Public Speaking & Front Cover!!

Hey sweet readers!

Wow, July has been a whirlwind of "firsts" here at Catherine's Originals, and thanks to the power of social media, I haven’t felt alone through it all! Ready for a fun recap?

Let me take you back to the last time I spoke on stage. Picture 12-year-old me at the Glyndebourne Opera House, mid-performance singing, walking off and swearing I'd never face a crowd again. Yep, stage fright at its peak! Fast forward to this month, I spoke on a panel at the Bread and Jam festival—THE biggest UK food industry event of the year, where all the buzzing bees of the industry gather to share stories, pitch ideas, and soak in knowledge. Jason, the lovely founder, asked if I’d share our DIY factory experience (yep, it’s actually called DIY factory!) With industry giants like Virgin, Holland and Barrett, and Harvey Nichols present, I was a bundle of nerves.

But guess what? It was an amazing experience! Last year, Jamie and I were in the audience seeking advice. This year, I was sharing our journey and lessons learned. It was surreal to have entrepreneurs ask for advice and even inquire about partnering with Catherine's Originals, when being the youngest in the room, it always feels odd giving advice to others. Meeting two women with vegan chocolate businesses like ours was the cherry on top—we could’ve chatted all day and I was over the moon to share even the simplest of lessons and mistakes I have made with them. 12 year old, singing me would be proud!

Christmas in July?! We launched our tin for the first time in three years and have already sold nearly a third of our Christmas stock! With production and delivery times being what they are, once these tins are gone, they’re gone.

Some of you have asked why our tins aren’t priced like the big brands, well, we’re a team of six, committed to fair practices and using only the best vegan ingredients. As we grow, we hope to offer more competitive prices, but by doing this with our non-negotiables. Quality products and a kind working environment! We are not turning over billions like Nestle, thus we can’t offer a £7 tin. If we did, well we’d be bust before you can say Christmas!

Backup AC installed? Check! We’ve also introduced quicker delivery options to ensure your chocolates arrive in the most perfect condition we can, even on the hottest days. If temperatures hit 25°C or above, we’ll delay shipping to prevent any melting mishaps.

We made our first magazine cover! All About Horsham featured us, and it was the perfect pre-panel build-up for me. Sharing our story with Jamie’s hometown was a proud moment. I wonder which magazine we’ll grace next? our bright stripes lit up the streets of Horsham! Our pals even spotted us on the train back from London!

From three wholesalers to five—Catherine’s Originals is becoming more accessible, helping you avoid those pesky postage fees. Tell your local shop, they can now find us at CLF, Green City, Love 4 Local, Vegan Perfection, and Ethical Store and to stock up for the Christmas run and to offer you, their dairy-free eaters a Christmas alternative, so if you run out, you can get your hands on them quick (as last year we sold out in 6 weeks!) For our Aussie friends, 1,000 boxes are on their way for the festive season!

Jamie and I took a "rest day" in London, attending MAD Fest, a must for marketing enthusiasts. We caught a talk from Cadbury’s that was packed with confidence-boosting quotes like “stick to the dream” and “go bold, or go home.” It reassured us about our decision to raise over £200k to build our factory and keep everything in-house. Followed by further reassurance from my latest read, the of "Diary of a CEO" by Steven Bartlett- “having a plan B detracts from plan A.”

To wrap up the month, a film crew visited our factory for a super exciting project launching in August!

I can’t spill all the details yet, but it’s going to revolutionise your chocolate experience, enabling you to get Catherine’s Originals any time, any place! With just a hop and skip away!

Stay tuned!

Catherine