Chocolate Making in Martinborough

Adults & Kids Workshops!

Learn about bean to bar craft chocolate making and make your own chocolate bars with Elly and Jon from Martinborough's very own be happy chocolate.

In this 90 minute workshop you will learn the basics of bean to bar chocolate making, pour and flavour three of your own chocolate bars and wrap them to take home. While your bars are setting you can enjoy a be happy chocolate whole bean hot chocolate plus a delicious chocolate tasting.

Adults Chocolate Making

August 16th 6-7.30pm
August 30th 6-7.30pm

Kids Chocolate Making
7-12 yrs

A two hour chocolate experience with be happy chocolate- Martinborough’s very own chocolate makers!

Learn the basics of bean to bar craft chocolate making and pour, decorate and wrap your own delicious chocolate bars to take home, all wrapped in packaging you have designed yourself.

August 17th 10am-12pm
August 31st 10am-12pm

What we’re all about…

Ventana art space Martinborough Wairarapa Wellington group experience

child running around flower in Ventana art space in martinborough, wairarapa

We know creativity improves brain function, lifts mood, builds trust and cooperation between humans, and is the foundation of innovation. We believe these benefits should be accessible to everyone.

From our kidlets who grow their creativity through regular classes and school holiday workshops, to those building their creative practice in later life, or corporate teams super-charging their productivity, problem-solving and team cohesion with creative mindfulness. We know life is just better if we’re able to explore this ancient, hardwired part of us in a safe and inclusive environment.

Ventana is all about using your hands, quietening your mind and connecting with others. And of course having a bloody good time.

“I constantly hear the words, ‘I’m not creative’. Or ‘I can’t draw or paint’. The secret is out of the bag. We’re all creative. And when engaging in activities that express and nurture this, there are massive benefits to our well-being as individuals and groups.”

“Creativity should be accessible to all, part of our everyday, woven into the important stages of our life. But most of all. Creativity should be fun.”

Bec - Ventana CCO (Chief Creation Officer)

THE VENTANA STORY

Ventana was dreamed up on the back of a pizza box by two Wairarapa blow-ins, looking for a window into the wider world of art and creativity from our beautiful, remote corner of the planet.

What began in 2016 as a gallery, retail store, and workshop space in central Martinborough — showcasing art from around the world — soon took on a life of its own. It turned out there was an incredible abundance of creative genius in our small village and its surroundings, and Ventana became the perfect excuse to celebrate it.

Nearly a decade later, and now owned by artist, educator, and obsessive maker, Bec Mackie, Ventana is an Art Space for everyone. Kids, adults, wedding parties, and business teams all come to master everything from giant knitting and giant flower-making to watercolours and neurographic art.

The OG Ventana!

Becs & Auriga making the handover official

Creative Art Workshops & Experiences in Martinborough giant flower installations and hire

Meet Becs

Creative Art Workshops & Experiences in Martinborough giant flower installations and hire Ventana Art Space Owner, Martinborough Creative Workshops

Becs is Chief Creation Officer (CCO) of Ventana and artist in residence in our Martinborough studio.

From the green and golden shores of East Coast Aussie, Becs found her way via outback stations and wild South Island outposts to Martinborough Wine Village in 2018. Here she found the perfect place to create. After taking over Ventana, meeting her now husband Brent, having her beautiful daughter Maeve - she is now not only considered a local, but in Ventana, has built a creative home for locals, tourists and visitors alike.

Becs is a trained educator, life-long art and craft machine, and can literally make anything. Just ask.

‘‘The Ventana logo and our beautiful studio mural show a weave of Kiwi Kōwhai and Aussie Wattle. These flowers represent resilience, renewal and connection, which is exactly how I feel about finding my home here and what I hope Ventana brings into people’s lives’’.

Find Ventana Art Space!

7 Kitchener Street
Martinborough

Down the alley between Medici & Kitchener’s Cafe

Location map ventana art space where is find us art workshops martinborough

Ventana Art Space- centre of town
Your accommodation- Airbnb, hotel or resort
Local vineyards- check options
Ventana House- my home for groups 25+ppl

Group Workshop Venue Options:

Planning something off-site?

It’s +$150 in the Wairarapa, and from +$250 for Wellington or beyond.
This fee covers the extra time and care it takes to pack and prep materials, transport everything to your venue, and return it all safely to the studio.

Group Booking Menu