>>Gü chocolate puds to mark second anniversary
A chocolate birthday cake is sure to be on order as Gü Chocolate Puds gears up for its second anniversary celebrations this month.
James Averdieck and Duncan Forbes set up the company and for the first year ran it with two part-time workers. But year-on-year sales to April 1 grew by 70% to £8m and recruitment has been key to keeping up with demand, says Averdieck.
Kate Lucas was brought in from Lactalis as commercial manager in August to help develop the business with retailers and wholesalers. At the same time, logistics manager Paddy Hughes was brought in from Tesco to make sure the extra volume reached retailers.
“They were perfect for us,” says Averdieck. “Because we were opening up new national accounts, we had reached the stage where we really needed to beef up the team. We then brought in Nick Fox as commercial director so that I could focus on strategy, marketing and innovation.
“But I still want to keep the team tight.”
The Gü range originally consisted of just three products, but has grown to 10, although its hot chocolate soufflé is still by far the biggest seller, says Averdieck.
To make sure the range remains fresh and appealing, he says Gü had to bring in top chef Fred Ponovoy as new product development and quality manager. Other appointments include office manager Myriam Khadir, and Andrew Burnford and Sohel Arshad in accounts.
team had to expand to keep up with demand
A chocolate birthday cake is sure to be on order as Gü Chocolate Puds gears up for its second anniversary celebrations this month.
James Averdieck and Duncan Forbes set up the company and for the first year ran it with two part-time workers. But year-on-year sales to April 1 grew by 70% to £8m and recruitment has been key to keeping up with demand, says Averdieck.
Kate Lucas was brought in from Lactalis as commercial manager in August to help develop the business with retailers and wholesalers. At the same time, logistics manager Paddy Hughes was brought in from Tesco to make sure the extra volume reached retailers.
“They were perfect for us,” says Averdieck. “Because we were opening up new national accounts, we had reached the stage where we really needed to beef up the team. We then brought in Nick Fox as commercial director so that I could focus on strategy, marketing and innovation.
“But I still want to keep the team tight.”
The Gü range originally consisted of just three products, but has grown to 10, although its hot chocolate soufflé is still by far the biggest seller, says Averdieck.
To make sure the range remains fresh and appealing, he says Gü had to bring in top chef Fred Ponovoy as new product development and quality manager. Other appointments include office manager Myriam Khadir, and Andrew Burnford and Sohel Arshad in accounts.
team had to expand to keep up with demand
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