Flossie’s Fudge & NWRC

Flossie’s Fudge was established by 16 year old Sophie Leslie, whose love of all things culinary led her to develop a range of fresh dairy fudge which she initially sold at local markets and craft fairs

FLOSSIES

 About the Company

When Sophie headed off to university to follow her other great love – literature – her Mum, Debbie, decided to develop this hobby into a full time business. Flossie’s entered their Fudge into Great Taste Awards and scooped a 3 Star rating the first Northern Ireland’s first confectionary product to receive this accolade. Flossie’s have grown from strength to strength and attracting attention of credible retailers Harrods in London who wish to stock their fudge. The company are continuously developing more flavours and increasing new sales.

About the Case

Flossie’s approached Brian Mc Dermott the Food Technical Consultant at NWRC seeking technical support with product and process improvements to include:
- Standardise their core recipes
- Recipe development
- Product and process efficiency improvement
- Packaging solutions for their products
Flossie’s required recipe standardisation to allow them increase production and reduce costs. Flossie’s did not have the technical skills and this was hampering their progress.

About the Knowledge Provider

NWRC Food Technical Consultant Brian Mc Dermott has supported the company using weekly assigned Connected Hours. Brian is a professional Chef with 25 years industry experience in Food Service and Manufacturing including 6 years as a New Product Development Chef with Blue Chip Company Kerry Foods.
Brian is a technical consultant working at NWRC since 2010 as a part time lecturer and on programs to include Employer Support Program, Innovation Vouchers, Noribic Mentor, Food NI and CONNECTED since 2012.
Brian has successfully supported 35 SME’s Food Businesses with expert technical support.
Brian also runs his own business since 2008 as Brian Mc Dermott The No Salt Chef. He regularly demonstrates and creates program content for Food Festivals and events. Brian is a regular on RTE TV and has his own slot weekly on BBC Radio.


The Results

Following engagement up skilling Flossie’s now have standardised recipes across their range. This has enabled them increase production and improve processes by 30%. This has freed up more time for Debbie to focus on Sales which has increased by 25% as a result.
The company will be launching a new range of packaging in coming months.
The company has worked closely with NWRC to upscale their recipe using the facilities at the college which is only minutes away from the client’s business. The larger production batches have enabled Flossies attend bigger food markets and events with their increased capacity.
Debbie speaking a Derry Enterprise Week 2015 stated that the expert support received from NWRC Food Technical Consultant Brian Mc Dermott through Connected has been a huge factor in the growth and recent success of her business.




Contact Details of Knowledge Provider:
Knowledge Provider Name: North West Regional College
Contact Name: Brian Mc Dermott Food Technical Consultant
Telephone number: 02871 276408
Email: brian.mcdermott@nwrc.ac.uk