Quirky confectioners The Chocolate Smiths have expanded for a second time this year after seeing sales rocket on the back of support from the celebrity fitness expert Joe Wicks.
The North Tyneside business was launched by Steffi Smith and a former business partner seven years ago, after deciding to go it alone when they were made redundant from a chocolate shop in Northumberland just two days before Christmas in 2013.
The unmistakable bars, branded as Bizarre chocolate bars, are all handmade at the company’s factory in North Shields. Packaged in Victorian-style wrapping, they come in flavours like pumpkin spice and blood orange caramel, ice cream, popping candy and marshmallow, banoffee bread, birthday cake and caramel apple pie.
Read more: go here for more food and drink stories
At the start of this year, the original team of two had grown to nine employees, making and selling hundreds of bars of chocolate every week through its website, backed up by a faithful following of supporters on social media.
Then in February, the company got an unexpected boost from fitness expert Joe Wicks, who mentioned The Chocolate Smiths to his four million followers on Instagram after being impressed by the small company and its hand-made treats.
Within hours The Chocolate Smiths had been inundated with demand, taking more than 4,000 orders over 48 hours.
Since then, the company has battled to keep up with demand, consistently selling out of its Bizarre bars within hours of its website getting restocked.
Most Read
Fast-tracking growth plans, Ms Smith took on more staff, growing from nine to 27 employees to help satisfy the demand, having already moved into a bigger, 2,700sqft unit at the Tyne Tunnel Trading estate.
Within months, however, the firm was bursting at the seams, triggering this latest expansion, which will more the treble the size of the business, hopefully giving the company enough space.
Ms Smith has snapped up a second, 5,700sqft unit close to its current base, which will become its main chocolate bar manufacturing base, and more jobs will be created as it has room for 24 chocolatiers.
She said: “It’s no secret this year in particular this year has been a whirlwind - we’ve grown massively in the last three years, but especially in the last six months.
“We moved into a 2,700sq ft unit in January and I thought it would be loads of room for growth over the next two to three years. It was growing pretty steady, and then the Joe Wicks Instagram post happened.”
Joe Wicks has regularly followed the business on its social media platforms, looking at its quirky videos featuring staff as they hand make the chocolate bars, saying: “They’re mad, their stories are bonkers but they are so passionate. I bought a box of 10 - they’ve got beautiful branding and they taste amazing. I love seeing small businesses succeed.”
Ms Smith said The Body Coach fitness instructor has kept in contact the whole time, to hear their growth plans.
Don’t miss
Those plans include the creation of the new kitchen with space for 24 chocolatiers, as well as a new wrapping and packing room, with office space and storage space.
The current base will focus on subscription boxes, which will be launched soon for Christmas.
MsSmith added: “It has been absolutely crazy and Joe has kept in touch the entire time. I think it’s the passion and seeing people do what they love every day that people have got on board with - and we really do love what we do, and love sharing that in our videos, and I don’t think that can be replicated by anyone else.
“It all feels so surreal, I can’t believe we’re here - and we want to thank everyone for their support, and obviously Joe Wicks for shouting us out. He probably didn’t even realise how life changing this was going to be.
"We’ve been propelled about three to five years into the future of the Chocolate Smiths.”