At Mash + Mint, we’re drawn to people who do things differently and Helen Pattinson is a perfect example. Co-founder of Montezuma’s Chocolate, mentor to purpose-led brands, trustee of Children on the Edge, and the creative mind behind a stunning home renovations, Helen’s journey is a true inspiration.
Helen shares the story behind building one of the UK’s most-loved chocolate brands, her insights into entrepreneurship and mentoring, and her passion for interiors, cycling, and creating meaningful change. Whether you're building a values-led business or interested in thoughtful living, Helen’s story offers practical insight and genuine inspiration.
Helen, you co-founded Montezuma’s Chocolate, can you tell Mash + Mint how the idea came about and what that chapter of your life taught you?
I met my husband Simon when we were training as lawyers together in London. We met and got married very quickly and spurred on by each other’s spirit of adventure, we resigned from our well paid jobs in the City and took a year out to decide what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives.
We planned a year of travelling and spent months in South America where we discovered cocoa and chocolate and everything that makes it so incredible. We almost couldn’t wait to get home to work out how to create a business out of a product that we had fallen in love with.
We had no idea whether it would work but, somehow our naivety saw us through those early days where we had to learn from our mistakes really quickly, and use our passion to get through the madness of setting up and running an early stage business. We weren’t able to pay ourselves for another two years but we loved every minute of it.
Since exiting Montezuma’s, how has your focus shifted professionally and personally?
Sometimes, I have found it hard being away from the business. We spent 20 years creating and nurturing Montezuma’s and we were ready for a change. I don’t think any entrepreneur really knows what it will be like without the daily buzz, and you never really believe it’s going to happen so you don’t make plans for after an exit.
It was important to me to keep my head in the business space, so I have been mentoring and doing some advisory work for some fabulous businesses which I love. I have been a trustee of the brilliant charity, Children on the Edge for nearly ten years so I’m happy to be spending a bit more time with them and recently visited one of our projects in Uganda which certainly changes your perspective on life.
I have always loved sport. I am also a cycling coach too, so a lot of my spare time is spent either on a bike or coaching youngsters on their bikes. I believe that sport can give you a release from the stresses of daily life. For me, it was essential to maintain some balance. It’s really important to me that we give the kids a sport for life, it doesn’t have to be cycling but having a healthy outlet for stress is essential. I always say that no-one ever feels worse after a walk, run or bike ride!
Looking back, what are you most proud of from your time building Montezuma’s?
This is a tricky one, but it would probably be creating something original. At the time we started, there were no other chocolate businesses breaking onto the High Street or offering a multi-channel approach to premium, artisan chocolate.
We loved creating unusual flavour combinations like chilli, tequila and lime truffles and cardamom and orange in dark chocolate and our customers loved us for it. We saw so many copycat businesses pop up and disappear over twenty years and it made us realise that if you can’t come up with an original idea then you’re almost definitely not equipped to deal with the rollercoaster of starting and growing a business.
A huge part of this success was attributable to having a team around us as we grew, who believed in us and became as passionate about what we were trying to achieve as we were. We had no idea about leadership and made it up as we went along, so in hindsight, I am also super proud of the team and how we built it.
You’re heavily involved in the charity Children on the Edge. What drew you to their work, and what keeps you engaged with the cause?
We started supporting Children on the Edge in the very early days at Montezuma’s when their COO Ben asked us if we could donate some chocolate to an Easter egg hunt they were running in the local park. We met Ben and heard what COTE were up to and we were hooked! A charity founded by the late Dame Anita Roddick and Rachel Bentley OBE (who is still the CEO).
I loved its entrepreneurial roots and their creative ways of working. Originally we just gave them chocolate as this was all we could afford, but gradually as we grew, we donated funds from profit every year. We also had a fabulous scheme running for years which asked customers to donate any spare change if they wanted a carrier bag in one of our stores. They nearly always gave more than the 5p charge which the government eventually brought in, and with this, and various other fundraising initiatives with our staff and customers, we raised over £250k for COTE.
They invited me to join them on their Board of Trustees in 2016. I have loved getting more involved and understanding the differences and similarities between running a charity and running a business.
What impact have you seen from the work Children on the Edge is doing, especially in terms of education for children?
COTE provides education and protection for some of the world’s most marginalised children all over the world, every programme is bespoke to the needs of the people and the area they live in. Their work is ground-breaking and has been recognised worldwide, most recently for the unique digital education created for Rohingyan refugee children in Kutupalong, Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp.
By creating digital lessons, COTE are able to reach thousands of Rohingya children. This is just one of their unique programmes but, every single one is equally as creative and targeted to tackle the real needs of the children.
How can individuals or small businesses get involved in supporting Children on the Edge?
Take a look at their website https://childrenontheedge.org for more information and then have a chat with me!
You're passionate about business mentoring. What kinds of businesses or founders do you enjoy working with most?
When I started mentoring, I thought I would really only be helpful to young female entrepreneurs as that was who I identified most with. But, I have had a variety of business leaders contact me and discovered that the challenges in businesses are almost always the same, regardless of the product or service, the size or the sector.
What are the most common mistakes you see new entrepreneurs making, and how can they avoid them?
I do think there has been a massive shift since we started our business, that’s been a huge focus on raising vast investment sums before a business is even off the ground.
I completely appreciate that in one or two sectors, it’s impossible to launch without large investment but in most sectors, it’s really important to understand how your business operates at small scale, what makes it profitable, what the challenges are and how you’re going to grow etc before asking others to invest in you.
As a result of this shift, a lot of entrepreneurs are really good at raising investment however, focusing on the business at hand is sometimes tricky. Not to mention the amount of equity they have to give up at such an early stage. Start smaller and grow sustainably, even if this takes a few more years, the business will be far more stable for it.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a purpose-led brand in today’s marketplace?
Believe in your values! There are plenty of businesses out there who create values for the sake of it but unless you actually live and breathe them, they will never work for your business. Our values essentially made life easier in that they gave us a decision-making framework that we consulted in nearly every major decision.
What role does resilience play in entrepreneurship, especially for women starting their own companies?
The rollercoaster of entrepreneurship is undeniably the toughest thing most founders have to deal with. Going from the highs of landing new contracts or being featured in a magazine, to the lows of increasing supply costs or struggling with cash flow. I actually believe women are well equipped to deal with this, as we are natural multi-taskers, good communicators and love to network (complete generalisation obviously!) and so tend to speak up when they’re struggling. Men often start businesses alone and maybe don’t share their challenges for fear of being seen as failing.
Outside of business, we know you love interiors. How would you describe your personal interior style?
Simon and I are on our fifth house together and have done renovations on all of them! We love a project and our current home, an Edwardian villa in the South Downs, became a complete re-build from new roof down. This did give us the opportunity to completely redecorate which I loved. We wanted to reflect the period the house was built in and I’ve always loved William Morris so two of the rooms are papered in beautiful Morris designs and there are Edwardian hints all over the house. We have always tried to buy the best quality furniture or vintage/antique so most of this has moved with us to every new home, there is definitely a colourful and eclectic mix of new and old.
Do you have any favourite independent interiors brands or items you’ve collected over the years?
We can’t resist an independent art gallery when we’re out and about, we have picked up quite a few paintings and sculptures this way. If I go into a gallery and the owner tells me the artists’ stories, I get completely drawn in, which always makes me want to buy their pieces. We are running out of wall space!
Many years ago, we bought a set of Calligaris New York dining chairs to go around a rustic vintage wooden table. It was a completely ridiculous purchase with three young children but they are still one of my favourite things in the house, beautiful (if a bit child-battered!) and so comfortable, meaning you can sit around the dining table for hours.
You’ve also shared with us a love of walking tours in London. What are your favourite hidden gems or areas to explore on foot?
Simon and I lived in London for so many years, we recently realised that although we know all the main routes and destinations, there is so much more to discover. We’re desperate to travel again but while we still have children at home, we have made a point of ‘travelling’ around more local places and London is incredible for this.
One of our favourite places we discovered is Lower Marsh, about a two minute walk from Waterloo station, a place I have travelled through hundreds of times but never realised that there is this beautiful, colourful street below with fabulous restaurants, shops and a market. We also discovered the Tea House Theatre café in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, I could have sat there all day enjoying the peace and the fabulous cakes!
What does a perfect weekend look like for you now?
With one daughter already gone to University, I am so conscious that I have precious little time left to enjoy family time with the other two before they head off on their adventures too, so for me a perfect weekend would involve a bike ride in the sunshine followed by time in the garden and going to watch my middle daughter (a drummer) perform. Sunday should always involve a roast dinner with family or maybe food and drinks with friends and their families in the evening.
What’s next for you? Are there any new projects, collaborations, or causes you’re excited about?
I am loving my mentoring and I will see what comes from that. I’m also really interested in coaching young female cyclists and helping them to tackle the challenges that sport throws at them. I’ve been researching a lot around this subject to try and work out why girls drop out of sport and don’t pick it back up again until their 30s or 40s, if at all. I would also never discount the idea of starting a new business!
Helen Pattinson’s story is one of fearless creativity, purpose-led entrepreneurship, and deep-rooted community impact. Whether you’re dreaming up your own venture or simply looking to live with more intention, her words are a powerful reminder of what’s possible when passion meets purpose.
Follow Helen
Find me on Instagram (mostly cycling related!) @chocolatehelly and LinkedIn
You can also reach me via my mentoring business which is called Farcape www.farcape.uk
I also mentor through the government Help to Grow scheme and the details of that can be found here https://smallbusinesscharter.org/help-to-grow-management-course
Discover more inspiring interviews over on the Mash + Mint blog, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for home, lifestyle, and creative business content.
