Family-run Wendover business celebrates 20 years of creating chocolate

A family-run business in Wendover is celebrating its 20th birthday next month.

On Valentine’s Day Rumsey’s Handmade Chocolates is hosting a special party celebrating 20 years of serving desserts to customers.

Rumsey’s Handmade Chocolates has been trading on Wendover High Street since 2004 and wants to combine chocolate and love to celebrate the milestone.

Rumsey’s feels it has overseen the new era of café society, noting that there were no large cafes in the high street 20 years ago.

Nigel Rumsey, a patisserie chef with over 30 years of experience started making his chocolates from his home kitchen in Aylesbury, before opening the store.

He was inspired to start his own venture after watching the film Chocolat and opened Rumsey’s alongside his wife Mary.

Mary said: “We started searching many different locations around Buckinghamshire and ‘The Old Bank’ site in Wendover already had a buyer when I first saw it, but luckily for us that sale fell through and so we made an offer. Less than two months later we opened, and Wendover welcomed us with open arms.”

Rumsey’s prides itself on employing locally, as well as supporting charitable organisations. When Nigel and Mary retired a few years ago, Rumsey’s had a party to celebrate and invited as many previous employees as it could track down.

Rumsey’s aims for its employees to feel more like family and says staff take pride in the chocolates they have created over the years.

Since the couple’s retirement, the business is now run by the next generation of Rumsey’s.

Kate Rumsey, who now runs the business said “This Valentine’s Day we are celebrating, it’s pretty tough out there for small businesses right now so we need to stay positive and enjoy these moments and how far we’ve come.”

Rumsey’s is asking customers to send in memories they have of visiting the store via email to [email protected]. Rumsey’s will be open between 9am – 5pm on Valentine’s Day and will have birthday specials and giveaways happening throughout the day.

Rumsey’s takes pride in the fact it has won national awards and has recently been featured in a local business campaign.