Draft:Beech's Fine Chocolates

{{AfC submission|t||ts=20260420135151|u=MWhiting2026!|ns=118|demo=}}

{{Short description|British chocolate brand founded in 1920}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Beech's Fine Chocolates
| logo =
| type = Brand
| industry = Confectionery
| founded = {{Start date and age|1920}} in [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], England
| founder = Collinson family
| defunct = 2025 (original company)
| fate = Insolvency; brand acquired by Bulk Gourmet Emporium
| hq_location_city = [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], Lancashire
| hq_location_country = England
| products = Chocolates, fondant creams, truffles, Easter eggs
| slogan = Over 100 Years of Perfection
}}

'''Beech's Fine Chocolates''' is a British chocolate brand founded in 1920 in [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], England. For over a century, the company produced artisan chocolates — including fondant creams, truffles and Easter eggs — at a factory on Fletcher Road in the [[Deepdale, Preston|Deepdale]] area of the city, using traditional methods such as starch-mould production for its fondant centres. After entering insolvency in September 2025, the brand was acquired by Bulk Gourmet Emporium, which revived it as an online business.

== History ==

=== Founding and early years ===
Beech's was founded in 1920 by the Collinson family, who already operated a tea and coffee importing business in Preston and added chocolate to their product range. Chocolates were initially sold at fairgrounds, with the company moving into the luxury market by 1946.

=== Changes of ownership ===
The company remained in Collinson family hands until it was sold in 1966 to a family of Yorkshire wool merchants. It later became a supplier to the Supercook brand, which acquired the company in 1984. In 2000, Beech's was acquired by the RenshawScott Group, before a management buy-in returned it to private ownership in late 2002.

=== Whiting ownership and repositioning ===
In 2017, Andrew Whiting took over as chairman, with his son Peter Whiting serving as managing director. Under the Whitings, the company moved to Fairtrade-certified cocoa and reformulated its products to be palm-oil free and gluten free, with the dark chocolate range certified vegan. The brand adopted the marketing slogan "We will never compromise on our ingredients", which appeared on its packaging and promotional materials alongside references to these sourcing commitments. The company also began replacing plastic with combustible packaging and invested in expanding export sales ahead of [[Brexit]], with products shipped to markets including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and parts of the Middle East; in the United States, Beech's products were sold via the [[QVC]] home-shopping network, including televised product segments on QVC USA.

=== Centenary and operations ===
Beech's marked its 100th anniversary in 2020, still operating from the same Fletcher Road site where it had begun in 1920. By this time the company employed around 50 people, with some recipes — including the Fondant Creams — reportedly unchanged for decades.

Products were stocked by retailers including [[Booths (supermarket)|Booths]], [[Waitrose]], [[Fortnum & Mason]] and [[Lakeland (company)|Lakeland]]. Although the company historically produced its own chocolate, it later sourced couverture from [[Barry Callebaut]] following a downsizing of the factory.

=== Closure and acquisition ===
In September 2025, Beech's Fine Chocolates Ltd was declared insolvent, and around 40 staff were made redundant. Chairman Andrew Whiting attributed the closure to a sharp rise in cocoa prices, which he said had risen roughly threefold over the preceding year, combined with increases in energy costs, National Insurance and the minimum wage. Former managing director Peter Whiting told local press that the company had been unwilling to reduce the quality of its ingredients in response to the cocoa price rise.

In late 2025, Peter Whiting confirmed that the Beech's brand, recipes and website had been sold to Bulk Gourmet Emporium, an online food retailer, which relaunched the brand as an online-only business.

== Products ==
Beech's product range has included fondant creams, chocolate-covered ginger, chocolate Brazils, truffles and seasonal Easter eggs. The company produced Easter eggs from its early years, reaching around 120,000 eggs in 1933 before scaling back production; Easter egg production was reintroduced ahead of the centenary.

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite news |last=Titley |first=Megan |title=Preston chocolatier Beech's Fine Chocolates is celebrating one hundred years in the business |url=https://www.lep.co.uk/health/preston-chocolatier-beechs-fine-chocolates-is-celebrating-one-hundred-years-in-the-business-1996256 |work=Lancashire Evening Post |date=26 February 2020 |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite news |title=Beech's Fine Chocolates in Preston is making Easter eggs after three decades |url=https://www.lep.co.uk/news/video-beechs-fine-chocolates-in-preston-is-making-easter-eggs-after-three-decades-671820 |work=Lancashire Evening Post |date=19 February 2018 |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite news |title=Why Preston's family-run chocolate factory Beech's has suddenly shut after 105 years |url=https://www.lep.co.uk/business/prestons-family-run-chocolate-factory-beechs-shuts-after-105-years-5340133 |work=Lancashire Evening Post |date=30 September 2025 |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite news |title=Beech's Fine Chocolates celebrate centenary year in the same factory where it all began |url=https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2020/12/beechs-fine-chocolates-celebrate-centenary-year-in-the-same-factory-where-it-all-began/ |work=Blog Preston |date=18 December 2020 |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite news |title=Preston's Beech's Fine Chocolates closes after a century of trading |url=https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2025/09/prestons-beechs-fine-chocolates-closes-after-125-year-of-trading/ |work=Blog Preston |date=27 September 2025 |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite news |title=Beech's chocolate brand set to be revived with online sales |url=https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2025/12/beechs-chocolate-brand-set-to-be-revived-with-online-sales/ |work=Blog Preston |date=5 December 2025 |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite web |title=Beech's Chocolate |url=https://www.madeinpreston.co.uk/General/beechs_chocolates.html |website=Made in Preston |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.beechsfinechocolates.com/pages/about-us |website=Beech's Fine Chocolates |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite web |title=Beech's Fine Chocolates |url=https://www.qvc.com/kitchen-and-food/beechs-fine-chocolates/_/N-lglvZcqr2h/c.html |website=QVC.com |access-date=20 April 2026}}
{{cite AV media |title=Beech's Fine Chocolates (6) 3.2oz Boxes Chocolate Fondants on QVC |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIVpW3_JFLE |publisher=QVC |date=14 July 2024 |access-date=20 April 2026 |medium=Video}}
}}

[[Category:Chocolate companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies established in 1920]]
[[Category:Companies based in Preston]]
[[Category:British brands]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies disestablished in 2025]]






== References ==

{{reflist}}