Stephen Trigg of Lauden Chocolate talks to Holmach Ltd about his business journey from the kitchen table to the world stage,
and the decisions he’s made to drive innovation and business growth

 

We are passionate about understanding and supporting manufacturers journeys and in a new series, we’ll be capturing the stories of some of our customers that are pushing boundaries in terms of production processes, product quality and innovation in their field.

Having recently been selected to represent the UK at the World Chocolate Masters competition in 2022, Stephen Trigg of Lauden Chocolate was the ideal candidate for the first instalment.

On the day of the interview, Stephen was clearly displaying a number of emotions from overwhelm of being chosen to represent the UK on the global stage; sheer tiredness from spending months of late nights and long days creating the perfect entry pieces; through to the excitement of what the future holds for the West Yorkshire based business that started on a kitchen table back in 2007.

Stephen and his wife Sun started the business through sheer frustration of what was available in terms of handmade confectionery. They’d spent over £60 on a box of artisan chocolates and were disappointed with both the taste and quality. After a conversation with a relative who made her own chocolate truffles, Stephen and Sun decided to give chocolate making a go. Sun had long had a passion for chocolate, which was fed by spending 10 years in Belgium surrounded by incredible chocolate boutiques and Stephen’s main qualification was the fact that he’d been a chocoholic from a young age. Every Christmas he’d make his way through his own 400g bar of Dairy Milk and would secretly take some of his brother’s. After this he upgraded to Thornton’s luxury chocolates and the rest is history…

Starting as a hobby on the kitchen table, the business soon escalated to attendance at local farmers markets. It was never intended to be a career choice, but demand and customer feedback made Sun and Stephen realise that they were on to something. As with any small business, they were nervous about pricing themselves out of the market but when higher demand and higher pricing aligned, Stephen took the plunge and left his job in IT to become a full-time chocolatier.

The business moved into its current factory in 2013 and they haven’t looked back. The one thing that they have had to prioritise is manufacturing solutions as they were wearing themselves out using small scale technology to meet larger scale demand. This is where Holmach came in. 

Fully understanding the objectives of the project and the expectations of the Lauden Chocolate team, Holmach facilitated the installation of a Roboqbo series 4 universal processing system. Chris Holland said of the recommendation ‘The flexibility of producing anything from marshmallow fillings through to osmosis candied fruits and nut butters, made the QBO system the perfect solution for a confectionery business that thrives on innovation and experimentation.’ 

Stephen Trigg Director spoke about his choice – ‘We were given a full demo and were mightily impressed with the capabilities that we could apply to our chocolate business. We purchased a 15-litre machine, and it has been a god send. We can produce large batches of ganache from start to finish in 8-15 minutes, depending on the recipe. The self-cleaning function has made our production more efficient, meaning we can prep the next recipe while the machine is running through the cleaning cycle. We are looking forward to exploring the full range of its capabilities as we develop new products for the business.”

Lauden are punching way above their own weight, boasting long term contracts with Michelin starred restaurants, and British Airways First Class and they’ve already generated a buzz on the international stage with a keen fan base in Japan. They’re definitely a business to watch for the future and Holmach are excited to support them with any new business development using the QBO system. 

From chocolate ganache and chocolate mirror glaze through to hazelnut praline and marzipan, Holmach and Roboqbo, have a long-standing heritage with chocolatiers and confectioners, so get in touch for support with your next project.Contact Holmach on 01780 749097 or email info@holmach.co.uk