Hanbin "Emily" Paek is part of the first wave of craft chocolate in Korea, a movement which started in earnest around 2013. Having been inspired by the stories of small-batch chocolate makers around the world, Emily moved herself to Wellington, New Zealand in 2014, where she worked with Wellington Chocolate Factory for about two years. Once her training was complete, she left a piece of her heart in New Zealand and returned to Korea to open her own chocolate factory. In late 2016, Public Chocolatory was finally open to the Korean public, and yet another country began its chocolate education. These days Emily is working on expanding her knowledge of cacao production, experimenting with new origins, and looking into building direct trade relationships with the farmers whose cacao she depends upon.
South Korea (Chuncheon)