Chocs away for Brora
Britain’s remotest chocolate factory has been left with a bitter taste after a planned move into a new factory in Brora collapsed just days before the deal was due to be signed.
Cocoa Mountain at Durness, which appeared on the hit BBC show Dragons Den last August, was hoping to start production at its new Sutherland outlet this month – and planned to create six jobs initially.
But co-owner Paul Maden said on Wednesday that the lease deal fell through less than two weeks before contracts were to be exchanged.
“We are gutted and devastated,” he said.”
We desperately need new production space and Brora was right for all kinds of reasons – within reach of Durness and opening up the east side more.
“We currently have 135 retailers who want to stock our products but we do not have the extra production capacity to meet the demand.
“Business has never been busier but we cannot expand much more without new production premises. We can also only source so much labour and provide accommodation in a place like Durness. As it is we employ 13 people here.
“We are now speaking to Highlands and Islands Enterprise to try and help us find somewhere and we would ask anybody who has a suitable premises – either for rent or purchase – to get in touch.
“We are open to all options but we are back to square one now after Brora. After all the effort and time it really is very disappointing. We would have created six jobs at first – with the sky the limit later.”
Famously, since co-owners James Findlay and Mr Maden appeared on Dragon’s Den, but failed to get an investor, they have been approached by more than 60 potential investors, including even one based in Vietnam.
As well as truffles and bars, the company’s hot chocolate has fans said to include former England cricketer Ian Botham, former Rangers’ boss Ally McCoist and actress Juliet Stevenson.
Mr Maden and Mr Findlay set up Cocoa Mountain in a unit at Balnakeil Craft Village 10 years ago.
Mr Maden experimented with around 100 truffles recipes before settling on the company’s current range of 28.
