Wales's 'Willy Wonka' expanding on back of new loans

WALES' answer to Willy Wonka is expanding production with the opening of a new factory, supported by a £150,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales and £114,000 from Merseyside-based co-investors, Bathgate Business Finance.

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Richard Holt, owner of chocolatiers Mr Holt's, is a former pastry chef and star of S4C's pastry programme Yr Academi Felys (The Sweet Academy). He has run the chocolate factory and café at a former mill at Melin Llynon, near Llanddeusant on Anglesey. He has been crafting a popular Siocled range of Welsh chocolates, along with a unique range of Anglesey-branded donuts - nicknamed monuts.

A loan of £150,000 from the Development Bank of Wales, £84,000 from Bathgate Business Finance's own funding book, Bathgate Capital, and a further £30,000 brokered by Bathgate from a specialist funder, is now enabling Richard to expand production with a newly refitted factory at Llangefni. New and improved machinery will allow Mr Holt’s to meet rising demand.