The Lightbulb Moment
I (Catherine) have 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, while sitting next to the Christmas tree and analysing a certain tin, I decided that by next Christmas, I would have created my own version of 'that tin'. One that would make mine, and many others, feel special too.
From Kitchen...
Catherine's Originals was established on April 21st, 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, I met Jamie. Now partners in crime, we 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! Jamie, brother Will and I, spent the summer of 2023 building our chocolate factory. With the DIY project complete, we recruited our first staff member (welcome, Scott!).
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 now had a chocolate factory and a team to manage. We worked on resolving issues with Fiona (our beloved wrapping machine), fine-tuning recipes, and going back to the drawing board to create new vegan chocolates. We had bigger targets, bigger dreams, and many more chocolates to make—and we couldn't wait to get started in 2024!
New Products
In 2024, we launched our Wonky Buttons, Selection Tin, Refills, and O'Bar. We learned from experts and grew our partnerships internationally. Running our own vegan chocolate factory made R&D a seamless, exciting experience!
Two Million Chocolates Later
Catherine's Originals is now a team of 6, making tens of thousands of chocolates every day. Every week that goes by, we speak with and meet so many lovely customers, learning more about our products and what YOU want. We are excited for the future of Catherine's Originals and cannot wait to share our journey with you. One plant based chocolate at a time!
Stay Sweet, Catherine and Team x
"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!