INVESTMENT UPDATE DECEMBER 2021 - Ruby Violet Ice Cream & Sorbet

INVESTMENT UPDATE DECEMBER 2021

Posted by Marston Moretaine Office on

Ruby Violet Marston Moretaine time lapse 

 

Our amazing new kitchen is finally up and running, we have been busy calibrating and streamlining all our new machines and now we have a large efficient organised space that is capable of producing 15x the capacity of our old production unit. 

For the last few months we have been working on a spooky Halloween partnership with Scottish Whisky brand Ardbeg, concocting  3 imaginative terrifying and tantalising ice cream creations, using exotic ingredients such as Lapsang Souchong tea, Mesquite and mealworms! (plus of course many cases of whisky).    

 We have also been supplying Gordon Ramsay’s Street Burger restaurants with thousands of Ice Cream sandwiches over the Summer and we are developing new products to extend our range with them.   

 We have been sending hundreds of ice cream cakes and DIY Sundae boxes far and wide across mainland UK, and now we have the extra production and storage space we can continue to increase our delivery capacity.   

 We are able to ship 88% of our range now, an increase of 64% since we started shipping at the beginning of the year.   We have developed our Christmas packaging and redesigned our website making it more efficient and user friendly. We have seen a 1316% increase in our online sales since the redesign and offering delivery.   

 We are really sad to say that we closed our Tufnell Park parlour for the final time on September 26th, due in part to a significant decline in footfall combined with a wholly unexpected and significant rent increase that was non-negotiable despite the current climate. We will be supplying some local Tufnell Park shops with tubs (more details to follow on this), and focusing our retail sales through our lovely Kings Cross parlour. 

Julie operating the forklift

We have successfully raised £358,212 from over 300 investors towards our new production unit in Marston Moretaine. 
Thank you to everyone who supported us in so many ways, not only financially, but also with huge amounts of advice and help given freely, it’s much appreciated, so Thank You. 

 

The plan
Work in the unit
Frank the dog in the unit
Working on the mezzanine

Progress has been steady, not helped by stainless steel and timber shortages and a very busy construction industry, but it remains on schedule.  

Frank our Ruby Violet Springador has found being an assistant project manager extremely exhausting and has needed the w/e off to recover.

Frank behind the laptop
Frank the dog sleeping

We’re really hoping to be moving in at the end of June with new machinery installed and working. It’s going to be amazing having that space and all the possibilities that come with it.

Electrics in progress
The mezzanine structure
The unit before the mezzanine was built

The new production area will allow us to increase our production x9. We will be embracing new opportunities and will be able to be proactive for the first time. We are really looking forward to developing new ice cream and sorbet creations, with innovation, passion and imagination being at the forefront of that! Now... onwards and upwards!

Work in the unit

The structure almost finished

Water and music stations

Julie painting on top of a ladder

 

Ruby Violet Investment 

I know she's had to say No to lots of very very fancy people, so you won't have to say No anymore, good luck Julie
Helen McCrory, actress

The whole community loves the ice cream here, it's a win win, go for it
Damian Lewis, actor

What's amazing about the business is the excitement around its potential grow... there is real potential for B2B growth 
Sharon White, newly appointed Chair of Waitrose & John Lewis

 

investment2021

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