It has not stopped regulars at Ocho, Ms Rowe’s chocolate-making business and cafe, teasing about possible expansion plans now that Cadbury Dunedin is threatened with closure.
"Lots of people have said to me: ‘So when are you moving into the Cadbury factory?’"
The chocolate business moved to its new premises in Vogel St a year ago and added a cafe as a front-of-house operation in July.
Volumes remain low, but before Christmas Ocho produced 100kg of chocolate a week, and it is sold in outlets around New Zealand. The expansion last year represented a shift from "tiny to small" and Ms Rowe wants to keep overheads and debt as low as possible.
With just four employees, her business is not a significant employer, and she is worried about the impending redundancies at Cadbury. The Cadbury factory’s focus shifted to confectionery and chocolate crumb some time ago.
"It’s sad that Cadbury does not make chocolate any more [in Dunedin]."
But its legacy as a flagship chocolate-maker is benefiting the start-up. Former Cadbury staff had been helpful, keen to offer their expertise. One former Cadbury worker had offered to help Ocho improve its chocolate tempering technique.
The sight and smell of chocolate being made in front of customers is an obvious attraction and this year, Ms Rowe plans to start chocolate-tasting sessions. This might develop into chocolate-making sessions over time. With low overheads and relatively cheap housing, Dunedin was well placed for manufacturing, she said.
She enthused about the supportive nature of the business community and the Dunedin City Council. She was, however, disappointed with Mayor Dave Cull’s recent assertion that Dunedin was "geographically poorly placed" to manufacture for overseas markets.
She disagrees with suggestions the city should focus only on high-tech manufacturing, saying it suits a range of manufacturing. Her raw product, cocoa beans, arrives in hessian sacks, and chocolate-making was a pretty low-tech business.
Ocho does not export, but she points out that it is no more expensive to transport chocolate to Auckland than to Wellington. Ms Rowe jokes that while her high-strength chocolate is meant for small portions, she tucks away a lot of it.
"Chocolate is not confectionery. It is its own food group. You can’t eat much of it.
"I say that, but secretly, I eat so much chocolate," she says.
