In an interview with Female First this month, Brontie Maria Ansell speaks about her decision to leave her job as a solicitor and law lecturer to chase her chocolate-filled dreams.
Brontie felt unfulfilled in her job as a corporate solicitor and said: “I just felt like I was in the wrong place, a square peg in a round hole.” Brontie packed in the rat race in favour of creating organic, vegan chocolate from a tiny factory in West Sussex.
The eponymous named Brontie & Co was founded in 2015, and now offers a range of artisan products from superfood hot chocolate to chocolate bunny lollies.
On their website, Brontie & Co say: “This chocolate is free from allergens; there is no dairy, no gluten, no soy, no GMOs and no refined or chemical sugars. Every flavour is 100 per cent vegan and suitable for diabetics. Anyone can enjoy this chocolate.”
Further, this company adheres to strong community and environmental values by recycling, using composable packaging and donating at least 15 per cent of their net profit to charities such as Medecins Sans Frontières and Sustainable Sussex.
Brontie is also a mother and found her transition from solicitor to entrepreneur hard to balance with family commitments. She said: “If I could give another woman any advice it would be to find that nugget of self-esteem inside herself and grow it, whatever that takes. It also helps to remember that not everyone’s opinion of you is valid or carries the same weight!”
Brontie’s company is continuing to grow and they have ambitious plans. Brontie said: “We want to become a leader producer of vegan free-from chocolate, hot chocolate and healthy coffee alternative drinks in the UK and Europe. We have just been named runner up in the FedEx Small Business Grant UK competition, and we are planning to use this additional cash injection to expand and grow internationally.”
Picture credit: Brontie & Co