A specialist chocolate maker has won an accolade after creating an indulgent hot chocolate drink.

Sudbury-based chocolatier Marimba World Chocolate is celebrating after being recognised by the café industry for its innovative Hot Chocolate Melt range.

Marimba was presented with a ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Product Launch of the Year – Beverage’ category award at the Essential Café Trade Award for launching its 100% real chocolate flaked drink to the café trade during the past year.

Winners of the awards, which were held in Westminster, had to demonstrate to the judges an outstanding product launch, which not only mixed high quality and innovation, but provides café operators with good profit opportunities and marketing support.

Marimba operations manager Brad Wright said: “We are so pleased to have received Highly Commended at the Essential Café Trade Awards for our Hot Chocolate Melt range.

“As a specialist chocolatier we have gone to great lengths to produce a premium drinking chocolate that we believe stands out from the crowd.

“Since introducing the melts, we have received such positive feedback and the number of café outlets serving the range keeps going up and up. We are extremely proud to be recognised by the industry in this way, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole team at Marimba for making this possible.”