The Lightbulb Moment
Catherine has been vegan since the age of 12, and every year, when Christmas rolled around, it meant another year stuck with the same boring, tasteless dairy-free bars. I missed the kind of chocolate that made your eyes close in bliss. I missed the excitement of opening the seal on a delectable box of colourful classics. I longed for the luxurious feeling everyone else in my family enjoyed from their Christmas chocolates.
In December 2020, when I was 18, while sitting next to the Christmas tree and analysing a certain tin, I decided that by next Christmas, I would have created my own originals. One that would make mine, and many others, feel special too.
From Kitchen...
Catherine's Originals was established on April 8th, 2021.
A creative year followed. Market research began (which meant tasting every vegan chocolate under the sun), learning about the market, understanding the basics of business, and the creation of Catherine's Originals' delectable chocolates took place. After an "out of character" Bumble date that spring, she met Jamie. Now partners in crime, they took on their first Christmas production run, renting a small chocolate kitchen in Sussex for 10 days. With help from family and friends, we hand-made 30,000 vegan chocolates, wrapping each individual piece, and sold out in a matter of days that Christmas. It was a successful launch!
To Factory!
Two years passed, packaging was improved, customer feedback was analysed, money was raised, and the small team decided it was time to take the leap and build our very own gluten-free, vegan chocolate factory!
It was time to level up the operation and move away from hand wrapping chocs!
Sourcing Machinery
Where to start when it came to sourcing bespoke chocolate machinery? Your guess would have been as good as ours at the time. After lots of LinkedIn connections, phone calls overseas, and endlessly watching chocolate machinery on YouTube, we used the money we raised through grants, Kickstarter campaigns, competitions, and investment to purchase our machinery—and that’s when the real learning started!
Winchester
After two years of selling at farmers markets, it was time to level up. That December, our mission was to make and sell 8,000 chocolate boxes (12 times what we sold the previous year). After 15 days of selling at the Winchester Christmas Market and experiencing the hustle and bustle of managing production, late nights packaging, and selling during the day, we sold out of a total of 8,010 chocolate boxes. That was 250,000 vegan chocolates made, sold, and gobbled up that Christmas.
Levelling Up Our Recipes
We are competitive, delicious and dedicated.
Innovating every day and challenging industry norms to deliver you, our Choco Lovers, the very best in plastic-free, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, sustainable and fair indulgence - chocolate that tastes better than anything you’ve tried before.
Every year brings new challenges, new lessons, new team members and new Choco Lovers.
New Products
Since Catherine’s Originals began, we’ve grown far beyond our flagship Selection Box, creating new chocolate creations along the way.
Every product is original, every one delicious, and every one something the market has been craving.
We love hearing from you and finding out which chocolate treats you’d like to see us create next. Write to us!
A note from Catherine (13.02.26)
I never knew where Catherine’s Originals would truly lead me and that was the most exciting part of founding it.
The anticipation of what’s to come still makes me nervous and excited in equal measure.
Before running a fast-growing business, I thought I knew what that meant. I didn’t. I got it completely wrong.
Every year brings something unexpected. Some things go right. Things can go utterly wrong.
I’m learning to shape my expectations of myself, to prevent burnout, and to ensure I can keep creating chocolates that are inclusive, fair and genuinely delicious. Always bringing it back to where it all started.
My Pinky Promise to you is this:
I am trying my utmost best to deliver the product and service you deserve. I promise to stay true to the core values that led me to start Catherine’s Originals, and to never give up on making the very best vegan and most sustainable chocolate company I possibly can.
Stay sweet.
Catherine 💗🍫
"Did we actually just build a factory?"
At Catherine's Originals, we've worked hard and raised funds to keep everything in-house without compromising our product, values, or quality. We're eager to expand our team and business, and would love to hear your feedback and thoughts. Join us on this chocolatey adventure!