Janet Christie: Richard O’Connor has found the recipe for true happiness – love, and lots of top-quality chocolatE

WHAT do you need to be happy? A Rolex? A Nexus? A villa on the shores of Lake Como, next door to George Clooney?

Or do you hanker for the more simple things in life? Crisp white sheets? A walk along the beach? Five minutes' peace?

For Richard O'Connor, life's essentials can be summed up in two words: chocolate and love. “And possibly the odd steak too," says the 43-year-old Scottish chocolatier, who now lives between Copenhagen, Scotland and London with his Danish fiancée Birgitte Hormand and one-year-old Sophia.

That’s why, when the pair were searching for a name for their venture selling luxury chocolate, Chocolate and Love seemed to sum things up completely. “We were in a shop in Copenhagen looking at chocolate and I said to Birgitte, ‘All you need to survive in life is just chocolate and love,’ and she said, ‘That's the name’."

Offering luxury chocolate gifts, pralines, nougats, rich dark chocolates and hard-to-find chocolates from around the world, Chocolate and Love was created out of passion for superior chocolate and a belief that it should be part of everyone’s life.

The range includes five different bars, with amusing names from Filthy Rich to Minted, and Choc Stars, where the wrappers feature pets that look like famous people, from Audrey Hepburn to Lady Gaga.

New departures include a white chocolate bar and a sea salt and caramel variety, plus a chocolate and hazelnut spread in development – the pair are currently engaged in the onerous task of testing around 30 different spreads.

While the best things in life may not be free, at £3.20 a bar, O'Connor argues their chocolate is worth it. “Our mission is to make good chocolate at a price that is within reach of most people. Our bars sell at £3.20 and people might think that’s a lot; I did when I first bought an expensive bar, but the difference is huge. You would think nothing of paying that for a good glass of wine or cigar.

“When you think chocolate, you have to think wine. You can either go for a Château Lafite or a cheaper vin de pays, a blend. It's the same with chocolate. We use criollo beans, the champagne of chocolate, with the most flavour."

After studying land economy at Aberdeen University, O'Connor launched himself into various business ventures, starting Chocolate and Love in 2009. Originally it sold other people's products, but now focuses on its own.

Environmental concerns play strongly with O'Connor and Hormand and they pride themselves on their brand’s eco credentials. “Having a child makes you think about the next generation, and being ethical doesn’t mean you have to be Swampy.

“Our chocolate is made from beans originating in Peru and the Dominican Republic that are organic and fairly traded, and proceeds go back to the growers. For every ten bars sold, a tree is planted in Ethiopia through WeForest, an organisation dedicated to sustainable reforestation to counter global warming. We have paid for 14,000 trees so far, many of them planted by women with HIV. We're also proud of using a labelling company that employs Down's Syndrome staff paid a proper wage. That really warms my heart," he says.

“We wanted to do something that gives back. I believe that we can make a difference, and people feel good about it.”

What more could you want? Chocolate that’s good for you and the environment – it’s time to spread the love.