Annie’s Vegan Treats: A Humble Gem Nestled In The Lincolnshire Wolds

Here at Forward Fooding, sometimes we come across a start-up who just radiates positivity and care. That’s what it was like when we met Jules, founder of Annie’s Vegan Treats. Her genuine passion for making sure she produced only the absolute best vegan chocolates for her customers, at a fair price, was heart-warming. We spoke about the wholesome origins of her business, and what she’s most proud of when it comes to her delicious chocolates.

So what is Annie’s Vegan Treats?

Here at Annie’s Vegan Treats, we offer handmade Belgian chocolates that are 100% vegan friendly and dairy free, at an affordable price. We make hand shaped and moulded chocolates, chocolate bark and hot chocolate stirrers, all made by me in my home workshop in the Lincolnshire Wolds. We supply to several coffee shops and sweet shops across the UK, as well as vegan B and B’s.

Where did the idea to make your own vegan chocolate business come from?

Several years ago, I made a chocolate to stop a vegan friend from being left out at celebrations. It was very popular during the following years, so I did a little research to see if there was any interest in them, and I was overwhelmed with support. I had found a gap in the market for ‘nice’ chocolates that could be enjoyed by anyone wanting or needing dairy free chocolate. Clearly the vegan movement is growing, so we are finding more and more people who are interested in what we are doing. The business is named after my daughter Annie, who died in 1993. She loved animals (especially bunnies, hence the logo) and she loved chocolate, so it seemed a fitting tribute. It’s nice to know that she is having an impact on the world.

What have you struggled with the most along your start-up journey?

I think that self-belief is the biggest issue for me. My chocolates have become so popular that I gave up a full-time job to do it as I was struggling to balance everything. It’s growing all the time and getting more popular, but I still can’t quite believe that people actually like it! Of course, I am very glad they do and I am keen to take on board any suggestions — although that can also be an obstacle as it is impossible to please everyone — and there is only one of me!

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the food industry?

Something that remains very important to me is protecting my customers. I want to give them something they enjoy, and I don’t want them to be badly affected in any way by what they eat. So, making sure the products and labelling are all within the industry regulations is vital. Knowing about allergens and making sure each person can make a well-informed decision about what they are about to eat is really important.

What’s something you’re most proud of when it comes to the product you deliver?

As well as giving people chocolate that suits their lifestyle choice or allergy/intolerance, I really do want to make sure that the products are reasonably priced. I don’t think it’s fair that people have to pay more for these things because big industries see them as ‘different’. Why can’t everyone have nice chocolate without taking out a second mortgage?! I am proud to be able to make treats that are suitable for everyone (not just the vegan community) that has no impact on either animals, or my customer’s bank balance.

What would you want the future of your company to look like?

I would like my business to continue to grow for as long as it can while I still enjoy it (and I love it). I don’t want it to become so big that I need lots of equipment to make the chocolate though, I want to be able to still make it all by hand as much as possible — and to do it myself rather than employing a team of others. I love being a chocolatier and I love learning every single day and I want to share the joy of it with all my customers. I want Annie’s to be a name that people can trust, that is a fitting tribute to my little girl.

That’s so lovely; how can people find out a bit more about you? Or, for potential stockists, how can they get in touch? We want to try some of Annie’s infamous vegan treats too!

You can see our website here, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter! We don’t have an actual shop, but you can buy online via our website. We plan to try to have a feature every month of the year. It may be that we run a competition or a draw for a hamper of chocolate. We sometimes offer a percentage of our months’ sales to our adopted charity Doris Banham Dog Rescue, or we may be attending an event like a vegan festival or food market.

I would like to reach out to any shops or cafes across the UK who would be interested in stocking our chocolates so if anyone wants more info (and samples!) just email us. I also want to promote offering our chocolates at weddings and corporate events. We are happy to supply our products to anyone who is interested, providing the cost to the customer remains reasonable. And if anyone has any requests or suggestions for what we could make, please get in touch, we look forward to hearing from you.

Here are some photos of Annie’s Vegan Treats:

If you’d like to see what connections Forward Fooding could offer your start-up, feel free to get in touch with us at info@forwardfooding.com! You can also add your company to our FMCG trends section on our platform to get free visibility within our corporate and investors’ network here.

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