A 78-year-old Sussex chocolatier has opened a new 7,500 square foot factory in Hove.

Audrey’s has moved into larger production premises at Hove Technology Centre as it looks to increase output and reach more customers in the UK and overseas.

The new factory is 88 per cent larger than its previous production site, providing more space for chocolate-making, packing and storage.

The expansion comes alongside a £550,000 funding round, with the money committed to machinery and capital expenditure.

placeholder image — 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. Photo: Xavier Buendia

Together with its original shop at 28 Holland Road, where Audrey’s has traded for more than half a century, the business now occupies about 10,000 square foot in Hove.

Co-owner Alice Crone said the extra space would help the company handle its busiest periods.

“Christmas and Easter are particularly busy times for Audrey’s, when demand can increase significantly, and the pressure on production is at its highest,” she said.

“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.”

Established in 1948, Audrey’s is known for its handcrafted fondant creams and traditional chocolate-making. It has supplied Fortnum & Mason since the 1960s.

Alice and Will Crone acquired the business just over two years ago. The company says own-brand revenue has grown by 110 per cent year on year, while online revenue has increased tenfold.

It now produces almost 50 tonnes of finished chocolate annually, with products stocked in about 250 shops across the UK, USA and Canada.

Will said: “Raising this investment feels like a real vote of confidence in Audrey’s and in what we believe the business can become.

“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.”

The company uses chocolate exclusively from French manufacturer Valrhona and says its cocoa is fully traceable to the farm.

Audrey’s plans to use the increased capacity to expand its wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales in the UK and internationally.