Popular Bristol chocolate shop and cafe to close its doors after five years

A popular Bristol chocolate business is closing its doors after almost five years of trading.

Lisa’s Chocolates on Cheltenham Road will serve its last customers on Wednesday (January 31) and transition into an online-only store.

Chocolatier Lisa Gonzalez Diaz opened the shop in July 2019 after working as a coffee shop manager at Southmead Hospital. 

During her time at the hospital cafe, she met a customer who introduced her to homemade chocolates. She was so impressed that she studied online about the properties of chocolates and learnt everything she could until she got to the stage that she could open her own shop.

But since the pandemic, people’s shopping habits have changed which has led Lisa to decide to move online. 

She said: “I remember this road being like a river of people when I first moved to Bristol, whereas now, it's just very quiet.

“As a retail shop, with all the expenses that come with it, it's a lot harder to make it a profitable business on a daily basis, especially with chocolate being a seasonal product. 

“You either have to have a very good Christmas or be constantly pushing really hard. Which used to be okay. But the older I get, the more I think there might be other ways. 

“Online, you can reach customers globally and you can really focus on making chocolates rather than retailing them. What I love is creating products and coming up with ideas trying to give people things that they've never seen before.”

But Lisa won’t be making the chocolates in Bristol once the shop closes. Next month, she moves to Mallorca, where she will set up her online business in a much warmer climate.

She says: “I think the most challenging thing will be adapting to a new country. What worked in the UK might not work in Spain so I will probably have to create a whole new line of products.

“And that's quite motivating as well, because you just spend days making up stuff, trying them and giving them away to see people’s reaction.”

And after five years in Cheltenham Road, Lisa leaves Bristol with plenty of memories.

“My fondest memories are all the people I got to meet and the appreciation that they had over the years and supporting me through COVID. And I think people were really supportive of everything I’ve done.

“I think I learned more these past four years and a half than I would have if I’d gone to university or if I’d gone travelling the world. 

“I think there’s so much that you learn running a business, a physical place, that I am not scared of starting over because I know that I am more than capable. And I enjoy building things from scratch.”

The Cheltenham Road shop will re-open under new owners and will be adding sandwiches, salads and more food to the menu alongside some of Lisa's popular drinks like the hot chocolates.