Riddle me this… Anne Weyns
Up close and personal with the Co-founder and director of Artisan du Chocolat
If you knew then what you know now… would you still do it?
Yes I would but I would start my own business earlier. I spent 10 years as a management consultant which was instructive but I lacked the freedom of expression that entrepreneurship allows. I would also start other businesses; I would love to design jewellery and to be a writer. So much to do and so little time! I would learn to say no more often, I am still learning that one!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“The greatest journey of all is the one that travels within”. To understand oneself is one of the greatest accomplishment in life and a pre-requisite is to fulfill one’s own potential. We too often confine ourselves to the definitions and labels that are self-imposed or expected. As we are all unique and individual facets of creation, we have riches in us that remain untapped. The richest place in ideas in a cemetary, full of dreams, ideas that were never expressed.
What’s the weirdest rumour you’ve ever heard about yourself?
I could not say. I really don’t care what people think (one of the blessings of mild autism) so I don’t spend time listening to rumours. I don’t own a TV and I rarely read the news full of negativity.
What was your biggest break?
Getting the eponymous Gordon Ramsay 3 Michelin stars restaurant as our very first customer certainly helped the credibility of a new company. He has remained a customer for the last 15 years and only once did he leave us a answering message full of expletive – so quite a good track record!
Do you consider yourself lucky?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in synchronicities, which are God’s way of remaining anonymous - however you perceive God to be. I am also privileged for sure when millions of people are still suffering from starvation and wars instigated by man’s insanity.
What’s most important in your life?
To love and be loved and to know that life, like love, never ends.
What other artists do you admire?
I admire craftsmanship and individuality, the madness of an individual to dare express their souls through what they create. Jo Malone is an exceptional perfumer who creates scents in her head which I similar to how I create chocolates. I find the Bang sisters fascinating, they created precipitated portraits without even touching the canvas.
Do you have a guilty pleasure – if so what is it?
Chocolate of course! I eat chocolate every day. Now that I have create a beauty chocolate with collagen inside (here), all guilt is gone!
Describe your personal sense of style.
Ecclectic and individual . In truth I hate shopping – I have been in a shop once in the last 3 years to try on walking shoes for a charity marathon. Instead I pick up what I like online and from travels and pull it together mixing and matching. 
Enquiries; Artisan du Chocolat/ www.artisanduchocolat.com