Fife College student’s £2000 boost for Aye Candy business

HND business management student, Eilidh Hutchison, won the #FemaleBoss grant after a Dragons Den style pitch to judges. They were so impressed by the business and her plans for its growth, she got the highest grant award.

The programme is designed for young women aged 18-24, to inspire, empower and support them into enterprise and to understand the importance of females in business. HND students at the college were visited earlier this year by Bridge2Business and Eilidh was encouraged to apply. Aye Candy was born after a lockdown purchase of some chocolate moulds. Eilidh rolled up her sleeves, got her apron on and within three months had over 200 orders.

With her parents being a home baker and a chef, Eilidh was destined to find the recipe for success.

She said: "I definitely got my skills from my parents as my Mum is a superb home baker, who taught me everything she knows, and my Dad is a chef.”

The next steps for Aye Candy are Eilidh getting a driving licence so she can start doing deliveries across Fife, attending farmers markets and to eventually open her own shop.

Eilidh said: “This whole process definitely gave me more confidence in progressing the business and applying for funding in the future. The response from the public has been extremely supportive. To have people hear about your business and like it enough to fund you is a really nice feeling.’

You can order from @AyeCandy on Facebook and instagram.