British chocolatier, Audrey’s is in celebratory mood after the business closed a funding round of over £500,000 supporting its continued growth, focused on a new manufacturing site in Hove, East Sussex, writes Neill Barston.

As the company explained to Confectionery Production, its fresh location, totalling some 7,500 sq ft, is anticipated to lay the groundwork for a significant new chapter in its manufacturing story.

Since the business founded in the l940s, it has garnered a strong reputation for the quality of its luxury chocolate offerings, and has has supplied Fortnum & Mason since the 1960s. It continues to manufacture from Sussex.

Since Alice and Will Crone acquired the business just over two years ago, Audrey’s has recorded 110% year-on-year growth in own-brand revenue, while online revenue has increased tenfold. The business now produces almost 50 tonnes of finished chocolate a year, with its products stocked in around 250 shops across the UK, USA & Canada.

The new facility at Hove Technology Centre is 88% larger than Audrey’s previous production site, significantly increasing capacity for chocolate production, packing and storage. Combined with the company’s original shop at 28 Holland Road, where Audrey’s has been trading for over half a century, the business now operates across approximately 10,000 sq ft in Hove.

Commenting on the investment, Alice Crone, Co-Owner of Audrey’s, says:
“Over the past two years, we’ve seen significant growth across the business. The new factory gives us the capacity and infrastructure to take the next step, while allowing us to stay true to the way we make our chocolates.

“Christmas and Easter are particularly busy times for Audrey’s, when demand can increase significantly, and the pressure on production is at its highest. Having a much larger space and greater production capacity means we can plan further ahead, manage those seasonal peaks more effectively and fulfil larger orders without compromising on quality.

“We’re still very much a handmade chocolatier, but we now have the space and equipment to produce at greater scale, fulfil larger orders and take Audrey’s to a much bigger audience.”

The £550,000 raised has been committed to capital expenditure and machinery, increasing Audrey’s production capacity and enabling the business to fulfil larger volumes of orders.

Meanwhile, Will Crone, Co-Owner of Audrey’s, noted that the latest investment had felt like a vote of confidence in its approach to chocolate making amid notably challenging times, with the UK economy’s pressures impacting on household spending, as with many locations around the world.

Will added: “For us, it’s about bringing Audrey’s into its next chapter without losing the things that have made people love the brand for generations. We want to make more of our chocolates, reach more people and grow beyond Sussex, but we’ll always be a chocolatier at heart, making little luxuries by hand from our home in Hove.”

A key part of Audrey’s proposition is its partnership with Valrhona, the French chocolate manufacturer. Audrey’s creations are now made exclusively with Valrhona couverture, using cocoa that is 100% traceable back to the farm, supporting the business’s focus on quality and supply-chain transparency.

With its expanded production capability now in place, Audrey’s is focused on further growing its wholesale and direct-to-consumer businesses in the UK and internationally, supported by the increased capacity of its new Hove facility.