Cartmel Village Shop

What Cartmel Village Shop does

Cartmel Village Shop, trading legally as Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding Company Ltd., is a family-owned artisanal food producer founded in 1990 and based in the South Lakes area of Cumbria, England. The company originated Sticky Toffee Pudding and has hand-made the product for over 30 years, initially from the back kitchen of its village retail shop in Cartmel and subsequently from a larger dedicated production facility known as The Bakery in Flookburgh (Cumbria). The product portfolio comprises core puddings (Sticky Toffee, Sticky Ginger, Sticky Chocolate, Sticky Banana, Lemon Drizzle Sponge, Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble), seasonal lines (Christmas Pudding, Festive Sticky Figgy Pudding), Sticky Toffee Sauce, chocolates, and branded merchandise, all manufactured by hand from 100% natural ingredients without preservatives.

The business operates three revenue streams: direct retail through the Cartmel village shop, direct-to-consumer e-commerce via the company's own website with flat-rate UK mainland shipping, and wholesale distribution. Wholesale supply reaches a nationwide network of independent fine food shops, delicatessens, and farm shops, as well as five premium UK retailers — Booths, Waitrose, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and Fortnum & Mason — alongside corporate caterers. Gift baskets and hampers (eight SKUs priced £15.95-£26.00) assemble the company's puddings with locally sourced third-party products (Kin Toffee Vodka, Chilinero Late Harvest Dessert Wine, handmade fudge from The Toffee Shop, Penrith).

Pricing is unit-based and pay-as-you-go, with puddings priced from £2.25 for an individual serving up to £8.50 for family-size (730g, serves 6-8). Marketing relies on a heritage narrative, celebrity chef endorsements (Nigella Lawson, Jean-Christophe Novelli, Anthony Worrall Thompson, Rick Stein), press coverage, and a light social media presence on Twitter (@CartmelSticky) and Facebook. The company has no disclosed external funding, no disclosed headcount, no AI or technology platform, and remains founder-controlled.

Name

Cartmel Village Shop

Legal name

Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding Company Ltd.

Website

https://cartmelvillageshop.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cartmel Village Shop is a family-owned UK artisanal food producer and originator of Sticky Toffee Pudding, selling handmade puddings, sauces, and gift hampers via its Cartmel village shop, e-commerce site, independent fine food retailers, and major UK retailers including Booths, Waitrose, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and Fortnum & Mason.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cartmel

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Retail Sales: Revenue generated from sales through the company's own village shop in Cartmel, Lake District, and through the e-commerce online store.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Revenue from supplying puddings, sauces, and related products to independent fine food shops, delicatessens, farm shops, and major national retailers including Booths, Waitrose, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and Fortnum & Mason.
3. Corporate Catering and Bulk Orders: Wholesale supply to larger corporate caterers and retail outlets, accommodating requests of all sizes from independent grocers to major corporate accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cartmel Village Shop produces and sells handmade puddings, sauces and gift hampers under its own brand, with the flagship Sticky Toffee Pudding as its signature product. The full range is handmade from 100% natural ingredients with no preservatives, and is sold directly through its Cartmel village shop, its e-commerce site, and wholesale channels including Booths, Waitrose, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Mason.

Product overview

Cartmel Village Shop is a family-owned food business based in the Lake District, Cumbria, specializing in hand-made puddings and related products. The core product offering centers on the award-winning Sticky Toffee Pudding and its variants (Ginger, Chocolate, Banana), complemented by seasonal offerings like Christmas Pudding and Festive Figgy Pudding. The product portfolio spans four main categories: Puddings (sticky puddings, crumbles, sponges, Christmas puddings), Sauces (Sticky Toffee Sauce), and Gifts & Goodies (gift baskets, hampers, merchandise, chocolates, fudge). All puddings are made by hand from 100% natural ingredients without preservatives. Products are sold online, in the Cartmel village shop, and through fine food retailers including Booths, Selfridges, Waitrose, Harvey Nichols, and Fortnum & Mason.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sticky Toffee Pudding The original handmade sticky toffee pudding made with dates and smothered in sticky toffee sauce, available in Individual (150g), For Two (250g), For Four and Family Size (730g, serves 6-8). The signature product for individual consumers and gifting.
• Sticky Ginger Pudding Warming ginger-flavoured sticky pudding made with stem ginger, available in Individual, For Two and For Four sizes for individual consumers and gifting.
• Sticky Chocolate Pudding Rich chocolate version of the signature sticky pudding, available in Individual (150g), For Two (250g) and For Four sizes for individual consumers and gifting.
• Sticky Banana Pudding Banana-flavoured sticky pudding combining toffee and banana flavours, 390g size serves 3-4, for individual consumers and gifting.
• Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble Classic crumble dessert combining sticky toffee sauce with crunchy apples, available in Individual (120g) and Family Size (500g, serves 3-4), with a 14-17 day shelf life, for individual consumers.
• Lemon Drizzle Sponge Tangy lemon pudding with buttery undertones and lemon curd, available in For One (120g) and For Two (250g) sizes for individual consumers.
• Christmas Pudding Traditional Christmas pudding made with raisins, sultanas, carrot, apple, mixed peel, dates, cherries, stem ginger, almonds, walnuts, spices, brandy and sherry, available in Individual (120g) and Family Size (454g/1lb, serves 4-6) for seasonal gifting and celebrations.
• Festive Sticky Figgy Pudding Seasonal Christmas pudding made with figs, Christmas spices and warming sauce, available in 'For 2' (250g) and Family Size (730g, serves 6-8) for festive gifting and celebrations.
• Sticky Toffee Sauce Signature toffee sauce made with cream, butter and vanilla, sold in a 100ml bottle (\u00a34.00), for use with ice cream, pancakes, baked apples, sponge puddings and barbecued bananas.
• Sticky Toffee Chocolates Box of chocolates inspired by the famous Sticky Toffee Pudding, sold as a stand-alone product and as part of gift baskets for individual consumers and gifting.
• Handmade Fudge (by The Toffee Shop, Penrith) Handmade fudge supplied by partner producer The Toffee Shop, Penrith, available in Small (113g) and Medium (227g) sizes, sold both as a stand-alone product and within gift hampers.
• Gift Basket 1 Wicker basket containing a Cartmel Village Shop tea towel and a 250g (2-3 serving) Sticky Toffee Pudding (\u00a317.50), designed as a food-led gift for individual consumers.
• Gift Basket 2 Wicker basket containing 150g Sticky Toffee Pudding, 113g fudge and a 375ml bottle of Chilinero Late Harvest Dessert Wine (\u00a323.55), aimed at individual consumers as a premium gift.
• Gift Basket 3 Wicker basket containing 250g Sticky Toffee Pudding, 120g Christmas Pudding and 113g fudge (\u00a318.80), positioned as a festive gifting bundle for individual consumers.
• Gift Basket 4 Wicker basket containing 250g Sticky Toffee Pudding and a 200ml bottle of Kin Toffee Vodka (\u00a323.85), a gifting bundle pairing the signature pudding with a local toffee vodka.
• Gift Basket 5 Wicker basket containing 250g Sticky Toffee Pudding and a Sticky Chocolate Pudding (\u00a315.95), a two-pudding gift bundle for individual consumers.
• Small Pud Love Hamper Hamper containing a Cartmel Mug, Cartmel Tea-Towel, 113g fudge block and a 250g Sticky Toffee Pudding with 'Pudding Love' sleeve (\u00a326.00), a gift bundle for individual consumers.
• Small Hamper Gift Set Wicker hamper containing a Sticky Toffee Pudding (serves 3-4) and a 170g jar of sticky toffee sauce (\u00a322.50), a compact gifting bundle for individual consumers.
• Pudding & Wine Set Gift set pairing a Big Sticky Toffee Pudding (730g, serves 6-8) with a 375ml bottle of Cartmel Village Shop Pudding Wine (Chilinero Late Harvest), offered at a limited promotional price of \u00a316.50 from \u00a325.
• Pudding & Kin Gift set containing Sticky Toffee Pudding, Cartmel chocolates and a 200ml bottle of Kin Toffee Vodka produced locally near the Cartmel pudding headquarters, gift wrapped at \u00a325.45.
• A Basket of Love Wicker basket containing a 250g Sticky Toffee Pudding in the special 'Pudding Love' sleeve, Sticky Toffee Chocolates and Love Heart sweets (\u00a317.70), positioned as a Valentine's / romantic gifting bundle for individual consumers.
• Christmas Pud & Mug Set Gift set containing two single-serving Christmas Puddings and a Cartmel Mug (\u00a316.00), a seasonal gifting bundle for individual consumers.
• Cartmel Christmas Gift Set Festive gift set pairing a fruit-filled, liquor-infused Christmas pudding with Cartmel Fudge (227g) for individual consumers as a seasonal gift.
• Cartmel Mug Ceramic mug featuring Barney the Cartmel terrier, sold at \u00a37.50 as a branded merchandise item for individual consumers.
• Cartmel TeaTowel 100% cotton, full-colour Cartmel Village Shop tea towel (47 x 78cm), sold at \u00a36.00 as branded merchandise for individual consumers.
• Cartmel Village Shop Jigsaw 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle featuring the Cartmel Village Shop, sold at \u00a322.00 as a branded merchandise / gift item for individual consumers.
• Cartmel Apron 100% cotton apron with Cartmel branding, sold at \u00a316.00 as branded merchandise for individual consumers.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• The Toffee Shop, PenrithminorOthersSupplier partnership for handmade fudge products. The Toffee Shop in Penrith produces fudge (113g and 227g sizes) that is sold through Cartmel Village Shop as part of gift baskets and hamper sets.
• Kin (Toffee Vodka)minorOthersLocal producer partnership for Toffee Vodka. Kin produces a 200ml Toffee Vodka made locally near Cartmel Village Shop's pudding headquarters. The vodka is included in gift sets such as Pudding & Kin and Gift Basket 4.
• Chilinero WineryminorOthersSupplier partnership for dessert wine. Chilinero Late Harvest Dessert Wine (375ml bottle, 12% volume) is included in gift baskets and the Pudding & Wine Set. Features ripe white fruit and honey aromas.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bonne Maman: International premium preserves and desserts brand with deep UK grocery distribution — adjacent category with overlapping premium UK food positioning, similar 100% natural / no preservatives messaging, and significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Wilkin & Sons (Tiptree): Heritage British artisanal food maker (jams, preserves, condiments) sold through premium UK retailers and own farm shops — comparable heritage narrative, premium grocer distribution, and DTC + wholesale model.
• Farmhouse Fare: UK handmade dessert and pudding brand producing traditional sponge puddings and crumbles — directly comparable product category (steamed/baked puddings), handmade positioning, and premium UK grocer distribution.
• Charlie Bigham's: Premium UK prepared-food brand with handmade desserts and main meals in supermarket distribution — directly comparable channel strategy (premium grocers), handmade positioning, and family/founder-led brand architecture.
• Hotel Chocolat: Premium UK chocolate and gift-hampers brand selling through own retail, e-commerce, and third-party grocers — comparable premium gifting angle, hamper SKUs, multi-channel distribution, and aspirational UK food brand.
• Gü (Puds): Premium UK chilled dessert brand with multi-SKU puddings, mousses, and cheesecakes sold through the same major UK retailers (Waitrose, Selfridges) — comparable premium positioning, gifting SKUs, and national wholesale footprint.

Others

• The Toffee Shop (Penrith): Local Cumbria-based handmade fudge producer that supplies Cartmel Village Shop with fudge SKUs for its gift hampers — direct supplier partner and adjacent artisanal confectionery producer in the same UK region.

Emerging players

• Mrs Bridges: UK premium preserves, condiments, and gift hampers brand sold through farm shops, delis, and premium grocers — comparable gift-hamper format, premium UK positioning, and small-batch artisanal production model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CartmelSticky
• Facebookfacebook.com/CartmelSticky
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cartmel-village-shop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cartmel Village Shop