Sweet factory on the market for £470k
The Dag Hole, Cheddar site has been producing boiled sweets, toffees and fudges for nearly three decades and is a popular tourist attraction. The Cheddar Sweet Kitchen has an annual turnover of £120,000.
Director Martin Mizen told FoodManufacture.co.uk that the sale was prompted by the directors’ wish to retire.
“The original directors are now well into their 70s and looking to exit the business. The younger directors are not prepared to continue on their own,” said Mizen.
“So, after much deliberation, it was decided to offer the whole of The Cheddar Sweet Kitchen – retail and manufacturing – together with the freehold property in the very centre of the famous Cheddar Gorge to any interested parties.”
‘Decided to offer the whole of The Cheddar Sweet Kitchen’
The sale includes the factory and a single bedroom flat above the business. Estate agent Knightsbridge, which is handling the sale, billed the business as an “ideal lifestyle acquisition”.
“If we are able to find a purchaser who is prepared to continue to run the business in its present form, we will provide full training and offer ongoing support until the changeover is completed,” added Mizen.
“In addition to the very successful retail shop and the demonstration area, we also have a full order book for offsite sales, supplying our products through national and local fine food wholesalers. We also supply bespoke own-label products and Motorway Service Stations, so continuity would be very important.”
Most staff on the site are related to the family and would continue to be available to assist any new purchaser.
Yet to make a final offer
There have been interested parties since offering the sale, said Mizen, but none have yet to make a final offer.
Established in the 1980s, The Cheddar Sweet Kitchen was set up to produce “old fashioned” confectionery that was popular before the Second World War.
Owned by the Mizen family, who have been making sweets in the area for the past 100 years, the business sells the confections it makes through its on-site shop and website.
The factory offers free demonstrations of the sweet making process to tourists. It has featured on a number of television shows, including BBC’s Big Cook Little Cook and The Hairy Bikers.