What David Hockney Meant to Us

Every holiday season, a fax would arrive from David Hockney's studio. The message itself was always straightforward—"Here's our list for this year." But the cover page was unmistakably David. Adorned with a playful hand-drawn illustration, he had transformed an everyday office document into something joyful.

For decades, we had the privilege of preparing David Hockney’s holiday gifts for his friends and colleagues in the United States and England. Looking back through our archives after his passing on June 11th, we rediscovered one of those fax cover sheets from 2010. It reminded us not only of a cherished customer, but of an artist whose creativity permeated every aspect of his life.

As Angelenos, it's difficult to imagine Los Angeles without David Hockney's vision of it. His swimming pools, landscapes, portraits, and later digital works celebrated California's light, color, and sense of possibility.

However, for us, David's influence extended beyond his artwork. In 2018, as we sought to reinvent our decades-old business, we actually asked ourselves “What would David do?” Throughout his career, he effortlessly moved between painting, photography, photocopiers, fax machines, and later the iPad. Evolution was an exciting and central part of his practice. How should we evolve ours? What does it look like and how will we still connect with our community? David’s path gave us permission to believe that if we approached our own evolution with an artistic mindset and a personal touch, the result would be both relevant and rewarding.

That lesson still informs the way we think and create. We see chocolate as a meeting place for craftsmanship, culture, and connection. Uncovering this small piece of our history with David reminds us that artistry elevates the everyday.

Plastic Tree Plus City Hall (1964)

A Lawn Being Sprinkled (1967)

Flowers Apple and Pear on Table (1986)

Pearblossom Hwy., 11–18th April 1986, #2

Dog Etching No. 3 (1998)

No. 778, 17th April 2011