A Manchester dessert cafe says its online sales have quadrupled during lockdown - and its now selling its "signature secret sauces" across the UK and in Europe.
Black Milk, which is based in the Northern Quarter, said it's been able to increase its workforce by five since April - to keep up with the growing online demand from fans from far and wide.
The creative dessert cafe, whose best known product is a hazelnut spread, said its sales in Ireland and the Netherlands make up 20% of its e-business, BlackMilkCereal.com.
The company also said its salted caramel, white chocolate and hazelnut sauces, as well as its confectionary selection, has also proven popular.
Managing director, Andy Young, said: “It has always been in our business plan to grow the retail side of Black Milk, in many ways lockdown was a mixed blessing.
"Losing our cafes and events meant that we now had the opportunity to fully dedicate the time to developing our online offering.
“It has been an incredibly steep learning curve figuring out how to dispatch thousands of orders a month, but the feedback remained strong and rewarding on our social media channels.”
Black Milk first branched out from the café through collaborations, hosting ‘evening with’ events with famous chefs and brands across Manchester, such as Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing and Selfridges.
Founder Olly Lloyd Taylor, added: “Losing the cafe for three months allowed us to jump 12 months ahead of where we thought we would be with our retail offering.
"The second the door to the cafe was locked, we put our full focus on reaching our guests at home, now they could no longer visit us.
“Now the Manchester cafe is back we have we've added a whole retail section, along with the option to click and collect items from the website.”
