My 9-5: Sebastian Kobelt Chocolatier
The founder of West Lothian-based Sebastian Kobelt Chocolatier shares his daily life and career path.
Where do you call home?
I grew up in East Germany but I now live in Dalgety Bay. I love it here because I used to work on a cruise ship so wherever I go I need the coast nearby.
The business is based in Linlithgow and I used to live nearby but I have two little boys and the flat wasn’t big enough anymore.
My day starts with…
My alarm goes off at 6am and I get the boys ready and then drop them off at nursery. I then go to work and check my emails and production starts from there onwards. I pick up the kids from nursery when I finish at 5.30pm. I have dinner then put the boys to bed, clean the house and then I go to bed at midnight.
My main responsibilities are…
There is always some sort of admin, like processing orders, that come in overnight. The online shop and wholesale side of the business became big after lockdown. I also check social media – as a small business I want us to be connected to the customers.
I gave up my shop after the first lockdown. The lease was up and the overheads were weighing on me. Since we moved online, we still have a lot of local customers who have remained loyal. It’s different online – people don’t have the same approach; they don’t expect the owner to reply to them.
We are flexible with flavours of chocolate in our boxes and this sets us apart. We have to charge a little more as it is artisan and handmade, so it costs more to produce and people understand this.
A typical working day usually involves…
At this time of year, people usually have questions about the Christmas range and how long the shelf life of products are. Customer service and personal interaction are very important to me. People expect the shop to be a chain but it’s a small business so it’s very important that if people want to speak to me they can.
I got my job…
I always see myself as a pastry chef first - I started training in Belgium in Michelin star restaurants. With the online shop it’s chocolate that sells – we used to sell cakes and patisserie in the shop but that doesn’t sell online. We scaled back on the cake side and now specialise in chocolate.
Ten years ago, a chocolate shop was the cheapest and easiest way to set up a business as I only needed an oven, fridge and table.
The best part of my job is…
I find it very rewarding when I come up with a new flavour combination or design and it evokes a response from customers. I am lucky to have a job that allows me to express myself. One Christmas we had a truffle that had geranium and calamansi (a South East Asian citrus fruit) in it. A young boy bought some for his mum who is from the Philippines and they eat it there. She loved it. Chocolate is nostalgic and can take customers back to their childhood. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to do that.
My most memorable career moment is…
Last year I was very lucky to represent Germany at the World Chocolate Masters. There are national heats, and the winners compete in the world final. It was a big moment for me because I became a pastry chef as my grandad ran a pastry shop in Berlin. My dad became a vet and my grandfather really wanted one of his grandsons to bake. He saw me competing there – if it’s not my proudest moment it’s his.
After work I…
I would love to find a hobby we can all do together as a family like cycling or hiking but right now my sons are two and three years old and not independent yet. Every few months I take my partner to a nice restaurant – we love Aizle in Edinburgh.
If I wasn’t the founder of Sebastian Kobelt Chocolatier, I’d have been…
There was never a question of what I was going to do. When I was six in the school holidays I'd spend time in the kitchen with my grandad baking bread so I always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?
Stick to your guns. In business it’s about consistency – changing things a lot is confusing to the customer. It applies to people too. If you’re consistent as a person people know exactly what they are up against.
You can find out more about Sebastian Kobelt Chocolatier here.
About Dalgety Bay
Located on the coast between Inverkeithing and Aberdour, Dalgety Bay overlooks the Firth of Forth towards Edinburgh and The Lothians. It is the eighth largest place in Fife with a population of just over 10,000.
Much of the property style in Dalgety Bay is new builds and the town is a regular winner of the Best Kept Small Town title. If you’re looking for more space in comparison to the Capital and a house with a garden Dalgety Bay could be an option for you.
Dalgety Bay at a glance
- £227,172 average selling price
- 109.4% of Home Report valuation attained
- The most popular property type is a three-bedroom house
(Figures are based on properties marketed and sold through ESPC. Home Report valuations relate to properties where the Home Report was available on espc.com. Figures relate to the three-month period ending on 30/09/2022)
ESPC magazine
This article appeared in the December 2022 issue of the ESPC magazine. Find out more about the ESPC magazine and read the latest issue online.