Robyn Rowe has always had a flair for the creative and a passion for fine detail. Robyn’s chocolate-making business started as a home based operation, but quickly developed into a growing business. By 2006, attendance at the Capital Region Farmers Market in Canberra, was a weekly event and people began to appreciate the quality and freshness of the chocolates produced.
January 2012 saw the opening of the Robyn Rowe chocolate shop on the family property in the Yass Valley, half way between Yass and Canberra.
Robyn Rowe Chocolates had outgrown their home facility and we could see the opportunity to become part of regional tourism. This has definitely happened and continues to grow, succeeding in creating a beautiful experience for people travelling around the Region. People who visit, remark on the surroundings as well as the chocolate! The peacefulness, the views, being in a picturesque part of the Australian Countryside in the Yass Valley and the close proximity to the Nation’s Capital, Canberra.
In March, 2014, Robyn Rowe Chocolates became registered as Fair Trade chocolate makers. Callebaut Fair Trade couverture is what is used. This chocolate is grown in Ghana, and then Callebaut processes the beans in Belgium. Callebaut have people on the ground in Ghana, making sure the farmers there are getting a fair price for their beans and that child labour is not involved. Using Fair Trade chocolate helps Robyn Rowe Chocolates contribute to the welfare of some of the poorest people in the world.
The premium paid for Fair Trade chocolate is shared by Callebaut and Fair Trade chocolate makers. The total premium is then paid to the farmers in cash as soon as the beans are sold. It is a small price to pay, so that people who buy Robyn Rower products are contributing too. Robyn Rowe Chocolates is well placed in the district, surrounded by excellent wineries and in a flourishing and ever growing location.
The best of both worlds – rural lifestyle as well as a great and interesting business. Robyn’s aim is to create a beautiful product for all to enjoy, and to promote Murrumbateman and Yass Valley a part of the Canberra Region, thus helping the community in which she lives.
Robyn Rowe Chocolates is located at 1153 Nanima Rd, Murrumbateman, NSW 2582 or contact on 02 6227 0550.
