A sweet project for t ward

We have some very interesting clients at t. ward, and one of the most interesting we’ve worked with recently is also a potential award winner!

We worked with The Chocolate Tree to import a pallet of Peruvian coca beans last year, and this year we’ve also helped them import a special piece of confectionery making machinery from Italy. The machine, an FBM Unica continuous temperer with Californian Mod, sounds very impressive; according to Alistair Gower, the man behind the delicious chocolates, it boasts, “an enhanced motor, strengthened screw, pneumatic dosing and variable speed with dosing plate,” and is a “tempering dream machine engineered to handle the viscosity of proper craft chocolate – and it came in a blooming big box!”

The Chocolate Tree, which employs 12 members of staff, is being recognised for its skill in creating craft chocolate – the company picked up three prizes at the prestigious International Chocolate Awards British National Competition this month.  The company won GOLD in the chocolate bar with a filling and flavoured white chocolate bars categories, and BRONZE in the spreads dark chocolate (no milk powder) category.

Alastair said: “We are using exceptionally high-quality ingredients and they don’t contain any artificial flavourings. That is to be expected but our recipes are quite innovative and we use high-quality ingredients.”

The chocolates are made at The Chocolate Tree’s factory on Knox Place and sold to eager customers at farmers’ markets, farm shops and also at the company’s two shops in Edinburgh and Haddington. Alastair credits the whole team for the success of the delicious chocolate and says, “There is a great team behind Chocolate Tree and I’m trying to make it down for the awards ceremony.”

We’re wishing Alastair and the team good luck at the awards this month!

At t ward we’re always on hand to help clients ship anything they need from anywhere around the globe, and we cater for all sizes of cargo from 15kgs to 150,000 tonnes. We use our many years of experience to provide all levels of service, and our sea freight forwarders handle anything from chocolate to cars, and plant machinery to personal effects. We also make sure that we work alongside the best partners in the world, which gives us access to the most flexible freight network in Europe.

We’ll be happy to talk to you about arranging the collection or delivery of your goods at origin/destination and effecting Customs Clearance for you too – just call and speak to one of our agents.

Grangemouth – Scotland’s largest container port

Did you know that in addition to other ports across Scotland, t.ward shipping also covers the port of Grangemouth? 

We have been working alongside the port and supporting clients who use it for many years now, and so we are able to offer all varieties of ships agency from Grangemouth, which is Scotland’s largest container port. Grangemouth handles more than 150,000 containers every year, and there are daily sailings from here to Rotterdam, Antwerp, Felixstowe and Hamburg.

Grangemouth is a popular port for many reasons; obviously the size of the port makes it an ideal choice for many clients, and it’s also very well situated between Glasgow and Edinburgh, right at the centre of Scotland’s industrial heartland. 

Grangemouth is a popular haven for Scottish industry, handling around nine million tonnes of cargo per year. It handles over 2 million tonnes of dry cargo such as timber, granite and steel every year, which makes it an important hub – and it’s getting busier all the time. In November 2014 Grangemouth reported its busiest ever week, handling a record 4,200 containers. At the time, operators credited a good potato seed season as well as an increase of whisky and white spirit cargos.

Grangemouth is the UK’s largest feeder port, and the only one that exports more than it imports. It’s also estimated that 30 per cent of Scotland’s gross domestic product (GDP) goes through the port.

The facilities include;

•  Two gantry cranes
•  13 straddle carriers
•  Modern driver’s reception
•  Integrated Terminal Operating System
•  500,000 sqft of warehousing
•  365 acre estate
•  Private and common user jetties
•  LPG berth
•  Dedicated general cargo berths
•  Ability to handle ro-ro, side port and conventional vessels.

This, plus Grangemouth’s location, its proximity to national road, rail and sea links, and its land availability makes the port an ideal choice for development into a top class logistics and distribution
hub.

Grangemouth is just one of the ports served by t. ward shipping – for more information on our services please refer to our Ships Agency page.