Áine Handmade Chocolate
Ann Rudden’s dream on having her own business started earlier than most other entrepreneurs. In fact, she was just nine years old when she decided that she wanted to be in business for herself.
Today, she runs one of Ireland’s leading artisan chocolate companies, Aine Hand Made Chocolate. Hers is a story about hard work, innovation and quality. But above all, her story is about passion and about the total and all-consuming love she has for what she does.
After school, Ann completed a course in bakery and management in the Dublin Institute of Technology in Kevin Street. Her love of baking and chocolate landed the young graduate her first full-time job with the Irish Chocolate Company, now known as Butlers Chocolates. From there she moved to Lily O’Brien’s.
In 1999 Ann decided to return to what she knew best and loved most — making chocolate. Initially, she rented a small production unit in Coolmine Industrial Estate and quickly got to work on developing her own range of chocolate products. She later married and moved to Co Meath from where she continued to run the business.
In 2007 Ann moved back to her home village of Stradone in County Cavan where she renovated and old unused Garage to Grade A A BRC. This brought life and more importantly brought jobs back into the village. Her commitment to quality was rewarded with 25 Great Taste Awards (the equivalent of the Oscars in the food industry) including Thirteen Gold Medals, TWO IQ awards and recommendations from leading food critics such as John and Sally McKenna and food guru Rick Stein.
The Company produce a range of bars and gift boxes and Hot choc swirl sticks. Markets:
• Ireland, UK, Malaysia, France, Dubai, Russia and the USA.
• A host of independent retailers such as Avoca, Kilkenny Shop, Morton’s and Fallon and Byrne.
• The company boast a number of fine food retail outlets stocking Aines Chocolates in the UK e.g Harrods, Dubai, Russia and Malaysia and most recently the USA.
Ann has managed to grow a successful business having survived the recession in 2008/2009 and the recent COVID pandemic; continuing to grow the business and offering Her key ingredients to her business success are:-
• Total commitment to quality
• An all-consuming passion for what she does.
Websitewww.chocolates.ie
Twitter@Ainechocolate
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AineHandmadeChocolate/
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