The Future of Fudge: Fudge Kitchen goes Employee Owned

For nearly 40 years Fudge Kitchen have been trailblazers in the confectionery world, driven by a simple mission, to make the world sweeter; by producing nice things, while making things nicer along the way. From their multi-award-winning confectionery, to the iconic retail theatre that put them on the map throughout the UK’s most popular historic cities, their reputation amongst customers and other confectioners alike, is one they’re extremely proud of.

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Fudge Kitchen reaffirmed the three pillars upon which their business is built. Their product, the planet, and the people that made the company what it is today.

With the future and the sustainability of the business in mind, MD Sian Holt made the decision this year to ensure Fudge Kitchen would be in the best hands to deliver their mission going forward. As of October 28th, Fudge Kitchen is now an employee-owned business.

Through an Employee Ownership Trust, Fudge Kitchen hopes to ensure that as a purpose-driven business they’re able to continue to deliver on their mission, while affording all their staff greater equity in the business.

In Sian’s words, “You can’t make the best products without exceptional fudge makers, nor deliver amazing customer experiences and service without energised and passionate entertainers with a love of people. And you can’t hope to create a better business for the planet without commitment from a united community. It’s thanks to those amazing teams that we are where we are today, and who we look to for the next four decades of innovation.”

Employee ownership is one of the fastest growing business succession solutions in the UK, where there are now more than 1,000 employee-owned businesses, with the sector more than doubling in the past three years. James de le Vingne, Chief Executive of the Employee Ownership Association said: “Businesses that give employees a stake and a say build trust and shared responsibility, uniting leaders and employees behind a common purpose, and leaving businesses in a better position to flex and adapt.”

The fast pace of growth amongst businesses has taken off with the use of the employee ownership trust (EOT), introduced by the government in 2014 to encourage long-term employee ownership, and one in every 20 private company sales is now to an EOT, with Fudge Kitchen joining a network of EOTs in the UK that include Richer Sounds and Go Ape.

As Fudge Kitchen stands on the cusp of their 40th year, this is an exciting time for everyone at Fudge Kitchen and the whole team are looking forward to all the sweet things that are yet to come!