West Highland chocolate company expands
A west Highland chocolate company has embarked on a new expansion project after securing up to £87,680 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
The £175,360 project by Chocolates of Glenshiel Ltd will see the company significantly increase its production capacity.
Chocolates of Glenshiel is an artisan company established in 2016 by Finlay MacDonald. As well as producing a range of quality chocolate products using Scottish ingredients, the company offers a valuable visitor experience through its visitor centre and café.
Having outgrown its initial premises at the family home at Ratagan, production soon moved to the company’s visitor centre at Shiel Bridge in the former filling station where it currently employs 23 people. The facility has been operating at full capacity, so production is being relocated once again into the adjacent Old School House building under a new lease agreement.
The move will increase capacity by 300% and make way for new products to be added to the range. It will also enable Chocolates of Glenshiel to expand its visitor centre offering.
The HIE funding has been awarded through the Northern Innovation Hub Food and Drink TechHub initiative, led by HIE as part of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal. It will contribute to the costs of plant and equipment to fit out the new premises.
Development manager in HIE’s Lochaber Skye and Wester Ross team Anna Campbell said:
“We’ve been working with Chocolates of Glenshiel for several years now. The company has grown steadily into a valuable employer of rural jobs, combining chocolate production with tourism is a great addition to the area’s visitor offering.
“This latest expansion will strengthen its position, providing job security for employees and contributing to community resilience and local tourism. I’m delighted we’ve been able to provide support and look forward to seeing the project take shape.”
Chocolates of Glenshiel founder Finlay MacDonald said:
“This move will have an enormous impact on our business, and we are extremely grateful for HIE’s support. The new production location will allow us to not only increase production of our existing products, which we struggle to keep in stock during the busy summer months, but also expand our range and explore new areas.
“For example, we have had a whisky caramel product on the back burner for a long time now with stockists already in place, which we can now move into production. Similarly, we’ve been limited in terms of our hot chocolate production, which we can now produce at scale and move into new areas with.
“In addition, moving production to The Old School frees up much needed space in our visitor centre, which we will use to expand our café and gift shop. We will be offering our customers a more spacious environment to enjoy their hot chocolates in as well as shorter queueing times due to added ordering and checkout areas.
“We extend sincere thanks to HIE and look forward to supporting increased tourism and employment opportunities in the Glenshiel area.”
It’s always been an ambition of Finlay’s – an ice cream fanatic – to create some ice cream products, so visitors to Glenshiel may even find a cooling treat in future summers.