Amanda Cuming

About The Project

I am the owner/creater/maker of Amanda's Fudge Factory, located in Toowoomba, QLD.  I started my little business in May 2011, soon after the birth of my first child.  I currently make all the fudge out of my home kitchen, and sell most of our goods at the local markets.  At the start of September we also opened a small retail fudge shop.

I started this business as a way to be able to stay at home with my little one.  I would love to be able to give that opportunity to two other families or pensioners to earn a bit of extra money, that might not be able to otherwise.

I would love to set someone up so they are able to attend one weekly market (sunday) in Brisbane, at one of the big food markets.  The other person would be set up to attend one weekly market (saturday) on the Sunshine Coast, at one of the big markets. 

I would personally deliver the fudge each week, as this will also give us a chance to catch up each week in person and assess how each person is going.

The Budget

I have decided to set a budget of $5000 ($2500 per person)

Each person would start of with 20kg of fudge $900.

Business cards and signage would be printed $450 each.

Tables (minimum of 2), tablecloths, signs for display, fudge tester containers $300 each.

Tops with logo $50 each.

Gazebo $300 each.

Storage Boxes for fudge and market setup $50 each.

Extra money for items that may get forgotten eg bags, money tin, business card holders $100 each.

Market Site Fee $100 each.

Fuel to supervise first market $150.

As Markets can be a bit scary for the first time for someone, I would attend the first market of each person to make sure they settle in well and answer any questions they might have. 

Any extra money remaining would go towards increasing the starting amount of fudge.

My Story

Hi, my name is Amanda Hellyer and I am 28 and living with my little girl and long time boyfriend.  I was working as a chef before I fell pregant, and both myself and my boyfriend have a very sweet tooth. I gave birth to my wonderful little girl Laura in March 2011.  I always wanted to be able to stay at home and look after her for as long as I could, but like alot of other families we needed two incomes to survive.  That is how my little business came to be. 

I started creating my fudge after finding all the fudge avaliable was full of sugar and preseratives (for a longer shelf life).  The fudge that I create is made on minimal ingredients, and flavoured where possible with fresh fruit.  I am a strong beliver of cooking food from scratch, and to try to keep it as natural as possible.  The end result with my fudge is a soft, smooth and creamy that just melts in your mouth.  It is a soft fudge, that has more of a chewy texture rather than being crumbly, and love giving it away as gifts.

Our Future Plans

As my little fudge shop doesn't have a kitchen, I would love to move into a premises with a commercial kitchen.  Eventually (when production is high enough) I would love to open a small manufactoring warehouse. Staff would be required as I would keep the fudge handmade.

When we have enough funds, I am wanting to upgrade our packaging to custom printed tins. The quote we have received for this, in two different sizes totals $50 000 - $60 000.

When we have settled in with the increase in fudge production in a bigger space, I would love to be able to set up mulitple people around Australia to attend markets and earn a bit of extra money.

I would also love to find a couriering company able to transport the required amount of fudge around the country in a minimum of time.

What This Would Mean For Me

I would be eternally grateful, and humbled with the loving support for my business and my vision for it's potential.  I would love to be able to help others in a hard time, as helping others is what makes life special.

You can also find me at

www.amandasfudgefactory.com or on Facebook as Amanda's Fudge Factory