Interview - Alison Campbell - Love Byron Bay
The exquisite region of Byron Bay is often the star of the show when it comes to food products that hail from there. As for chocolates, there’s so much to love about the Love Byron Bay brand! We spoke with Director, Alison Campbell, and found that a whole lot of local flavour where ever possible goes into every bite.
FFW: Who is behind Love Byron Bay?
LOVE BYRON BAY: Alison Campbell.
FFW: What led to you establishing a boutique chocolate business?
LOVE BYRON BAY: In summary:
- A passion for quality and unique business concepts
- A Love of chocolate and Byron Bay
- A journey of travel, business and cocoa (the food of the gods)
Alison Campbell, lover of all goods things has a history of developing a taste for the best in life and now puts that passion into one of life’s greatest joys, chocolate. Her business venture, Love Byron Bay Chocolate is now her platform to source, create and share the best cocoa products from around the world. Creativity has always been a key value to her and it is the business canvas that she chooses to ‘paint’ her creative visions upon.
Early in 2000, Alison moved to Byron Bay, the beautiful coastal town where she had spent many holidays. She founded her own marketing consultancy and eight years later, about to embark on her own on-line business, Alison was approached by a local macadamia company to work full time and to take the business from a farm gate operation into the national and international marketplace. Whilst developing the macadamia business, Alison’s appreciation for chocolate took on a new angle as she developed and worked with her chocolatier on new flavours that complemented the Australian bush nut.
Four years later Alison created a boutique chocolate shop and stylish brand, Love Byron Bay. Located in central Byron Bay, an exciting selection of the finest chocolates is now open, serving Byron Bay and its numerous visitors. Alison aims to bring the love and celebration associated with cocoa into your life from Byron Bay.
FFW: Who makes your chocolates?
LOVE BYRON BAY: We have a passionate team who create our delicious rocky road and we work closely with our chocolatiers to come up with a selection of smooth couverture chocolate varieties to suit discerning chocoholics.
FFW: What sort of chocolate do you use in your products?
LOVE BYRON BAY: Belgium couverture, the quality chocolate which contains a good percentage of cocoa.
FFW: Aside from the chocolate, do you use local ingredients where possible?
LOVE BYRON BAY: Wherever possible. We source local macadamias and organic coffee beans. Cocoa is grown in the tropics, so the closest Australian grown cocoa is from the Daintree region in Far North QLD.
FFW: How compelling do you think the Byron Bay credential is in your products?
LOVE BYRON BAY: Very. Customers love Byron Bay and they love our chocolate.
FFW: Do you find a lot of people buy your Love Byron Bay brand to take back home or post overseas?
LOVE BYRON BAY: Yes, people love Byron Bay and when they visit our paradise, they like to gift our chocolate or take it home with them to keep the feeling of Byron Bay still alive. Love Byron Bay’s range of gourmet chocolates is one way they can do this. A very delicious way too!
FFW: What would you say is Love Byron Bay’s positioning?
LOVE BYRON BAY: High end.
FFW: Are your chocolates handmade?
LOVE BYRON BAY: Our Rocky Road range is made by the loving hands of the Love Team. The confectionery is panned, so not possible to make by hand.
FFW: Where would you love to see Love Byron Bay chocolates being sold or served?
LOVE BYRON BAY: In gourmet food shops, quality end grocery stores, gift shops and florists, high end resorts and accommodation places, airports, gift hampers and food courts.
FFW: What are you most proud of at Love Byron Bay?
LOVE BYRON BAY: The smiles we see when our return customers are delighted with our chocolates and rocky road.
FFW: Are your gift boxes suitable for corporate gifting?
LOVE BYRON BAY: They certainly are.
FFW: What makes your gift boxes so ideal?
LOVE BYRON BAY: The simplistic packaging and delicious variety of truffles and pralines.
FFW: Who would be an ideal client or what would be an ideal application for your gift boxes? [e.g. welcome gift for luxury cruise line passengers; served in First Class on airlines; added to goodie bags for Fashion Week, Logies or Brownlow event.]
LOVE BYRON BAY: We’d love to sell our chocolates to luxury cruise line passengers, on airlines and have them added to goodie bags for events like Fashion Week or the Logies. They make a beautiful welcome gift at any quality accommodation place, a thank you for ‘choosing to work with us’, ‘looking after our pet’, ‘having us stay’ gift. They’re also great as a ‘happy birthday’ or ‘We appreciate and love you’ gift. There are multiple reasons to gift our chocolate boxes. The list is very long.
How could you include Love Byron Bay’s chocolates into your business’s offerings? As a gift? A complimentary giveaway? Incorporate them on your chocolate buffets? Turn that small gem of an idea into a winning jewel and contact Love Byron Bay today for more information.
