Sussex-based chocolatier Audrey’s has secured more than £0.5 million in funding and opened a 7,500 sq ft manufacturing facility in Hove, strengthening its position within the UK food and beverage industry.
Founded in 1948, Audrey’s is recognised for its handmade fondant creams and has supplied Fortnum & Mason since the 1960s. Despite its expansion, the company continues to make all of its products in Sussex.
Owners Alice and Will Crone acquired the business slightly more than two years ago. Since then, sales of Audrey’s own-label products have risen by 110% annually, while online income has increased tenfold. Production has reached nearly 50 tonnes of finished chocolate each year, with the brand now available through approximately 250 retailers in the UK, the USA and Canada.
The new facility at Hove Technology Centre is 88% larger than the company’s former production premises. It provides additional room for manufacturing, food and drink packaging and stock storage. Alongside the original shop at 28 Holland Road, which has operated for more than 50 years, Audrey’s now occupies around 10,000 sq ft across Hove.
The £550,000 investment has been directed towards capital expenditure and new machinery. The additional capacity will enable Audrey’s to handle larger customer orders while supporting the food manufacturing trends shaping premium confectionery production.
Alice Crone, co-owner, says: “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.”
She adds: “We’re still very much a handmade chocolatier, but we now have the space and equipment to produce at greater scale.”
Will Crone, Co-Owner, says: “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.”
Audrey’s now uses Valrhona couverture exclusively, with cocoa sourced through a supply chain that provides 100% farm-level traceability. This approach supports the company’s focus on food and drink sustainability, transparency and responsible sourcing, priorities that increasingly influence food and drink consumer trends.
As food processing technology, food and drink regulations and food distribution trends continue to evolve, the new site gives Audrey’s a stronger platform for expansion. The business will concentrate on developing its wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels in the UK and overseas, supported by food and drink marketing and continued food and drink industry innovation.
