Welsh fudge hits Japan

Award-winning luxury Welsh fudge made by a young entrepreneur in the Cambrian Mountains of Mid Wales is exciting tastebuds in Japan and the UK.

Business management graduate Sarah Bunton, 26, of Sarah Bunton Luxury Chocolates at Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth, developed a new range of handmade, soft fudge for 2013 at her mum Anne’s suggestion and it is going down a storm with customers.

The company’s All Butter Fudge has struck gold in this year’s Great Taste awards, the ‘Oscars’ of the food world. It’s the fifth Great Taste one star gold award won by Sarah, who supplies chocolates to the famous Partridges family food store in Knightsbridge, London.

It was through Partridges that she landed an order to supply luxury chocolates to a distributor in Japan last year. The same distributor has now received 500 boxes of the new fudges after spotting them on the Welsh Government’s Food & Drink Wales stand at a show in Tokyo earlier this year.

“It was mam’s idea that we start making fudge and it has really taken off,” said Sarah. “Orders are about 20% up on this time last year and most of them are for the fudge.

“We’ve recently sent off our first big shipment of fudges to Japan, where it’ll be among the first traditional British fudge to go on sale in the country. Our hopes for the fudge seem to have been well-founded, as it is already gaining popularity among retailers and consumers both in the UK and abroad.

“We’re very excited to take this range of products further, with plans for new flavours and it’s great to see so many people enjoying a great product made with local ingredients. Hopefully the Great Taste gold award will be the first of many for our new line of fudge.”

Sarah’s unusual fudge flavours include Welsh Sea Salt and Almond, Banoffee, Chocolate, Vanilla, Peppermint, Mocha, Rum and Raisin and Almond and Amaretto with many more flavours already being developed in time for Christmas. She has also developed a range of special Drinking Fudge, along similar lines to its successful Chocoshots.

Sarah launched her own business, above the family tearoom and gift shop in Devils Bridge four years ago and now supplies her products to retailers, farmshops and delicatessens across Wales, UK and Japan. She also has an online shop at http://www.sarahbunton.co.uk/ and plans to open a viewing room for visitors at their premises early next year.

She currently employs one member of staff, Jill Wall, who makes the fudge, and two part-time packers and is supported by her parents. The workforce is set to increase in the busy run up to Christmas.

Sarah is receiving support from the Welsh Government’s Food and Drink Wales Trade Development Programme, designed to help Welsh food and drink businesses develop the UK market.

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