Jamie Laing Of Candy Kittens Chokes On A Chilli

Hot Shots is the video series where PRESS co-founder Ed Foy interviews 'Hot Shots' from their respective industries. Each guest is asked 12 questions and before answering, they must take a shot of a superfood - think garlic cloves, spicy chillies, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and PRESS' 'Fireball' Shots.

It's like a game of truth or dare for millennials...

In the Spring of 2012, Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing and Ed Williams launched Candy Kittens, an innovative, gourmet sweet range that set out to focus on quality and in 2018 they changed all their sweet recipes, making them vegan! Using the best possible natural ingredients, and authentic flavours in beautiful packaging, Candy kittens really is a brand for the future.

Check out the video below to find out more about Jamie and Ed, including their guilty food pleasures, most used emojis and secrets that you might not know about them.

When you were growing up, did you see yourself as founders of a gourmet sweets company one day?

Ed: No, never! I’ve always loved branding and building my own brand was the goal. In all honesty, it could have been 100 different products, it just happened to be sweets.

Jamie: Growing up weirdly I did in some ways, I had this constant obsession with sweets!

What’s it like working with each other?

Ed: It works well. Jamie and I have completely different skill sets which seem to have complimented each other quite nicely. Understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses have been key!

Jamie: I always say Ed and I are like a triangle, we’re very different in many ways but we end up in the same place. Like a triangle. Ed is the engine, the one that keeps the train going. I suppose I would be the driver. We work very well with each other.

You’ve recently made your sweets range vegan, what was the reasoning behind this?

Ed: Since day one we have been working hard to make the best possible sweet. Making the product vegan was another step towards that mission. It makes our sweets more inclusive which means an even bigger group can enjoy our sweets... plus, gelatine really isn’t very nice!

Jamie: We set out to make the best sweet possible and we believe making our range vegan achieves that.

Where can customers buy Candy Kittens?

Jamie: Candy Kittens are sold all around the country, Waitrose, Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s, W H Smith, Boots, Morrisons and many more.

What's next for Candy Kittens?

Ed: Take over the world!!! We’ve got a very long way to go but we’re working hard to become a global brand that’s synonymous with quality, style and taste. We’re launching in the US, UAE, and Australia this year and hope exporting will become a big part of our future business. Watch this space!

Jamie: First and foremost we want to become the biggest confectionary company in the UK and then beyond that, we want to tackle America and more. We have big dreams and we want to achieve those dreams.

Check out Candy Kittens and follow them on Instagram!