You are in the Special Features section - Keep It Sweet Retro Sweets

Digger: Please tell us something of your background and the background to Keep It Sweet Ltd.

Will: We are a medium sized business based in Dorset.  Keep It Sweet was started in 2005 as a trial website on a shoe-string budget.  Two of the three founders worked in the banking industry at this time (for their sins) and would be packing sweets into the early hours of the morning from a small unit.  Then taking the orders to the post office in their lunch break. Within 4 months, it could pay a wage and it has gradually grown from there. At present we sell around 150 tons of sweets a year, catering for the retail and promotional sector.

Digger: Can you tell us what can people expect from your online store?

Will: keepitsweet.co.uk is a fun and simple website to use.  We have around 16 categories of sweets containing around 400 products.  Whether it's glass jars, gift hampers, party bags, wedding favours or a good old packet of black jacks, we do the lot. Most of our portions are only 1 a bag, allowing you more variety for your money.

Digger: Please tell us more about your fascination for and involvement with these traditional sweets.

Will: Sweets are a great product to work with. They are colourful and varied, which allows us to be very creative when producing a bespoke package for a client. I find this to be one of the most enjoyable parts of my job. We have the knowledge and ability to have bespoke sweets made up. If you want a blue Lemon Sherbet then we can get you one! Chocolate coins with your face embossed on them....not a problem.  It can be great fun working with sweets, if not a little surreal at times. 

Digger: Sweets are very evocative of an important early part of our lives. Why do you think that more generally retro, vintage and nostalgia is so increasingly popular with so many people these days?

Will: Sweets are a nostalgic feel good product. It always surprises me how easy it is to put a smile on someone's face when presented with their favourite childhood sweets. The same enthusiasm and nostalgia exists for old TV programmes from our youth or computer games. Most sweets have never disappeared (they just became harder to find). The current revival in retro sweets has been great and there are lots of new innovative ideas coming through. It did seem that for 20 years or so the sweet shop was in decline. It's also quite difficult to label sweets retro sweets. I use this term to describe sweets from the 70's and 80's (my childhood). Sweets like Love Hearts, I include as retro sweets but in fact they were first produced in the 1920's. Shrimps and Bananas were in the late 50's. I think the current popularity is linked to the accumulation of several factors, those being: those born in the 60's, 70's and 80's having disposable incomes, greater availability and an increase in Ecommerce. Faster broadband speeds have also helped. 

Digger: Where are you sourcing these sweets and what are proving to be the most popular?

Will: Without doubt, the retro sweets from the 70,s and 80's are the firm favourites.  Flying Saucers, Wham Bars and Fizz Wiz are amongst our best sellers. Other more obscure lines like Aniseed Twists and Cough Candy are strong sellers from earlier decades. 

Digger: What are your other retro and vintage passions Will?

Will: I am a fan of vintage clothing. This is another sector that seems to have grown considerably in recent years. Vintage cars are also great; I've always wanted a Ford Cortina MII or Escort MI or II. I'm also a big Art Deco fan and live in an Deco house with many of the original features intact. 

Digger: Who are your ‘typical’ customers, where are they coming from and what customer feedback/comments do you get?

Will: Our retail customers are majority female between 20-50 years.  We despatch to an even amount of men and women interestingly. We are a distance selling company, so despatch of our goods is all over the world, although the majority is UK-based. The range and quality of products and speed of delivery is what normally prompts good feedback.

On the corporate side of the business, we sell to banks, the cosmetic industry, mobile phone companies, car manufacturers amongst others. Yet again, our ability to produce bespoke orders on super short deadlines is what is appreciated. 

Digger: What would you say is special about the to Keep It Sweet experience?

Will: Great range, good prices and speedy delivery. If you give us a ring we are always more than happy to help and advise.

Digger: What are the best and most enjoyable aspects of running Keep It Sweet?

Will: Every day is different. One week we may be creating a fun bespoke product and packaging for a corporate company, the next we may be charging around sourcing a certain sweet at very short notice for an urgent order. You never quite know what to expect. 

Digger: What are your plans for to Keep It Sweet in the future?

Will: We are planning to refresh the website soon to allow for larger portions to be purchased at cheaper prices. We continue to improve our own branding and are endeavouring to get our products into high street retail stores.