Confectionery producers, Fudge Kitchen, have been announced as a winner in the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards. Each year the awards recognise the best food and drink businesses throughout the UK, for a number of different accolades.
Fudge Kitchen were up against Simply Doughnuts and Sleaford Quality Foods to be crowned winner in the Ambient Manufacturing Company of the Year category. The confectionery business has had previous wins in the same category in 2014 and 2020.
The competition, which has been running for more than two decades now, and is completely free to enter, honours food and drink players of all sizes and across all categories, from ambient to plant-based products. Winners are entered into the running to scoop the top accolade of Food Manufacture Company of the Year 2023.
Rod Addy, editor of Food Manufacture, which organises the awards, said: “These awards really are the ones to win if you’re running a UK food or drink manufacturing business. They recognise the often-unsung work done by staff at all levels and can give your operation a real shot in the arm. The sector has been through a challenging time, and there’s more hurdles on the horizon and to be in the running for the chance of a crack at a Food Manufacture Excellence Award is a great way to give your business a boost”.
Fudge Kitchen are a great example of the fantastic business talent we have in the UK. What started out as a handful of fudge shops has evolved into a fully-fledged artisan confectionery business with an extensive product offering, a strong wholesale network and own label production for the UK’s most prestigious hotels and department stores.
Fudge Kitchen shops can be found in Canterbury, Bath, York, Edinburgh, Windsor & Cambridge. Alongside their traditional slab fudge, they also produce drinking fudge, gourmet butter fudge selections, caramels, brittles, honeycomb, and coconut ice, and more – all at their production kitchen in the Kentish countryside.
Innovation is at the heart of the Fudge Kitchen business, and in the last few years they have created over 100 flavours and new confectionery in collaboration with inspiring customers and producers. They have worked closely with Selfridges for several years, creating bespoke own label ranges, including toffees and seasonal caramels. Fudge Kitchen have been running their own production facility since 2012, which gives them autonomy over all aspects of the production process and the freedom to innovate regularly.
In the last year, the confectioners successfully completed a rebrand, with sustainability at its heart. All Fudge Kitchen packaging is now sustainably sourced and fully recyclable, and their delectable’s range is packaged in fully compostable pouches.
The awards featured a total of 16 categories, including Bakery, Chilled, Fresh & Dairy, Free-From, Frozen, Ingredients, Meat, Poultry & Seafood, Pet Food and Plant-Based. Awards were also included for industry initiatives like Export, Partnerships, Sustainability and Training.
Richard Parson, Marketing Manager at Fudge Kitchen, says: “We’re overjoyed to have won the Ambient Manufacturing Company of the Year Award. The last few years have been challenging for all business leaders, and at Fudge Kitchen we’ve had to make some really big business changes to remain competitive and resilient. I think we’ve come through the other side stronger than ever and with new direction as a brand, putting increased importance on how we can operate more sustainably going forward.”
The winners were announced at The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards on Thursday 9th February 2023 at London Hilton Bankside.
For the full list of winners, visit https://foodmanawards.co.uk/live/en/page/winners-2023
