Temprd Chocolate
In the heart of Maldon, Essex, a family-run business is changing the chocolate game with its chunky, loud, and bold flavoured sweet creations. Temprd Chocolate, founded by Rob and Colin Anthony, is more than just a chocolate brand—it's an experience, an ethos, and a commitment to quality.
In 2019 brothers Rob and Colin Anthony made a huge change to their lifestyles, Rob leaving his longstanding role in the city, and Colin his career in sales for a frozen food company to fulfil their dream of running a business together. Already with the knowledge and a good understanding of the food industry it just made sense to start there. Whilst a competitive industry they felt it was an area where they could make an impact, creating something that was different, that people would want to enjoy time and time again. At the time there was no other chunky chocolate bar in the UK market so Rob and Colin focused their attention here, creating the brand Temprd chocolate.
“Everything seemed to be getting smaller, chocolate bars going from 120 down to as little as 80 grams and all the artisan stuff was really only 60-80 grams. We thought let's give people great chocolate in abundance”
Colin Anthony, Sales Director, Temprd Chocolate
Trading since November 2020, Temprd Chocolate offers 16 bold flavours including Dark Ginger, Banoffee Pie, Orange Crisp and Maldon Sea Salt and Caramel. Purchasable in two sizes of bar, 95-100g or 190-200g, customers unwrap the delightfully thick paper wrapping to reveal a branded bar of quality and delicious chocolate. This is the whole ethos behind the brand. It isn’t about mass production or a quick chocolate fix, it offers the experience of luxury from the moment you pick up the bar, to when that last chunk is gone, and that experience most certainly matches its higher price.
Available only through independent retailers such as farm shops, coffee shops and garden centres, Temprd is an artisan chocolate that seeks to stand out, and that wants its distributors and end users to truly understand and buy into the brand. Their goal isn’t about competing with the Cadbury’s and Nestle’s of the world and being stocked in every supermarket across the UK, they want to partner with distributors that offer something a little bit special to their customers, they want their chocolate to be seen as a treat, not an item of convenience.
Not milking the marketing
Attention to detail is something that is important to Temprd, as is ensuring that their product is both ethical and sustainable. Temprd sources it’s cocoa responsibly by buying from Rainforest Alliance certified farms. Proudly based in the beautiful Essex countryside, they also source locally where they can, including using Maldon Sea Salt in one of their flavours. From design to production, everything is rooted in Essex—a true local enterprise. When it comes to sustainability, they take a real #nobull approach, feeling that economical responsibility isn’t a marketing message, it’s a necessity.
"Sustainability and looking after the environment shouldn’t be a marketing message, or something you ram down your customers throats, it should just be a given. Being as environmentally conscious as possible when making your product should be something you are thinking of from the very start. For us sourcing our ingredients ethically, using local suppliers and avoiding single use plastic is part of who we are as a business."
Rob Anthony, Operations Director
Hitting its 3rd birthday, Temprd began to reflect on where it wanted to go next. It has experienced excellent growth over the last 3 years, predominantly organically with the strength of the product simply selling itself, along with their reputation for excellent customer service. Their customers have been their greatest ambassadors, spreading the word on this chunky chocolate that is ‘sweet, loud, and proud’. Temprd isn’t about the hard sell, it’s about building relationships with the retail outlets, which Rob and Colin achieve by making their product available only directly from them, and not through other food distribution channels. They want their retail partners to really understand the product and spread the word on what Temprd is all about, often attending events, providing tastings and setting up display stands in their outlets. They are also listening to their customers when adding to their range and exploring new flavour combinations.
"When we launch new products, we try to ensure that we not only satisfy the wants of our existing client base, but also provide the opportunity to appeal to new markets"
Rob Anthony, Operations Director
Ready to take the next step, Temprd is now thinking about what it needs to do to scale up the business. Operating at 75% capacity, it is now considering investment to further its reach in the UK along with its production capacity. The various COVID schemes and operating close to home in Maldon has helped to control the overheads over the past few years, allowing them to utilise those funds for their growth, but with increasing costs, changes need to be made to ensure continued success.
Sweet Dreams of Expansion
Looking forward to the future, Temprd have some grand plans to continue their upwards trajectory. Already developing other products for their range that differ from the chunky bar, their long term ambition is to not only continue to expand its reach into new territories, but also to scale the business into a retail offering, bringing Temprd to the high street, and extending the Temprd experience into one of chocolate workshops, and a bit of me time alongside a warm drink.
It's a bold and big dream, but one that seems to fit perfectly with the ethos of the brand, turning chunky chocolate from a just a tasty treat into an immersive experience.
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