Auckland, New Zealand – Wayne Raven Chocolate has launched in New Zealand with a clear ingredient philosophy: make chocolate where flavour leads, and sugar supports.
The Auckland-based craft chocolate brand makes bean-to-bar chocolate by hand from raw Solomon Island cacao beans, combining traditional chocolate-making methods with New Zealand milk as a central flavour pillar across the range.
At the centre of the brand is a simple statement: “Sugar is never first.” Across the Wayne Raven Chocolate range, sugar is listed third, reflecting a recipe approach where milk, cacao and cacao butter carry the flavour experience.
Founder Wayne Raven says the philosophy was developed to create chocolate with balanced sweetness, a smooth melt, and a stronger focus on flavour.
“I wanted to make chocolate where sugar supports the flavour, rather than leading it,” says Wayne Raven, founder of Wayne Raven Chocolate. “Sugar is never first across our range, and that reflects how we think chocolate should taste – balanced, smooth, and full of flavour.”
The brand’s white chocolate places New Zealand milk first, cacao butter second, and sugar third. Its dark milk range currently includes 41%, 45%, and 46.5% cacao chocolates, each designed to give a darker, more flavour-led milk chocolate experience while remaining approachable.
Wayne Raven Chocolate also produces a 35% Matcha White Chocolate, which became the top customer choice at Wayne Raven Chocolate’s booth during the brand’s initial consumer testing phase at the Auckland Chocolate & Coffee Festival 2025.
At the festival, Wayne Raven Chocolate sampled its range with attendees but did not sell product. Visitors to the brand’s booth were invited to taste the range and share their preferences, with the 35% Matcha White Chocolate voted number one among the chocolates sampled at the booth. The result gave the business an early signal of consumer demand before its official launch into the New Zealand market.
The matcha bar combines New Zealand milk, cacao butter and Uji matcha from Kyoto, creating a product that has become one of the strongest early performers in the range.
“The festival response gave us confidence that customers were responding to the balance we were trying to create,” says Raven. “People responded strongly to the matcha white chocolate, but also to the broader idea that chocolate can feel generous and smooth without sugar being the first ingredient.”
Wayne Raven Chocolate’s bean-to-bar process begins with raw Solomon Island cacao beans, which are crafted into finished chocolate in New Zealand. The brand’s focus is on small-batch production, clean flavour development, and a smooth melt.
New Zealand milk plays an important role in the flavour profile of the range. In the white chocolate, it is the first ingredient, and across the wider range it contributes dairy flavour and natural lactose sweetness. The brand states this factually as part of its ingredient approach, without making health claims.
The range is currently sold exclusively within New Zealand through wayneraven.com and local markets within Auckland, with no export plans announced.
The business is also testing a new darker milk chocolate, which has received very positive early feedback. The product remains in development, with no percentage, specifications, or release date confirmed.
“We are still refining it,” says Raven. “The early response has been very encouraging, but we are not rushing it. The aim is to keep building the range carefully, one bar at a time.”
Wayne Raven Chocolate enters the New Zealand craft chocolate market with a philosophy-led approach rather than a broad product catalogue. Its positioning centres on ingredient order, New Zealand milk, Solomon Island cacao, and a flavour profile designed around balanced sweetness.
For Raven, the brand’s growth will continue to be shaped by customer feedback, market testing, and a commitment to making chocolate where the ingredient list reflects the flavour experience.
Media Release on 12 May 2026
Media Contact
Wayne, Wayne Raven Chocolate
wayne@wayneraven.com
02041676458
https://www.wayneraven.com/