Between hugging koalas, chasing after kangaroos and wallabies and taking in the natural beauty of the many national parks in Australia, I popped into Pannys Chocolate Factory on Phillip Island, Australia.
The visit was an essential detour to gain much needed energy before freezing my butt off waiting for hundreds of penguins to come up onto the beach…a story for another time.
Pannys Amazing World of Chocolate tour started off with a sampling of white chocolate truffles coated with milk chocolate. The lady behind the counter asked me if I wanted a sample…have I ever said no to a sampling of chocolate?
A quick tour of the retail shop gave me a good injection of holiday spirit with Christmas trees and Gingerbread houses made of chocolate. Outside, the weather is gorgeous as Australia is hitting their spring time as we go into a winter season for Christmas.
Most notable for me were the shoes on display made out of chocolate. There was also a large selection of chocolate bars and truffles for those that want to cut through all the decoration and ceremony for a bite of the pure stuff.
“Loni!?!”, I heard Matt our tour guide holler. I glanced over at Matt who was at the entrance of the Pannys “Amazing World of Chocolate” exhibit. This was the third time so far that I had wander into my own world engrossed in the attraction of the moment. I quickly focused and scooted to the start of the chocolate exhibit.
The first part of the exhibit went through the history of chocolate, noting where it was harvested and the process it takes to convert the cocoa beans to chocolate.
The second half of the “Amazing World of Chocolate” showed the many forms this delicious concoction can take on such as the statue of “David”, the famous painting “The Scream” and pop art ala Andy Warhol formed with a multitude of truffles.
The third and final section of the “Amazing World of Chocolate” displayed some of the technology and creativity behind the tools used to create chocolate and package it up. Large windows on three sides of the room allows visitors to peer into the actual creation of Pannys chocolates. Occasional visits in this area by chocolate makers with chocolate samples makes this an especially sweet part of the exhibit. There is also the ability to blend your own chocolate bar for $2 (AUD) in “Build-a-Bear” style.
This was the end of the exhibit and like all good exhibits, the exit pointed me straight to the retail shop again. I purchased a couple chocolate bars and macadamia brittle dipped in chocolate as stocking stuffers. It was at this point that I realized I had yet to see Panny, the proprietor of this chocolate factory.
As with many things in life, you don’t know if you don’t ask. So I inquired about meeting the man himself and sure enough, they were able to conjure him up. I found out that Panny’s favorite part of his job was quality assurance (aka. tasting) the chocolate creations to ensure the were absolutely delicious. Sounds like a pretty good job to me!
Pannys Amazing World of Chocolate & Phillip Island Chocolate Factory
930 Phillip Island Rd
Newhaven VIC 3925
Phone 03 5956 6600
Fax 03 5956 6823
Email: info@phillipislandchocolatefactory.com.au
Website: www.phillipislandchocolatefactory.com.auPostal Correspondence
PO Box 2
San Remo VIC 3925
