A sweet shop which has re-opened in the Royal Arcade is to sell chocolates made by the firm themselves rather than imported from Europe.
The English Chocolate Company, formerly Digby's, has re-opened the olde worlde confectionery part of the business with one member of staff currently there to sell some existing stock. However, when the firm expands into the unit next door, vacated by interiors business Berrys & Grey, staff are hoping to be trained in making artisan chocolates themselves.
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New staff have been taken on with a retail assistant currently working in the shop, to be joined by a new manager starting next week and two assistants on Saturdays.
The shop next door will sell cakes, ice-creams and possibly include a tea room.
A spokesman at the English Chocolate Company said: 'Currently we have a kitchen at our Salisbury shop where we make our own chocolates. If demand is high enough, we will install one in Norwich but at first, chocolates will be transported from there.'
It will mark a change in how many chocolate shops operate, buying in loose chocolates from Belgium, France and Holland, which can be more costly and prompting some worries over supply because of Brexit. Ingredients for the chocoolates will be sourced from around the world, however.
Norfolk is home to some successful chocolate-making firms from Booja-Booja in Brooke to Gnaw in Norwich.
It is believed some pre-packaged items such as marzipan from Germany will still be sold at the English Chocolate Company loose chocolates such as the ever popular violet cream will be hand-made.
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