Chocolate factory quietly opens in the heart of Wellington
Ruxstons Chocolate is based on Wellington High Street and is now producing its own chocolate in-house after a nine-week build inside the shop.
Imogen Rossiter-Slade, head of new product development, said: "We already sell a lot of chocolate, but by making it ourselves, we can be more creative, quicker to respond to ideas, and more confident in the quality."
She is taking a gap year before starting medical school in September, and currently leads flavour creation and design at the company.
Imogen added: "It is a bit of an unusual role for someone my age, but being a keen chemistry student, I found I was very suited to this role."
The new factory was kept under wraps during its construction.
The project was led by Fraser Purdey, with Amy Porter handling much of the practical work, and new team members Anna Sumska and Kate McVicar assisting with final preparations.
A soft launch took place on the evening of Saturday, July 5, attended by friends, family, and long-time customers.
Imogen said: "Most of them had no idea we'd been working on it, so it was a great moment to finally reveal it."
The team believes the new factory will help expand both the shop and their online business.
She added: "We are a very fast-paced company and ambitious, so this factory will further help us develop our own brand and really help us grow."
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