Willie Harcourt-Cooze

William George Harcourt-Cooz, is a British-based chocolate maker and entrepreneur. He came to public prominence in 2008 with the airing of the Channel 4 fly-on-the-wall documentary, Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory, which centred on his efforts to grow, import and produce his own chocolate. Born in London to a Burmese father and Irish mother, he has two younger, and two older sisters, as well as a younger brother. His father fled Burma during the Second World War. When Willie was four his father bought Horse Island on the south west coast of Ireland between Ballydehob and Schull, where his father started farming and living a self-sufficient life. He attended school in Waterford, Ireland. Returning to England aged eleven, he was unhappy and returned to Ireland after a year where he attended a comprehensive school in Cork. After completing basic schooling there, he moved back to England again to study for his A-levels and was considering following in his father's footsteps and becoming a property developer. In 1982, whilst on a night out with some friends, he was stabbed by an unknown assailant, but made a good recovery. Soon after this happened, he received the news that his father had died. He decided to travel and visited Australia, Peru and the Far East