Bring on 2024🍫

✨ Catherine's Originals hit the festive jackpot ✨ and boy, did we sell out faster than Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve! Our online sales soared, at one point seeing 78 people checking out at one time! We thought there was a glitch on our online system. We had our phones on loud, so that every time we had a sale it would go ping (this was our motivation for the long hours by the way, not a “oh look at us” thing.) My Auntie and mum created a dance to this and I still can’t decide which ended up being more annoying. Winchester Christmas market turned into our sweet playground. It's safe to say, we hit our daily targets and we are now replenishing stock to get your boxes refilled for this year!

Seeing all your smiling faces at the market was like finding an extra chocolate in the box! The fact that some of you didn’t just come to us for a box, but to say ‘Hi’. You guys are the real MVPs, and we can't thank you enough for supporting our chocolate dream.

Now, let's talk about the daily grind – literally. Shouting "free, dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate samples here at Catherine's Originals" became my personal anthem and at times I had to make sure I said the boxes however weren’t free. It sometimes got confusing. I almost lost my voice at the end and couldn’t have done without the support of my mum there helping with sales, but you know what? It was totally worth it! Your enthusiasm and love for our chocolates kept us going strong and this has now be reiterated with the unbelievable 4.9 score out of 5 you have given us in the reviews! Despite the minor hiccups which came along the way, I’m so happy to see that so many of you understood these and it didn’t affect the enjoyment of your box!

Reading your comments feels like unwrapping Popped Cherry! It makes me sooo excited. Sure, Fiona threw a few curveballs our way, but we're tackling those challenges like champions. And that dairy farmer I chatted with at Winchester…and his insatiable appetite for our samples? Well, we're taking it as a compliment – who can resist our chocolatey goodness?

Jamie and I took a well-deserved break in Thailand. The food was divine, and the inspiration for tropical chocolatey delights was abundant. Don't worry, though; green curry chocolates won't be hitting the shelves anytime soon.

Now, as we dive headfirst into 2024, Catherine's Originals is buzzing with energy. This January marks a new chapter – no longer having the main focus building the business from scratch, but learning the ropes of running a thriving chocolate empire and tackling new challenges which haven’t even entered our minds yet. With a full-time team of four, we've got more hands on deck, which means four times the magic!

Sure, it's a mix of excitement and nerves, but we're ready for the challenge. Let's make 2024 the sweetest year yet – more chocolates, more dreams, and more joy!  Who's with us?

Sweetly yours,

Catherine 💖

ps. hang onto your boxes, something may be coming...