Whitakers Chocolates claims national accolade for its confectionery range
UK confectionery firm Whitakers Chocolates has claimed a silver accolade at The National Family Business Awards 2019, which saw companies from across a number of sectors compete.
Over 100 finalists from across the UK and Ireland went head to head across 10 categories, all judged by an independent panel, with the final held at Wembley stadium.
The Skipton-based company, which 130 years in business, took to the stage with pride after being announced as the Silver award winner within the Food & Drink category.
William Whitaker, managing director of Whitakers Chocolates, said: “I am thrilled and so proud of what we have achieved, receiving the silver award within the Food & Drink category is a fantastic achievement for us. We run a business built on family values of trust, integrity and loyalty, so there couldn’t be a better accolade for us to share with our team. Congratulations to all the other winners too, it was a great occasion to celebrate and honour family businesses in the UK & Ireland.”
The company’s home town of Skipton made its mark at Wembley with another local business, Yockenthwaite Farm, receiving the Bronze award within the same category.
In addition to Whitakers anniversary, the business has marked another key milestone in that its product ranges has been successfully registered with the Vegan Society. This means that consumers can enjoy their dark fondant creams, wafers, chocolate bars and honeycomb bites in complete confidence, with the knowledge they do not involve or contain animal-derived ingredients.
The company, which also holds the highest attainable BRC accreditation (AA+) for quality, safety and legality, were focussed on ensuring their manufacturing processes aligned with the requirements set by the Vegan Society.
William Whitaker added: “As the world of food evolves it is important that as a food manufacturer, we embrace it whether the change is due to health, the environment or personal choice. We offer a wide range of confectionery products and through constant development we want to ensure they are available for everyone to enjoy.”
