Louis Barnett (chocolatier)

Louis Barnett was raised by his parents Phil and Mary Barnett in the village of Kinver, Staffordshire. Besides his work as a chocolatier, he is a champagne connoisseur and an amateur photographer. Throughout school, Barnett struggled to meet the teachers' expectations. They were satisfied with his vocabulary and general knowledge, but they focused on his weak points like maths and written work. ==Career==

After a falconry experience day, Barnett spent 18 months working as a volunteer at a falconry centre. He started out cleaning and gardening, but was eventually trusted to fly the birds of prey in shows and corporate events. His experience resulted in the permission to keep his pet African eagle owl Jewl. He started by making chocolate mousse and cakes, but eventually he focused on making chocolates ==Chokolit==

Louis started making chocolates in his kitchen for friends and family, but when he started selling the chocolates to local businesses, he had to move the operation to the garage. Soon his parents' garage was too small to deal with the growing demand and production had to relocate to a new factory in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. The factory was officially opened by South Staffordshire MP Sir Patrick Cormack on 14 December 2007. Barnett now works with his parents and exports his chocolates to many different countries around the world. ==Activism==

Barnett is involved in a lobby for the reclassification of palm oil In contrast to other vegetable oils which have been connected to the health and longevity of Mediterranean people, palm oil is saturated and not healthy. Despite this, palm oil is widely used in the confectionery industry which he believes devalues the product. The first bar, the "Orang-utan Biting Back Bar", contains dark chocolate bar and has a hint of orange. It is sold by Chokolit, and several British zoos. Early in 2008, the MP who opened Chokolit's Bridgnorth production facility arranged for Barnett to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown and conservative leader David Cameron at the Houses of Parliament. He discussed his views on palm oil with the politicians, showed the first "Biting Back Bar" and discussed opening a new outlet with House of Commons catering chiefs. Cameron called Barnett "a most remarkable young man who has the makings of becoming one of the significant entrepreneurs of the next decade". ==Awards and honours==

• 2011 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award (won) Insider business Awards, Belfry • Lord Carter Award for excellence in the food industry (won) • 2007 Enterprising Young Brits Awards (finalist, teen category) • Heart of England Fine Foods Diamond Awards (shortlisted, confectionery category) • Food Processing Awards 2007(finalist, Packaging Innovation of the Year) Louis was awarded the honour of "Young Champion" in 2010 at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and attended at the "What Makes A Young Champion?" event. ==References==