The London Chocolate Forum has announced the agenda for its 2026 conference, placing consumer change, cocoa-sector resilience and product innovation at the centre of the one-day programme.
The event will take place at the Hippodrome in central London on 5 October, with presentations and discussions organised around three themes: ‘The Changing Chocolate Consumer’, ‘The Cocoa Challenge’ and ‘Craft, Innovation & The Future of Chocolate’.
Advertisement
CocoaRadar will cover the forum, reporting on the issues raised by senior industry speakers and their implications for businesses across the cocoa and chocolate value chain.
Changing Consumers
The opening sessions will examine how technology, health trends, and changing expectations are influencing how consumers encounter and purchase chocolate.
James Holah, Saint Lucia general manager and global lead for cacao experiences and products at Hotel Chocolat, will discuss the changing role of physical chocolate shops. His presentation will examine the company’s use of cafés, technology, storytelling, and immersive retail experiences.
Food futurist Tony Hunter will then consider the outlook for Generation Alpha, including how its relationship with artificial intelligence, health and food could affect chocolate brands.
Charlotte Radcliffe, director of The Nutrition Consultant, will address the potential effect of GLP-1 treatments on chocolate demand. Her session is expected to cover purchasing habits, treat occasions, formats, portion sizes, product development and marketing.
Together, the presentations place the changing consumer environment at the start of the programme, before attention turns to the production and sourcing challenges facing the sector.
Cocoa Resilience And Responsibility
The second theme will focus on the cocoa supply chain, including how financial responsibility for sustainability and resilience is divided.
Jason Archie Acheampong, head of market-based solutions at the Fairtrade Foundation, will discuss the role of longer-term retailer commitments to cocoa producers. The session will consider whether partnerships and shared responsibility can move sustainability programmes beyond short-term interventions.
Nicko Debenham, managing director of Sustainability Solutions, will examine the practical implications of EUDR for cocoa businesses and the regulation’s effect on how cocoa is sourced and traded.
Dougal Freeman, vice-president of operations at the World Cocoa Foundation, will address the economics of resilience and the question of who should pay for sustainable cocoa.
The morning programme will conclude with Martin Gilmour, director of Chase Cocoa Consulting, considering the future of global cocoa production. The agenda includes planting material, agroforestry, agronomy, pests and diseases, soil fertility, flavour, quality and food safety.
Craft Chocolate And New Uses For Cocoa
The afternoon programme will move to craft chocolate, fermentation, and efforts to extract more value from the cocoa fruit.
Isobel Carse, owner and chocolate maker at Dormouse Chocolates and chair of the Craft Chocolate Makers Association UK & Ireland, will lead a panel on the purpose and development of a craft chocolate association.
She will be joined by Joanna Brennan of Pump Street Chocolate, Spencer Hyman of Cocoa Runners and Tom Couch of Beancraft Chocolate. The discussion will examine the development of the UK and Irish craft sector, the reasons for establishing the new association and what greater industry collaboration could achieve.
Andy Clayton, chief executive of Fermtech, will explore how fermentation could enhance flavour, produce new ingredients and make greater use of cocoa side streams without moving away from the characteristics consumers expect from chocolate.
Advertisement
The final listed presentation will come from David Greenwood-Haigh, founder of Coeur de Xocolat. His session will consider commercial applications for parts of the cocoa fruit that have traditionally been underused, including their potential to generate additional value for manufacturers and cocoa-growing communities.
- The full 2026 agenda and speaker information are available on the London Chocolate Forum website.
CocoaRadar View
The programme's structure reflects the increasingly interconnected decisions facing the chocolate sector. Changes in demand, retail formats and health-related consumer behaviour cannot be separated from the cost and availability of cocoa or from questions about who finances greater resilience at origin.
The afternoon focus on craft, fermentation and whole-fruit utilisation also points to a search for value beyond conventional approaches to chocolate production. CocoaRadar’s event coverage will examine whether the ideas presented offer commercially workable responses to those pressures.
CocoaRadar in Peru
During October 2026, CocoaRadar will publish a series of articles exploring the Peruvian cocoa economy.
Commercial: philippe@cocoaradar.com Editorial: tony@cocoaradar.com