Five Years of Chocolate Dino: A Story in the Making

Long Read ~10 minutes

Intro

Some of you have been with us since day one. Others only just discovered us. Either way, we’re often asked: what’s the story behind Chocolate Dino?

As we celebrate five years, it felt like the right time to share the journey — the good, the bad, and the slightly chaotic — of how two people with no investors, just pocket change and community support, built an independent bakery that now roars.

A Brand Born in Lockdown

May 2020. London was at a standstill. Streets were empty, shutters were down, and no one knew what was coming next. Out of that strange silence, Chocolate Dino began.

There was no funding. No plan. Just a domestic oven, bags of flour, and a couple of recipes scribbled down on scrap paper. First rough batches of brownies and cookies were baked for friends, then neighbours, then neighbours of neighbours. Deliveries were done by bike, still warm from the oven.

It wasn’t glamorous, but it mattered. In the middle of a pandemic, a box of cookies meant a reason to smile, a break in the monotony, a reminder that connection was still possible. That’s how Chocolate Dino was born: on pocket-money budgets, with a lot of persistence and the kind of community spirit that money can’t buy.

From Brick Lane to Backers

By autumn 2020, we tested ourselves at Brick Lane. The setup was as DIY as it gets — a couple of printed banners, a tiny Argos oven, and plates borrowed from the cupboard at home. No gazebo, no fancy displays. Just brownies, cookies, a name that made people smile, and the determination to keep showing up.

To our surprise, people stopped. They tasted, came back the following week, and told friends. That stall was the first proof that Dino could stand on its own feet.

Then came the next leap: crowdfunding. At the end of 2020, we asked if people would back us to grow. We didn’t expect much. But in the middle of Covid, when times were tough for everyone, over 14,000 pounds was pledged. Not investors. Not institutions. Just ordinary people who wanted us to succeed. That money bought equipment, ingredients, and time — but more importantly, it gave us confidence.

Festivals and Events: Where We Learned to Roar

2021 was when Dino went big. We moved to small commercial kitchen and soon after we were on the road. One weekend we’d be in a muddy field at a festival, the next inside ExCeL at Comic Con, then Formula-E or Wimbledon.

Events are unforgiving. Power cuts, rainstorms, queues that never end. Ovens breaking down in the middle of service. Staff getting stuck on trains. But those weekends were our training ground. We learned to serve thousands of people a day without dropping quality, to keep our sense of fun under pressure, and to make Dino a brand people remembered in a sea of food stalls.

And it worked. Guests who tried us at a festival came looking for us again at the next one. Some even made the trip across London to track us down. Step by step, recognition spread — not because of marketing budgets, but because we kept showing up.

Recognition, One Star at a Time

From 2022 to 2024, our brownies picked up Great Taste 1★ awards three years in a row. Each one was a little spark of validation — proof that what started in a home oven could hold its own against the best artisan bakers in the country.

Then came 2025, which changed everything. Our cookie won a 2★★ Great Taste award, and our cheesecake took another 2★★ in the same year. For a tiny independent bakery with no PR machine, that double win was enormous. Dino wasn’t just fun anymore — it was award-winning.

The stars didn’t come from slick campaigns. They came from stubbornness: recipe testing at midnight, starting over when batches failed, and refusing to settle until every bake was better than the last.

The Leap to a Bakery

The plan was to open our first permanent bakery in November 2023. Lease signed, pennies counted, ovens ordered. But reality had other plans.

The flat above us flooded — not once, but three times. Water damage meant ripped-out ceilings, ruined equipment, and months of delays. Instead of a winter launch, we didn’t open until spring 2024.

By then, we were running on fumes but determined to make it work. And when the doors finally opened, it was worth every setback. Dino had a home.

The bakery quickly became more than a cookie counter. It turned into a neighbourhood hub. On weekends, brunch tables fill up. Croffles, bagels, shakshoukas — dishes that brought Dino beyond cookies and into full café life. Our Google reviews passed 500, averaging 4.9 stars. Every comment, whether from a local regular or a tourist stumbling in, reminded us why we fought so hard to open those doors.

Independent by Design

People often assume Dino must be a chain. The branding’s too polished, the service too sharp, the cookies too consistent. But the truth is simpler: we’re still independent.

Every decision — from which coffee roaster to partner with, to how much chocolate to order, to what goes on the brunch menu — is made by us. Every oven, fridge, and mixer was paid for out of sales or that first crowdfunding campaign.

Independence is messy. It means sleepless nights, weighing risks with no safety net, and learning on the fly. But it also means freedom. Freedom to say yes to a mad idea. Freedom to build a brand that feels personal and real. Freedom to grow on our own terms.

Five Years Later

Five years on, Chocolate Dino is an award-winning bakery and event operator. At festivals and major events, we’ve served thousands of people in a single weekend. At the bakery, we’ve created a space that locals call their own — and visitors make part of their London trip.

But more than awards or reviews, what we’re proudest of is how it’s been done: no investors, no corporate shortcuts, just persistence, community support, and an unshakable belief in what Dino could be.

The Next Chapter

Where does it go from here? Honestly, we don’t know. Five years ago, we didn’t expect a Brick Lane stall. We didn’t expect £14k crowdfunded in the middle of a pandemic. We didn’t expect three years of brownie awards. We didn’t expect a double 2★★ win. We didn’t expect floods that delayed our first bakery. And yet, here we are.

The next five years might bring new sites. It might bring new products. It might bring a mobile fleet of cookie trailers. Whatever happens, the DNA stays the same: independent, bold, and built on determination and community spirit.

Chocolate Dino started with pocket change and goodwill. Today, it’s a brand that roars. Tomorrow? The oven is already pre-heating.

We opened our high street bakery in London Waterloo.

From Home Oven to Trendy Bakery Café: Chocolate Dino Company Opens in London Waterloo

London, 14/05/2024 – Chocolate Dino Company, celebrated for its twice Great Taste award-winning desserts, is thrilled to announce the opening of its first brick-and-mortar bakery café in the London Waterloo area. Located just a minute away from Lambeth North tube station, founders Marcin and Rafal invite customers to enjoy their premium treats in a cosy, welcoming space.

A Journey from Home to High Street

Chocolate Dino Company was born out of necessity during the first lockdown in May 2020. With their household income severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic,

Marcin and Rafal, who have over 40 years of combined experience in the hospitality industry, turned their passion for premium chocolate into a business. Starting with a domestic oven at home, they quickly developed a range of premium handmade chocolate brownies in many delicious flavours.

Initially operating as an online retailer, Chocolate Dino Company soon expanded to local markets, starting with Brick Lane Market. Their irresistible treats rapidly gained popularity, leading them to participate in high-footfall events such as those at the Excel Arena and Olympia. They have delighted tens of thousands of customers at events like MCM Comic Con, Electronic Music Festivals, International Horse Shows, Formula E, AIG Women’s Open Golf Tournament, Food Festivals, Winter Wonderland, and Corporate Events working with brands such as Facebook/Meta, Xero, Revolut, Channel 4, Conde Nast, among others.

Exquisite Menu Offerings

Chocolate Dino Company’s new bakery café features an indulgent menu that includes:

New York-Style Giant Cookies: Freshly baked and irresistibly gooey

Fluffy Buttermilk Waffles

Patisserie Style Premium Chocolate Brownies: Award-winning and decadently rich

Premium Ice Cream Sundaes: Made with the finest ingredients and served with various toppings.

Hot Crumble Pots

Exceptional Coffee and Beverages

In partnership with Volcano Coffee Works from Brixton, the café serves locally roasted, single-origin coffee, ensuring every cup is of the highest quality. The state-of-the-art Eversys coffee machine guarantees precision and excellence in every brew. Additionally, the bakery offers decadent hot chocolate made with solid chocolate, cream, and spices.

Founders' Vision

“We are ecstatic to open our first bakery café in London Waterloo,” said Marcin. “Our vision has always been to create a space where people can indulge in our handmade treats and enjoy exceptional coffee in a friendly and inviting atmosphere.”

Rafal added, “This new location allows us to share our passion for premium chocolate and baking with a broader audience. We look forward to becoming a beloved part of the local community.”

Visit Us

Chocolate Dino Company’s bakery café is located at 36 Kennington Rd, SE1 7BL London, just a minute away from Lambeth North tube station.

For more information about the new location, menu offerings, and more, visit instagram.com/chocolatedinocompany

About Chocolate Dino Company

Chocolate Dino Company specialises in premium chocolate brownies, giant New York-style cookies, and a variety of other delectable treats. Founded by hospitality veterans Marcin and Rafal , the company is known for its commitment to quality with a focus on the Belgian chocolate as the main ingredient of their creations.

Salted Caramel Belgian Chocolate Brownie wins Great Taste 2022 award

 Tasted by the experts, salted caramel brownie from Chocolate Dino Company is awarded a Great Taste 1 star in 2022

London based premium Belgian chocolate bakers Chocolate Dino Company has been named among the top food and drink producers globally this year, picking up a highly prized 1star Great Taste award for its salted caramel chocolate brownie.

More than 14,000 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process; and Chocolate Dino Company was dubbed an enjoyable, indulgent brownie that would be widely enjoyed at the world’s most coveted food and drink awards.

Described as “Attractively drizzled, dense, fudgy”, this dark Belgian chocolate brownie layered with buttery salted caramel with a hint of coffee was a big hit with the Great Taste judges.

Made with Belgian chocolate and homemade salted caramel, Chocolate Dino Company Brownie was one of the 5,556 products to receive a Great Taste award in 2022 (which is only 39.1% of the total products entered).

What is Great Taste?

Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind-tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.

This year, the judging took place over 90 days across two judging locations (Dorset and London)  with a panel of more than 500 judges. This year’s line-up saw food and drink products submitted from a staggering 110 different countries from across the world.

Rafal Smaszcz from Chocolate Dino Company comments: “We are delighted to have won a Great Taste award for our Salted Caramel Chocolate Brownie. I have dreamt of this moment and am so proud to be adding the iconic black and gold Great Taste logo to our produce.

Chocolate Dino Company was born in a middle of the first wave of pandemic as a lockdown project. Started at the home kitchen within 14 days from the idea to the ready to ship online store so to be where we are today is just wonderful.”

“Being recognised with a Great Taste 1-star means so much to independent producers such as myself, as it makes all the hard work and determination worth it! Great Taste is the most recognised accolade for taste and quality in the food and drink world, so it really is a big win! Marcin Matykiewicz concludes.

The Salted Caramel Belgian Chocolate Brownie is available from www.chocolatedinocompany.co.uk.

For more information about Chocolate Dino Company visit www.chocolatedinocompany.co.uk.

For more information, imagery, or interview opportunities, contact Rafal at rafal@chocolatedinocompany.co.uk

Check us out on socials @chocolatedinocompany (Instagram and Facebook)

History of brownie

The invention of culinary dishes can be complicated, and the brownie is no exception. Some myths state that a chef accidentally added melted chocolate to some biscuits, or was making cake but didn’t have enough flour; still others say that a housewife in Bangor, Maine, forgot to add baking powder to her chocolate cake. But most evidence points to one source: Chefs at Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel, who created the tasty treat for the World Columbian Exposition of 1893.

The origin story goes like this: Bertha Palmer, the wife of Palmer hotel owner Potter Palmer, was president of the Ladies Board for Managers for Exposition. When organizers of the event asked her to create a dessert especially for the boxed lunches at the Women’s Pavilion, Palmer went to her hotel’s pastry chefs and gave them the task of creating a dessert that was easier to eat than a piece of pie and smaller than a layer cake that could easily be served in boxed lunches. The result was a brownie made with double the chocolate normal brownies use, walnuts, and an apricot glaze that’s still made at the hotel to this day.

Ordering your brownies during COVID19 restrictions.

Currently, we only bake our brownies for online orders with postal/courier delivery. Our the most popular signature box - The Magnificent Six - should be available for dispatch immediately but please allow 48 hours for arranging courier collection. 

For individually chosen flavour boxes (single and double flavour selections) we do have one dispatch day per week. (We are working hard to increase our capacity, but we do not want to compromise on quality so please understand that we have to limit the number of orders). Once we reach our weekly limits, items will be showing as sold out until next week. We will re-open stock availability on Saturday morning for the following Thursday dispatch. Please place your orders soon after our new week stock re-opens to avoid disappointment as many of our Dinos are selling out fast. 

Any orders placed after 10 AM the day before dispatch date we will dispatch the following week.

Currently, we post our brownies on THURSDAY. If you are in the UK, they should reach you on Friday. 

Please keep in mind that all courier companies at this time do not guarantee delivery time hence we chose Thursday for our postal day to ensure that you should receive your brownies before the weekend even if a small delay occurs.  

All items are sent via Royal Mail 1st Class Signed and Tracked. You will receive a tracking number. We are unable to deal with any queries about your parcel location once it leaves us. Please contact Royal Mail or Courier Company using your tracking number to follow up in case of any issues. 

In the unlikely event of the parcel going missing, we can submit a claim to Royal Mail no earlier than three days after its scheduled delivery time. Please contact us only when three days from the expected delivery time passed, and the parcel did not reach you till then.