Chinese chocolate village reaps sweet success

"There was nobody to learn from because there were no chocolate villages in China as far as I knew," he said. "I contacted a designer, but the designer did not know what I wanted at all."

Mo went overseas again to draw inspiration. Even now, he still travels to other countries at least twice a year to learn from foreign chocolate townships.

In July 2012, Mo decided to settle his chocolate village where he grew up in the township of Dayun and named it Aficion Chocolate Village.

"Dayun is my hometown, and the local government was promoting tourism," Mo said. "The area has great transportation conditions. So it was perfect."

As one of the biggest chocolate-themed villages in Asia, Aficion centers on chocolate-making research and development, while also offering recreational activities such as village tours and experiencing chocolate-making, among others.

To make the best chocolate, Mo bought equipment from Switzerland and selects quality raw materials from around the world.

With the support of the local government, the village started making chocolate under the Aficion brand in February 2014, and the tourist attraction officially opened to the public later that year.

"We do not just want to be a chocolate maker," Mo said. "We want to spread chocolate culture and promote chocolate-based tourism."

Mo said he hopes people who visit the village approve of the chocolate quality and will want to buy some to take home after having a taste.

"When consumers buy our chocolates, they will know that the chocolates come straight from the factory in the Aficion Chocolate Village," Mo said. "When they visit the village, they will see our advanced equipment for themselves, and they will trust our product quality."

The village has won several awards since its debut. In 2014, it was named a provincial "demonstration base for industrial tourism". It was honored as a provincial "demonstration characteristic town" in 2016. The next year, it became a national-level tourist attraction.

Since 2014, Aficion chocolates have hit the shelves in more than 20,000 supermarkets in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Aficion has also launched online channels, selling chocolate on platforms such as Taobao, JD and yhd.com. Mo has also tapped the wedding industry by making wedding candies. His team is beginning to explore markets in other areas in China.

"It is a sweet business to me," Mo said. "I will continue to do my best to make the best chocolate and promote chocolate culture."