Building A Meaningful Business

Our journey has been everything but a straight road! Looking back on it makes a lot more sense how we've evolved from despondent chocolate lover to chocolate maker or whatever job it is I actually do now! 

First moving to York to study at the University of York back in 1999 it was a very different city. York smelled distinctly of roasting cocoa or caramelised sugar beet on most days and with 3 factories in the city churning out millions of products every day the industry here was very different. 

I remember on one of my first of many explorations of York that there must be a chocolate factory that you could visit - like Cadbury's World. You can imagine my immense disappointment when realising there wasn't one!

Back then I came to York on a journey that was very much inspired by the likes of Rowntree and Cadbury and the philanthropic nature of their business models having distant family that were once Quakers, I recognised the community that was always central to their mission.

Looking for a career back in 2003 the world was very different, Corporate Social Responsibility was a buzz word that was part of the Marketing Department, and I struggled to find an organisation or direction that shared the business model I wanted to be part of. I was lucky enough to find a local employer who embodied the values I wanted to work with, working with local food, the Slow Food Movement and more importantly the York Festival of Food and Drink, it's safe to say it was a training ground for much of what I do now. 

Anyway - I've been speaking to Enterprise Works at the University of York, which I'm delighted to see are now pro-actively supporting entrepreneurialism and empowerment not just within the student body but also in the York community, particularly celebrating female business owners in the network. 

I continue to be indebted to the University for the continual support I've received from them, particularly now more than 25 years in the city, I've not left yet! 

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