Terre de Sienne is a chocolatiers in Worthing who creates chocolates in-house from bean to bar. With their ‘chocolate art gallery’, they work with local artists/designers/illustrators to create collaborative chocolate bars. The artist designs the label and chooses the flavours, and Terre de Sienne makes and sells the chocolate in-store and on their website.
Terre de Sienne collaborated with artist Karina Mansfield to make a delicious, organic dark chocolate, pistachio and cranberry chocolate bar with a beautifully designed label.
Worthing and Beyond interviewed Audrey Dufay, the owner and creator of Terre de Sienne, and Karina Mansfield, the flavour-picker and label designer, about their collaboration.
Audrey, please could you tell us a little bit about your Chocolate Art Gallery?
AUDREY: The idea of incorporating art into my chocolate collection came at the creation of Terre de Sienne. Thanks to my family, I’ve always been attracted to colour combination, and art in general. When creating Terre de Sienne, I had the idea of a colourful range of bars – each different, but beautiful together, like a gallery. This is when I thought of the name ‘Terre de Sienne’ (I am French and burnt sienna looks like cacao powder). [Editor’s Note: ‘Terre de sienne’ is French for ‘sienna’.]
I like to scroll through Instagram looking at different artists’ pages, and one day it hit me: Why not showcase these talents on my chocolates?
Image source: Terre de Sienne website.
How did the Terre de Sienne x Karina Mansfield collaboration come about?
AUDREY: I came across Karina’s work on Instagram. I instantly loved the colour palettes she uses – and her portraits. At the time, I was already working with a few artists, so I contacted her to ask if she wanted to be part of the Terre de Sienne & Artists collaborations.
KARINA: A few months back, Audrey reached out to do this collaboration, and at that time I was so busy I couldn’t focus on anything else, and I felt this collab needed my full focus to get it right. Then, a few months passed, and I finally reached out to Audrey as I was ready to give my total love to her amazingly delicious chocolate. EVERYTHING about the brand made me want to get involved! Audrey has put her heart and soul into her business and she is as sweet as her creations.
“It’s extremely fulfilling to go from admiring someone’s creativity to having it wrapped around the chocolate.”
What was the collaboration process like?
AUDREY: When I find an artist I would like to collaborate with, I present my range, ethics and some examples of my current collaborations, and simply ask them if they want to be part of the project. I work on my own, so the contact is direct, which makes everything way easier. I keep everything very transparent, such as my ingredient sourcing.
38.5% of the bar’s selling price goes to the artist, who is in charge of printing out the wrappers and sending it to me (according to a template that I provide). I usually work on a batch of 20 bars at a time. I offer the artist the choice of the flavour, to make it as personal as possible; because I make chocolate from bean to bar, the possibilities are endless. I just guide them and give recommendations if they want me to.
Along with the bar, I like to promote the artist’s work by adding their business cards to the bar and showcasing their art in the shop if they wish to do so.
KARINA: Very easy – we were ready! Audrey knew what she wanted from my designs and the LOVE print was spot on.
AUDREY: Working with Karina was an absolute pleasure: it all went very smoothly and I received great support from her on social media. It’s extremely fulfilling to go from admiring someone’s creativity to having it wrapped around the chocolate.
What was your favourite thing about working on this collaboration?
AUDREY: Working with Karina was already very exciting; I have been following her work for a while. It was a great surprise when I realised that Karina lived in Worthing. I try to stay as local as possible with my collaborations, so it was meant to be.
KARINA: I am a terrible cook, so I never contemplated giving ideas for a chocolate flavor – that, in my opinion, was mind blowing. 🙂 And not only that – it tastes delicious!
“I try to stay as local as possible with my collaborations, so it was meant to be.”
Image sources: Terre de Sienne website.
Karina, do you have any more collaborative projects lined up?
KARINA: Yes, I have recently worked with a restaurant chain from Reigate. And a secret one lined up.
Audrey, what’s next for the Chocolate Art Gallery?
AUDREY: I’m hoping that the artists I work with are happy to carry on with the current collaborations, and I will slowly expand the range.
I will soon release a second bar from artist Rosie Dore to help a cause that is dear to the both of us.
Anything else to add?
AUDREY: Thank you to the artists trusting me on this project; I hope they enjoy it as much as I do.
Check out the chocolate bar here.
Are you a creative or business that supports creativity in Worthing that would like be to interviewed for our blog? Please get in touch with Chelsey.
