Our Story
A Passion for Chocolate, A Story of Love
It all started with a dare.
Over 30 years ago, a friend issued Richard a challenge: “Bet you can’t make chocolates.” If you know Richard, you’ll know that was never going to end well for them. He threw himself into researching, experimenting and learning - all while working as a painter decorator alongside his beloved late father, Joe.
The chocolate bug bit hard. Richard visited London’s finest chocolatiers, trained under the renowned Paul A Young and began gifting his handmade creations to friends and colleagues every Christmas. Word spread quickly. Local cafes, restaurants and wedding couples soon came calling.
But life had other plans. Richard stepped back from chocolate to care for his father in his final years - a decision made with love, without hesitation. After Joe’s passing, he moved from Bloxwich to Shrewsbury, took up a role as a Chemistry Technician and quietly began making his famous 12 Days of Christmas boxes again. Just a little something to bring joy to those around him.
Sometimes the universe has its own recipe.
It was at that very job that Richard and Laura first met. Laura moved onto other projects and they lost touch for eight years - until a chance encounter on a cold, snowy January night brought them back together. Laura, ever the entrepreneur, remembered those chocolates straight away. She saw what Richard had always had: something truly special.
Laura brought her own set of skills to the table: a background in running her own businesses, a flair for marketing and the know-how to build a brand from scratch. When a local deli asked if they’d stock Lefevre Chocolate, it was the nudge they needed. The pieces fell into place and in May 2019 they stocked their very first retail outlet.
Lefevre Chocolate was officially born and so was a beautiful love story. Richard and Laura are now married, with their daughter Freya, who arrived during the first lockdown in May 2020.
“I might know how to make the chocolate truffles, but Lefevre Chocolate would still be a pipe dream without Laura. While I focused entirely on the recipes, Laura brought the business to life. Her incredible skill set gave us the exact foundation we needed to grow. By building our website from scratch and handling our marketing, she gave us a professional face that caught the eye of hotels and retail stockists. Her sharp eye for accounts kept us grounded and her natural warmth in customer service turned local enquiries into lasting wholesale partners.
Quite simply, Laura didn’t just support the business - she built the engine that allowed us to scale up, giving me the freedom to focus on production while she handled everything required to take our chocolates out into the wider market. All while pregnant then in the early years of first time motherhood, in a global pandemic. She is a powerhouse.
For me, getting into the kitchen is where the pure enjoyment lies. After spending all day in a hectic science prep room working as a chemistry technician, it is incredibly therapeutic to come home, pop an audio book on and just lose myself in the process. There is a real science to it, but balancing those flavours and handcrafting truffles feels like pure relaxation. Laura’s hard work on the business side is what protects that joy for me, turning my favourite escape into something we can share with the world.”
— Richard Lefevre, Chocolatier
“From the very first moment Richard brought me some of his truffles to try, I was completely blown away. I honestly couldn’t believe how incredible they tasted. It wasn’t just a chocolate, it was a total flavour journey.
Even to this day, that absolute magic hasn’t worn off. Every single time he comes up with a new creation, it completely knocks my socks off all over again. He is a perfectionist and an absolute genius at balancing flavours. Watching him take his meticulous science background and turn it into these insanely delicious, handcrafted treats is amazing to see.
My job on the business side is easy because the product is so genuinely spectacular. He is not only a genius with chocolate, he is the cleverest person I have ever known, the utterly best Daddy I could wish for for our daughter and a husband who not only makes me laugh but gets me through life with humour and strength.”
— Laura Lefevre, Founder
Handmade in Shropshire. Loved across the UK.
Nearly eight years on, Lefevre Chocolate is stocked in farm shops and retail outlets across Shropshire and beyond, supplying hotels throughout the UK and crafting bespoke wedding and event favours for couples and clients nationwide.
Every truffle, every box, every carefully chosen flavour carries the same spirit that started it all — love, dedication, and a healthy dose of daring.
We’re so glad they issued that challenge.