How did ‘The Treat Kitchen’ come about? where did it all begin?

The Treat Kitchen’s CEO Martin Barnett comes from a family of sweet manufacturers who have been making sweets since the 1800s. Even as a kid he woud work on market stalls with his Dad selling sweets to the people of Nottingham. Then, later in life, Martin was offered a job in Australia as Head Confectionary Buyer for a major supermarket so he and his wife Jess relocated from Nottingham to do just that. But once their son Max was born a few years later, they wanted to return home and be closer to their family. Using the expertise of the confectionery market and portfolio of suppliers Martin now had, they used this to set up a sweet business of their own – The Treat Kitchen.

Where do you want to take the business? what can we look out for in the next year?

This has been our first year supplying our products via wholesale and it has been a huge success. We are now available in over 1000 locations nationwide, including the Suffolk Food Hall. Next year we are hoping to gain more international customers and build our brand across Europe and beyond. We will also continue developing new products that include all the latest trends in the world of flavour, patter and packaging, including a whole range of gin infusions sweets – keep an eye out for those in 2019.

If you were to receive a Treat Kitchen gift for christmas, what would it be? .

We would recommend something a little different. This year we have found ‘Make Your Own’ food kits are all the rage, so we would recommend one of our products where you can make your own treats. Our baking jars are everything you need to make your favourite baked goods like cookies or brownies. Inside each jar is all the dry ingredients you will need, including luxury Belgian chocolate. All you would have to do is add an egg, stir and bake, it really is that simple and a lot of fun to do!

What does Christmas entail for you guys?

We get in the festive spirit as soon as we start getting orders for our mulled wine or mince pie sweets which can be as early as July! Christmas jumpers are encouraged throughout the warehouse and there is a lot of singing of Christmas songs. It’s a very busy time for us so everyone pitches in, but it’s also very exciting too!

You can find out more about ‘The Treat Kitchen’ by visiting their website.

We stock a range of Treat Kitchen goodies here in the Food Hall, from hot chocolates to tasty sweets, there’s something for every sweet tooth.