with roots in this part of the world. A local and family-run chocolate maker, Noosa Chocolate Factory taking its place here feels less like a retail transaction and more like something being placed where it belongs.
Chief Executive Marcus Raward agrees, saying that the availability of the Bay Village site was serendipitous.
“Noosa Chocolate Factory is homegrown in Noosaville where our thriving factory, café and retail store at Venture Drive is a drawcard for visitors to watch our chocolate being handmade onsite,” he says.
“As a local family business with recipes that date back to the 1920s from the original family chocolatier, Charles Thomson, we’ve long envisioned opening another store in the heart of Noosa – somewhere that would complement our artisan roots.
“Bay Village is an oasis right in the heart of Hastings Street and really epitomises the soul of the shopping strip with boutique stores, local craftsmanship and a vibrant, convivial feel just steps away from Noosa’s Main Beach.
“It is also very accessible, with on-site, undercover parking with the first 30 minutes free so customers can park, duck in for a hot or iced chocolate or coffee and stock up on their favourites.”
Marcus said the Bay Village store would have the same look and feel as the Noosa Chocolate Factory’s Noosaville, Maroochydore and Brisbane stores – warm, modern, minimalist with multi-toned timber floors and features with shelves stacked with goodies fresh from the factory.
“We have incorporated a dine-in area, including a huge window-seating area – the perfect place to perch and enjoy one of our delicious signature drinks and maybe do a spot of people-watching,” Marcus says.
“I regularly reach for one of our signature hot or iced chocolates. The recipe is simple: our pure chocolate – which you can buy in bags to take home – plus milk. There are five varieties from white to extra dark chocolate, plus signature editions like our Rocky Road version. Personally, I can’t get enough of the 90% extra dark chocolate – hot or iced. There’s no turning back once you’ve found your favourite.”
I can sense there will be many turning to icy cold Noosa Chocolate Factory beverages over spring and summer in its new beachside location. Marcus says that in addition, Bay Village would stock the most popular signature and speciality ranges, supplied fresh from the Noosaville factory.
“The Hastings Street site will be more of a drop-in, pick-up, takeaway site, capturing the local foot traffic, while our Noosaville factory and store will continue to stock the full range and be a destination where you can indulge in the chocolate making experience first-hand through the viewing window direct into the chocolate factory.”
With all this deliciousness at his fingertips, I’m curious as to what is on top of the list for Marcus.
“It’s impossible to pick and is probably a four-way tie between Chocolate-Coated Strawberries, which are recently back in stock; Macadamia Brittle; Roasted Hazelnut Slab and our signature Noosa Crunch – a blend of popped corn, Sunshine Coast macadamias, and golden toasted coconut,” he says. “One to watch is our new Chocolate-Coated Passionfruit, which is expected to become a winner.”
The new location also helps with last-minute gifts – the ‘thank-you’, the ‘welcome to Noosa’, the ‘I forgot it was your birthday’ – from October, that problem dissolves with the convenience of Noosa Chocolate Factory in the heart of Hastings Street at Bay Village.
