I don’t really know how to start this catch-up session, quite simply, because I can’t remember what happened in August.
Maybe I’m partially choosing not to remember the chaos and panic that August was. Maybe I’ve created some sort of mental block. The other part is that it just went SO quickly and SO much happened that I genuinely can’t chronologically place what happened when. I’m asking myself questions like, “Wait… was that this year or last year?”
So, how have I decided to write this? Some nice, chill music in my headphones, flicking between Jamie’s and my camera rolls to see if our phones managed to capture the month better than my brain did.
From manufacturing malfunctions, early starts dropping off pallets, ramping up Christmas production, seasonal temps starting, pallets beginning to fly out to our wholesale distributors AND five days locked down in my bed fighting off a nasty bug… it was, well… a month.
But in between those lumps and bumps, and some things I am not ready to share on here yet, Jamie and I still tried to make some time for ourselves, non-choco-related.
Usually, my personal life is also defined as chocolate. However, if you were around in January, you might remember one of my goals for this year was to create some form of separation from Choco Chaos and moments of silence. To find some other interests. Prioritise family time. And for Jamie and I to stop neglecting our health just because “it’s getting busy again.”
(Let’s see if I’m still saying I’m sticking to that when October comes around…)
Jamie and I tried to prioritise a nice walk every weekend. Not just an hour outside on the normal dog walk, but a proper trek. Backpack, water, snacks n all kinda trek.
Our best find? Knepp. It’s in West Sussex and, if you’re local… GO.
Never have I ever seen so much wildlife in one place in the UK. Nesting storks, running chubby badgers, what seemed like hundreds of deer, black bunny rabbits (didn’t even know they were a thing in the wild?!) and wild Highland cows.
Although I did nearly poop my pants when I skipped around a corner, came face-to-face with a Highland cow and immediately legged it in the opposite direction and up a tree (that actually happened).
And by “legged it”, I mean that very specific brisk walk, hips-shaking march you have to do when you want to run away but you’re also thinking, “If I actually run, is this thing going to chase me?”
I found the nearest tree and waited. Safe to say, cows are the one animal I don’t particularly enjoy interacting with unless there’s a fence between us.
Mum and I had a bull altercation when I was in my early teens, which has left me with the mental image of a herd charging towards us, my mum knocking a very angry bull on the head with her hiking stick, and me hopping over a barbed-wire fence, leaving my mum with a standoff, between her and a load of cows. Karen vs 10 cows and 1 angry bull, where’s your money going? Mines on mum.
Anyway. Enough about cows, back to chocolate.
Despite the carnage of August and the absolute rollercoaster of emotions, WE LAUNCHED OUR BABY O’BARS. And they have FLOWN.
The intention was simple: snacking made easy and cute.
We’ve had so many of you write in over the past 18 months asking for more grab-and-go/snackable/self-love treats, and these babies are exactly that.
Seven in a pack, one for every day of the week. In my opinion, nicely creating some self-control without having to break off another giant segment of one of our big O’bars and before you know it the whole bar is gone.
We launched with 250 multipacks and we’ve only got around 20 left! More will be coming, fear not. We’ve also started seeing comments asking for a multipack with seven different flavours. It’s on our list, and it’s something we absolutely intend to do, but for this year and our initial concept launch, it’s just going to be the Classic Vegan Milk.
Another pretty big August moment: Catherine’s Originals got a little bit bigger.
If you didn’t know, we do our entire process on-site. We create the recipes, make the chocolate, package everything up and then fulfil each and every one of your orders ourselves- no middlemen, no contracting out. We’ve grown year-on-year for the past five years and I don’t plan on anything getting in our way and changing that. Which means more space? Yes please Derek.
We now have three Choco sheds and have just moved into warehouse number 3. I think it’s pretty cool that for each of the three years we’ve been at Tokar Industrial Park, we’ve gained another one.
Our landlord (Derek) actually did us a bit of a solid. When we realised back in January that we were going to need more space, there weren’t any existing units available for us to occupy. So… he got a brand-new one built. Just like that. Pretty jammy, really.
So shout-out to Derek for making that and our lives: a little easier, a little less squished and a lot more roomy! Although, slightly concerningly, we’ve already started filling the new one pretty quickly too…
My mum and I also always try to squeeze in a quick getaway together each year. Usually three nights or so, somewhere not too far away, just so we can have some proper quality time together.
It used to be Christmas markets across Europe, but for fairly obvious chocolate-related reasons, December holidays aren’t really an option anymore.
So this year, before summer disappeared, we ventured to Tresco, one of the Scilly Isles.
And I’m not going to lie…
Controversial opinion incoming.
I’m not fussed.
YES, it’s beautiful. But after approximately 15 hours of travelling thanks to Southern Rail, which led to us missing a helicopter AND then missing a small plane, both of which were basically our only options for actually getting onto the island, we also missed our first night there.
You could argue that was our fault and Mum and I should have allowed more time. Fine.
We continued to remain positive.
So when our boat finally docked at the island, expectations were pretty high based on everything I’d heard and read. And I can honestly say… it was not worth 15 hours of travel, let me finish… at least not for three nights.
Personally, I thought the island had a really odd feel. My description to Mum was: a really, really, really posh version of Centre Parcs meets The Handmaid's Tale.
No cars. Two restaurants. One shop. One small pub/hotel. A gym. Everyone seems to know everyone. So if you’re a tourist for the day, it feels a bit like walking into a new school or starting a new job where everyone already knows each other, and you’re the random new person. Everyone was the same, did the same thing. It was just… odd.
You can walk around the island in about two hours and there are only a handful of things to do. So yes, three days is probably enough and in fairness, if you’re looking for a calm getaway it’s definitely that… but not for 15 hours of travelling.
And if you go for a week to justify the travel, my brain then goes: What do you do on Tresco for a week?
Anyway, that was a completely unnecessary moan about what is, objectively, a really beautiful island. I didn’t mean to come across as a Negative Nancy. But frankly put… what’s the hype?
Now, back to chocolate, again.
Last year’s Advent Calendars had… well… some issues. As many of you experienced.
The internal grid fell apart in transit for some of you. Some people received one flavour in their whole calendar instead of the three they were supposed to get. And, if we’re being truthful, there were a couple of last year’s flavours that you guys just didn’t rate that much.
So this year? Well just take a look at this beauty.
New, awesome, unique, individually colour-wrapped flavours. A completely upgraded, sturdy, plastic-free internal grid. And a new front design which is, in my opinion, pretty epic and mega magical!
I’m not going to share the design or flavours just yet, but when I tell you that we listen to your feedback, hear your requests and say we’re going to make things better, I really mean it, we try our best to do exactly that.
If you purchased one of our Advent Calendars last year, drop me an email with your order number from last year as proof of purchase and I’ll send you a discount code for this year’s calendar for when we launch.
That way, you can try the new and improved version with some money off, as a little thank you from us for sticking around despite our mistakes.
And that, my Choco Lovers, I think, was August.
Chaos. Cows. Chocolate. New warehouses. Questionable holidays. Baby O’bars. Christmas production. A few difficult conversations. A lot of lessons.
And somehow, we made it to September.
There are some very exciting launches coming this month… so stay posted. You’ve been asking for them, we’ve been making them and they’re dropping soon.
Stay sweet, enjoy some last moments of summer.
Catherine x