A CHOCOLATE STORY: HNC’S BUSINESS STUDY STUDENTS SWEETEN THEIR INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE
14.04.2026HNC’s Year 13 A Level Business Studies students recently returned from a visit to York’s Chocolate Story, where they enjoyed an interactive tour and a hands-on chocolate making workshop to discover more about the history of the confectionery industry in preparation for upcoming assessments.
In A Level Business Studies, students develop a fundamental understanding of how businesses are developed, managed, and operated, covering core functions such as marketing, finance and logistics. Ensuring that students understand how these functions operate in reality is a key way in which students can prepare for success in their future studies and careers – and a recent visit for our Year 13 Business Studies cohort to the Chocolate Story in York provided an opportunity to understand how the UK’s chocolate industry has thrived over the last 300 years, from the production and manufacturing methods used, to the marketing that is employed by some of the UK’s biggest confectionery suppliers.
On the day, the group enjoyed an interactive tour of Chocolate Story, learning more about the history of York’s most famous chocolate-making families, from Rowntrees (renowned for Kit Kats, Aeros and Smarties) to Terry’s (makers of the Christmas must have, the Chocolate Orange), and discovering more abut the origins of the confectionery industry in the UK. On the tour, the group enjoyed demonstrations of chocolate making, and even had the opportunity to get hands-on with some chocolatey creations themselves. After the tour, the group then took part in a hands-on design and technology workshop, where groups were tasked with designing a chocolate bar with a USP, and determining the price point, target audience, design and branding of their product, then pitching their product in a Dragon’s Den style experience.
The trip to Chocolate Story goes beyond showcasing how the theories learnt in the classroom work in reality, with the experience focusing on developing a deeper understanding of industry, directly linking to the topics they will be assessed on in their final exams. Jo Kirk, Teacher of A Level Business Studies, shares more “Students studying at HNC can expect a teaching and learning experience that goes far beyond the classroom, ensuring that they are in a position to confidently tackle their assessments. Our recent visit to Chocolate Story in York was a genuinely enlightening experience that brought our A Level Business Studies students’ learning to life through a number of interactive experiences! York is renowned for its confectionery history with some of chocolate’s biggest brand names originating from the city, and learning more about the chocolate making industry has provided our Year 13 students with a wider understanding of how industry in general works, ensuring that they are well prepared for their upcoming final exams”.
You can view a gallery of images from the trip below.
New Hey Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4GL
