Genuine Jersey member Sue Le Gresley, the producer of Sue’s Fudge, has taken on the lease of a town shop to sell her wares alongside many leading chocolate brands.
Sue said she was not daunted by starting a new business in the current economic climate when shops were closing.
‘People still have a need to indulge in a little luxury when times are hard and chocolate remains something of a luxury but one that is affordable - and everybody loves chocolate,’ she said.
For the past eight years she has combined her kitchen industry of fudge-making with a full-time job, selling her products at farmers and crafts markets and in farm shops. With demand for her products growing among Islanders and visitors she is investing her time and money to make a long-held dream come true, creating two part-time jobs in the process.
‘I have given up my job to fulfil a dream that I have had for longer than I can remember to open a chocolate shop. My mother always wanted to run a cake shop but she never did, so I am making the dream come true for both of us,’ Sue said. ‘Once my fudge business got going I could see it was something that people wanted to buy so I thought about making the business bigger by opening a shop - but I never truly imagined that that would ever happen. Now I have premises in a prime location on the route from the Harbour and bus station to the town centre and surrounded by offices and businesses employing hundreds of people.
The Chocolate Bar will open on Wednesday 28 October in premises in Conway Street previously occupied by Saffrons. In addition to selling her home-made fudge, Sue will be stocking leading chocolate brands including Willie’s World Class Cacao (as featured in Channel 4’s television programme Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory), Valrhona, Michel Cluizel, Conscious Chocolate and many more.
Sue is hoping that one of her lines will become a local favourite. Ciocchino is a traditional Italian treat in the form of a small cup of warm liquid chocolate to warm cold winter days and provide a taste luxury all year round.
The Chief Executive of Genuine Jersey, John Garton, said he was delighted to see a member moving up from a kitchen industry into the commercial retail sector.
‘Sue is one of the original members of Genuine Jersey who supports other members by using their produce in her fudge. Her new venture is an encouragement to other members and any Islander with a particular talent that individual skills can be turned into successful business that also celebrate the best of Jersey, its products and produce. The association wishes her well,’ he said.
Sue uses dairy products from the Classic Herd and Jersey Dairy and La Mare’s black butter and apple brandy to make her fudge. She said although the shop will be a full-time business, her fudge would continue to be sold at farmers and craft markets and farm shops.
Sue said she was not daunted by starting a new business in the current economic climate when shops were closing.
‘People still have a need to indulge in a little luxury when times are hard and chocolate remains something of a luxury but one that is affordable - and everybody loves chocolate,’ she said.
For the past eight years she has combined her kitchen industry of fudge-making with a full-time job, selling her products at farmers and crafts markets and in farm shops. With demand for her products growing among Islanders and visitors she is investing her time and money to make a long-held dream come true, creating two part-time jobs in the process.
‘I have given up my job to fulfil a dream that I have had for longer than I can remember to open a chocolate shop. My mother always wanted to run a cake shop but she never did, so I am making the dream come true for both of us,’ Sue said. ‘Once my fudge business got going I could see it was something that people wanted to buy so I thought about making the business bigger by opening a shop - but I never truly imagined that that would ever happen. Now I have premises in a prime location on the route from the Harbour and bus station to the town centre and surrounded by offices and businesses employing hundreds of people.
The Chocolate Bar will open on Wednesday 28 October in premises in Conway Street previously occupied by Saffrons. In addition to selling her home-made fudge, Sue will be stocking leading chocolate brands including Willie’s World Class Cacao (as featured in Channel 4’s television programme Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory), Valrhona, Michel Cluizel, Conscious Chocolate and many more.
Sue is hoping that one of her lines will become a local favourite. Ciocchino is a traditional Italian treat in the form of a small cup of warm liquid chocolate to warm cold winter days and provide a taste luxury all year round.
The Chief Executive of Genuine Jersey, John Garton, said he was delighted to see a member moving up from a kitchen industry into the commercial retail sector.
‘Sue is one of the original members of Genuine Jersey who supports other members by using their produce in her fudge. Her new venture is an encouragement to other members and any Islander with a particular talent that individual skills can be turned into successful business that also celebrate the best of Jersey, its products and produce. The association wishes her well,’ he said.
Sue uses dairy products from the Classic Herd and Jersey Dairy and La Mare’s black butter and apple brandy to make her fudge. She said although the shop will be a full-time business, her fudge would continue to be sold at farmers and craft markets and farm shops.
