Hotel Chocolat delivers sweet profits Angus Thirlwell, chief executive, said it was a "coming of age" year for the company. He founded Hotel Chocolat with entrepreneur Peter Harris in 2004 after rebranding their mail order firm, ChocExpress. However, he said the company is "very determined not to over-populate the UK." The high street is one part of what we do. The recipe for that is careful, incremental growth," he added. Hotel Chocolat will target further expansion overseas in 2013 and roll out new concept stores such as Roast & Conch, where customers can watch the roasting of cocoa beans and sample products.