Skipton-based Whitakers Chocolates, which specialises in personalised chocolates, has seen a 30% increase in sales, driven by its ambitious export strategy with orders coming from as far afield as Uruguay.

Despite the challenges of Brexit uncertainty and increased sugar taxes, the company achieved a successful first half of the financial year.

Working in partnership with an intermediate business which specialises in sales to remote countries, Whitakers’ mint and coffee cremes are being sold on to Uruguayan independent companies and to small retailers.

Already, several thousand of the company’s Whitakers branded chocolates have been shipped to a major distributor in Uruguay as part of first order to the South American country.

Whitakers Chocolates sales manager, Ian Webster, explained: “This is an incredibly exciting and significant order for us. We began implementing our newly-formed export strategy at the beginning of 2018 so to see it bear fruit, especially in today’s climate, is both rewarding and promising. We’ve also seen a huge 20% increase in orders to Canada which is another burgeoning market for us.”

Whitakers’ European sales are also faring well with orders to one of France’s biggest retailers, Monoprix. The company has also maintained its market share in Scandinavia despite rising sugar taxes.

Ian continues: “We sell a lot of products on an ‘ex-factory’ basis so our customers can collect products directly from the factory at a preferential rate but have to deal with tariffs themselves and organise their own transport.”

Whitakers Chocolates also plans to attend ISM, the largest trade fair in the world for confectionery and snacks, which takes place next year in Cologne. As well as exploring new markets, the company will use the event to reveal new branding and launch additional product ranges.

Ian adds: “This is a really exciting time at Whitakers Chocolates. We’re feeling confident about the future and expanding into more countries with a new brand and extended product line."