Place seems central to the brand. How does the landscape around you influence Harth?

We're born in the hills of Somerset and are inspired by our love of open spaces, handmaking in small batches in our workshop on the edge of Bath. The landscape here is ancient and elemental — the levels, the hills, the coast not far away. Our flavours are drawn from home and hedgerow alike. We think about what you'd want to drink after a long walk through that kind of country: something real, something warming, something that feels like it belongs there.

You use unalkalised cocoa. Why does this matter?

Most commercial hot chocolate uses cocoa that's been heavily processed — Dutch-processed or alkalised which strips out much of the natural flavour and a lot of the goodness. We only use unalkalised cocoa, which means the cocoa retains its natural complexity, its slight earthiness, its depth. It makes for a proper hot chocolate — one that actually tastes of chocolate rather than something sweet and flat. We exclusively use organically certified cocoa, sugar and natural ingredients, and all of our packaging is plastic free, recyclable, reusable or compostable. Every ingredient decision traces back to the same principle: do it properly, do no harm.

How are the seasons important to you and how does this influence your products?

The seasons are absolutely central to what we make and when. We're inspired by wide skies, campfires and winter rituals. The sense of seasonal rhythm runs through the whole range. Our Solstice blend marks the turning of the year. Autumn is the season for pulling on a jumper and stepping outside into something slower and softer. We lean into that rather than fight it, there's something about a cold morning or a dark evening that makes a proper hot chocolate feel essential rather than indulgent. We want Harth to be a product that makes you look forward to the colder months.

Your packaging is beautiful and functional; the paper twine acts as a handle. How did you arrive at this design?

We wanted the packaging to feel as considered as what's inside it. The hand-tied packaging is part of Harth's distinctive appeal; it needed to be completely plastic-free, but also feel like something worth giving and worth keeping. The paper twine originated from thinking about what people actually do with the bag you carry it back from a walk, you pull it off a shelf, you gift it. Making it functional as a handle felt honest. Everything is plastic-free, recyclable, reusable or compostable. We didn't want sustainability to mean a compromise on beauty. The two things should go hand in hand.

Do you have any plans for how you'd like to see Harth evolve in the future?

We want to grow in a way that stays true to Harth's identity: small, considered, and rooted in place. We aspire to work more closely with sustainable growers, direct sourcing the best beans at the fairest price. Becoming B Corp certified has been a huge milestone and holds us accountable to our values as we grow. We've also partnered with Ecologi and are proud supporters of a patch of seagrass on the Welsh coast the perfect marriage of our values and our love of the sea. We'd love Harth to stand for something bigger than hot chocolate: a way of being in the world that's slower, more connected to the land and the seasons.
 

Falcon and Harth both celebrate products connected to everyday rituals and the outdoors. What makes Falcon Enamelware the perfect pairing alongside your products?

There's an instinctive fit between Harth and Falcon that goes beyond aesthetics. Both brands believe in objects that earn their place: things built to last, that go anywhere, and that feel better the more you use them. So much of what Harth is about is that moment of warming up after a swim or a long day in the elements, and Falcon's enamel mugs are exactly what that moment calls for. There's no fuss, no fragility just a beautiful, honest vessel for something delicious. A Harth hot chocolate in a Falcon mug, made over a campfire: that's the whole idea in one image.