Re-branding -- Comment Online -- May 2008

After a marketing rethink, the Hounam/Burnett family has embarked on a rebranding exercise to boost the development of their businesses at Grandtully.In future, the coffee house and the arts, gifts and fashion showrooms will all be promoted under the brand name Legends of Grandtully. Out goes the old name for their hand-made chocolates business, Chocolatier Strathtay to be replaced by ‘Iain Burnett – The Highland Chocolatier’.

Director Peter Hounam said the idea was to simplify names: “When we started less than two years ago, none of us realised the impact it is possible to have by creating something fresh and new for tourists or local shoppers. We now have regulars coming to us from 50 miles away but we found the variety of names we were trading under caused confusion.“We originally formed a company called Grandtully Bridge Galleries Ltd, and gave the gifts side the name of Lóchrann Arts. The café was called Legends Coffee House, and our chocolatier, Iain Burnett, traded as Chocolatier Strathtay.

“Everyone remembers the name Legends but did not remember Lóchrann, and that is why Legends of Grandtully has been born. We also found that Chocolatier Strathtay did not lodge in people’s minds and so we have persuaded Iain to suppress his natural modesty and use his name in the brand. We tested out Iain Burnett – The Highland Chocolatier on lots of people and everyone liked it.

“We are about to begin marketing our chocolates to other outlets and on the internet. Two new brochures were therefore needed. In due course our signage will also be streamlined and improved. We hope this will set us up for a long time into the future.”

Demonstrations

Another development in late July will be Iain Burnett’s introductory demonstrations dubbed ‘Meet the Chocolatier’. He will share his insights into the aromas and flavours of gourmet chocolate and explain the intricacies - and art - of creating wonderful chocolates. His talks will take place in his specially designed chocolate kitchen at Grandtully beside Legends’ coffee house and will include a tasting of different chocolate varieties and a tour of the premises, altogether lasting about one hour.

They will be held on Wednesdays at 12 noon, with prices ranging from £16.50 to £22.50 depending on whether customers want a full lunch or just a steaming cup of real hot chocolate.

Anyone wishing to book should speak to Julie or Sarah in Legends Coffee House or ring on 01887 840775.

Pictured above are ‘The Three Chocolatiers’, from left: Sandra Batty, Iain Burnett and Calum Burnett now operating at Grandtully under a new brand name.

The new team... -- Comment Online -- March 2008

Legends of Grandtully have welcomed on board two new senior staff members to help develop their highly successful coffee house. Julie Collier, an award-winning businesswoman, has joined the family run firm as the coffee house manager. Also joining the team in the last month is Sarah Hodgson, formerly assistant manager at Fern Cottage, the Pitlochry restaurant.

Their arrival means that director Rachel Burnett can now concentrate on running the two Legends gift showrooms with a new chocolate and wedding cake retail area. Her husband and fellow director Iain will continue developing Chocolatier Strathtay’s range of products and is beginning to market them on the internet.

Rachel said she was glad the business had grown so much in the last year that each of the different Grandtully enterprises could become more focussed. “We are delighted Julie has joined us because we want to exploit her very strong business development skills.

“Our coffee house is not simply a place that serves great beverages and food. It has a special, magical atmosphere that has made it a meeting place for friends from all over Perthshire. We want to build on that, and encourage more innovation.”

Rachel added: “With Sarah joining us, we have someone with lots of ideas for developing our menu, and enhancing the experience we try to give to every visitor.”

Julie Collier, who lives in Bankfoot and is a leading member of the Perthshire Businesswomen’s Network, has had a successful career in marketing and business management in different parts of the UK. However, she was eager to try something different.

“I was attracted by the fact that Legends’ expansion plans required someone with a strong business background,” she said. “My first few weeks have been a hugely enjoyable learning curve, and with Sarah’s support I have already found my feet.”

Sarah had worked for Fern Cottage for five years but was looking for a job nearer home. Now she is literally only a minute away as she lives in The Paddock, next door to Legends. “It was at a chance meeting at New Year in the Inn on the Tay that I learnt about the vacancy, and I am looking forward to working with Julie on finding new ways of attracting more and more people to the coffee house.”

After being closed in January, the retail side of the Grandtully businesses has been revamped. ChocolatierSTRATHTAY is now selling its wide range of hand-crafted chocolates in a much-expanded chocolate sales area in one of the gift showrooms, an improvement much praised by customers buying gifts for Valentines Day, Mothers Day and Easter. Moving chocolate sales from the coffee house allows it to seat people more comfortably as the tourist season approaches.
 

  New Showroom Opens... -- Comment Online -- November 2007

After a year of bustling activity, Grandtully Bridge Galleries believes it has reached its first milestone of creating three new businesses that bring something fresh to Highland Perthshire and make Grandtully a regular haunt for locals and visitors to the area, between Aberfeldy and Pitlochry.

“When we opened at the end of last year we invested a lot in making the Lòchrann Arts showrooms and Legends Coffee House snug and inviting,” said director Peter Hounam. “It has paid off because people keep coming back, and they come from farther and farther afield.

“With no other shops around us we have to give people a strong reason to stop. The ambiance we have created is one factor, and the other is the quality of what we offer. We reckon Legends provides the best coffee in this area and the hand made chocolates we make on the premises have a devoted following.”

Chocolatier Strathtay’s reputation is growing steadily and next year chocolatier Iain Burnett will begin marketing a new range of chocolates on the internet. “We have the capacity to sell to a much wider customer base and a web presence is essential,” he said.

“I am also developing our chocolate wedding cake range and plans are afoot for a new project that will greatly boost visitor numbers some time next year. It is under wraps until we have perfected the idea.”

Iain’s wife Rachel runs Lòchrann Arts and she is delighted at the number of regular customers who come by. As with many businesses in the area, October has been a busy month and she has now doubled the space devoted to gifts, limited edition prints and fashions.

“We used to sell some antiques in part of our front showrooms and this was going well,” Rachel (pictured) said, “but gifts of all types are a better fit for what we are trying to achieve. The new showroom space means we can give people a much bigger choice.

Successful Formula
“We try to provide a mix that has flair, humour and style. People are always on the look out for new ideas and we try to provide a selection of the best, not only from Scotland but the rest of the world. We feel we now have a very successful formula although it is a time-consuming business sourcing everything.”

With Christmas coming up, Grandtully Bridge Galleries is gearing up for an even busier time. A new departure this year are attractive, lined hampers in three sizes, packed with goodies from Chocolatier Strathtay and Legends which can be delivered anywhere in the UK.

The front gift showrooms will be open late until 8pm every Thursday evening from 29 November until Christmas. Customers will be served free, hot, spiced punch to make the shopping experience even warmer.

The showrooms will also be open late on December 21 and December 22 for last minute buyers. On Sunday 23rd and Monday 24th, Christmas Eve, they will be open as usual until 5pm along with Legends Coffee House and Chocolatier Strathtay. The businesses will close for their annual shutdown on 14 January but will be open again well in time for Valentine’s Day.

Gearing for a Burst of Spring Activity

Easter additions to the menu... -- Comment Online -- February 2007

IT HAS BECOME a busy new year for Grandtully Bridge Galleries with further improvements to the gifts and antiques showroom along the main road through the village, and exciting developments in Legends Coffee House and Chocolatier Strathtay, both trading from the former stables at the rear.

Iain and Rachel Burnett who run these new businesses say they are grateful to the local community for continuing to visit and bring friends despite recent floods, snow and ice. Rachel told Comment: “People tell us it has become a gathering place for many people in this area and we welcome their valuable feedback, ideas and encouragement. We have only been trading since October and we already feel such support.”

She revealed there would be even more to look forward to this spring: “Legends will be adding scrumptious salads and fruit smoothies to the menu. Coffee-lovers can look forward to our new “Legends House Blend,” which is being created and roasted right here in Perthshire. And a coffee-tasting event is scheduled for spring, featuring our own coffee roaster. It will give people the opportunity to find the coffee flavour and character that suits them best, and find out more about the art of making the best coffee.”

Rachel added: “After enjoying their favourite coffee, tea or chocolate creation, our visitors like to wander through our new front shops. Lòchrann Arts has extended its range of local and international crafts and gifts, and our showroom of antiques by specialist John Walker has become a great draw.

“There is a unique collection of wonderful pieces – clocks, furniture, paintings and china, and this is contrasted on the gift side with classic and contemporary designs you may not see elsewhere. We hope the atmosphere is one of style, elegance and quirky fun.”

Easter Dress-Up
Rachel said Easter Sunday would be a very special occasion when people will be invited to flaunt their Easter bonnets – with men and children urged to dress up too. “There is something for everyone here,” she said. “Men and women, children and teens, whether they are after a gift for someone else or treating themselves, we hope they will enjoy the Grandtully experience.”

The front showrooms now have a new rear entrance, a suite of toilets, and a linking corridor providing easy access for visitors coming from the stables and the car park. P&KC has decided to extend the pavement along the main road and this will allow improvements to the frontage and improved pedestrian access. Plans are afoot for the planting of flowers and shrubs to make this corner of Grandtully much more attractive to both locals and visitors.

Iain Burnett’s particular speciality is developing new ideas for his confectionary business - Chocolatier Strathtay, which has Highland Perthshire’s first dedicated hand-made chocolate kitchen. He is working on some new truffle recipes mixing fresh local cream with premium grade chocolate. His ‘Heart of the Chocolatier’ collection which was brought out for Valentine’s Day was a great success but people who missed the opportunity to buy one can order the ‘Chocolatier’s Ring’, a truly splendid collection displayed in a wafer thin circular container, itself made of chocolate.

Iain’s ideas do not rest there however. He is working hard on a brand new idea that will further test the will power of local chocoholics “We have plans for something completely new to Perthshire – the launch of a bespoke service providing elegant Belgian chocolate cakes for weddings and other extra special celebrations.

“The development will take place over several months, and involve our training with two different master chocolatiers who have won numerous awards. Such special cakes I feel are complementary to the level of quality and artistry to which Chocolatier Strathtay aspires.”

Grandtully's New Visitor Attraction Grows

Up and Running! -- Comment Online -- November 2006

OPENING THREE BUSINESSES all in one go was never going to be easy but Grandtully’s new visitor attraction has succeeded beyond all expectations. Legends Coffee House, Lchrann Arts and Chocolatier Strathtay have attracted a steady stream of customers since they opened in October with many locals coming back again and again.
The latest news from the family-run business is that this was just the beginning of the project. Having converted and extended the stables behind Grandtully Bridge House, converted a garage into a chocolate kitchen and built a car park and water feature, they have just taken over the next-door antiques shops from Pam and Alastair Robinson. The shops are now being renovated and improved and should be open for trade well in time for Christmas.

“We were only granted planning permission for the stables in June,” said director Peter Hounam, “and it was a mad rush to complete our new atrium extension but the hard work has paid off. People have been really taken with the new ideas we have tried to introduce, and I am tempted to say they ‘ain’t seen nothing yet’.
“The changes we are bringing to the premises fronting the main road will be just as exciting. We are making a new rear entrance to provide a link with the stables, and the shops will give us another 1200 square feet of space. There will be a roaring wood-burning stove and lots of new lighting. It will be a wonderful opportunity to display a much greater range of gifts and crafts.
“Many people including the Robinsons were sad we might cease selling antiques as none of the family knows much about them. But I am delighted to say we have solved the problem and are making plans to join forces with a real expert who can supply a range of truly wonderful things.”
Peter Hounam is a journalist and he and his wife Hilarie Burnett are looking forward to taking more of a back seat when the new shops open. The chocolate business will be run by Hilarie’s son Iain, who is a trained chocolatier, and his wife Rachel will be in overall charge of the coffee house and retail side, helped by Kirsty Walker.

Regulars’ Discount

Iain said he was pleasantly surprised at the response he has received from local people and establishments around Perthshire to his growing range of chocolates all of which are special recipes he has developed his own concoctions.
“We have offered regular customers a 10 per cent discount when they bring back our chocolate boxes and have them refilled and that has proved a very popular idea. My next big project for Christmas is to offer a giant selection of 50 chocolates in a box that will be partly made of chocolate.”
Rachel says she hopes customers of the new shops will be excited by her new Christmas stock bought from Scotland and many other countries which she describes as ranging from the bizarre to the sublime. “We shall carry through to the new premises the same ideas that have delighted customers of the stables. People say that coming here is like visiting someone’s home, except most of things can be bought and taken away. We believe shopping should be fun and we seem to have succeeded in that goal.”

Rampaging Witches in Grandtully

Local school children visit the Chocolatier... -- Comment Online -- November 2006

STAFF AT GRANDTULLY'S newly-opened Legends Coffee House, Lochrann Arts and Chocolatier Strathtay had a wicked surprise on Halloween when a throng of novice witches and wizards arrived outside and demanded:  “Trick or treat!”

Hidden beneath a colourful collection of pointed hats, kids from Grandtully Primary School  were aided and abetted by school staff who had also dressed up garishly for the occasion.
They all sang spooky songs they had specially learned for the occasion but, after recovering from the shock, chocolatier Iain Burnett lead them all into his chocolate kitchen. He showed them some of his Willy Wonka style machinery and made sure no-one fell in. Then he pacified everyone with some specially designed orange and green dinosaur chocolates, which went down - well - a treat!

After they had sung their wicked songs , Chocolatier Iain Burnett makes peace with the witches and wizards by handing out specially made orange and green dinosaurs.

Enterprise Grows in Grandtully

Preparing to open the 3 businesses -- Comment Online -- August 2006

PLANS TO CREATE an exciting new visitor attraction in Grandtully including a coffee house, gift shop and hand-made chocolate kitchen are on track for opening in September. The old stables behind Grandtully Bridge House have been renovated, a glass atrium extension is being added and a car park for sixteen vehicles is being laid out, accessed from the side road beside Moulin Antiques.

Trading as Chocolatier Strathtay, the large chocolate kitchen is now operational and Iain Burnett, head chocolatier and director, is testing Belgian, French and Japanese recipes based on ingredients sourced locally and from around the world.  Equipment imported from France, Belgium, Holland and the United States has been installed, and he warns locals they may be asked to take part in free trials in the run-up to launch day.

Iain lives in Weem with his wife and co-director Rachel who is in charge of Legends, a coffee house that will serve a range of delicious cakes and light meals. Helping her to run it will be Kirsty Walker, who has recently made a major career change to join the operation. Pictured below, both Rachel (right) and Kirsty are mad about real coffee and want to produce the best in Highland Perthshire.

The third element in the mix will be Lchrann Arts, a shop decked with crafts, curios and gifts from all over the world as well as close to home.  The two other directors of the Grandtully business are also family members: Peter Hounam and his wife Hilarie, Iain’s mother. They have spent lots of time recently visiting suppliers in the UK and abroad and choosing an eclectic assortment of glassware, pottery, cards, jewellery, fashion accessories, crafts, and things that are just plain fun. Lchrann means lantern in Gaelic and the inspiration for the name came from a large Victorian lamp found in Scone that will hang from the roof of the old stables.

Anticipation about chocolate production has been mounting for months in the Aberfeldy and Pitlochry area and Iain (pictured above, right) acknowledges there were times when it seemed the project might never reach fruition. “Setting something like this up in the centre of a village was never going to be easy,” he said. “But now the exciting part begins!  We are creating some very special chocolates with local produce, exotic organic ingredients, and cocoa from plantations in Africa and South America.  Our decision to use more expensive higher quality, fresh and fairly traded ingredients will not come cheap but I hope people here will support our ideals – and discover what fresh chocolate really tastes like!”

With Legends Coffee House, Rachel hopes to produce a great environment that appeals to residents and visitors alike. She trained in London as a barista (an expert in making espresso based drinks) and in coffee shop management, but she believes creating the right atmosphere is the most important factor. “Legends is more than the name of the coffee house.  Through the atmosphere, music and dcor we hope to bring to life myths, stories and tales of Scottish history and eventually to host storytelling evenings and events.  Scotland’s history is rich in legends, and the ancient explanations people developed to understand the world around them is fascinating.  Learning new stories or hearing ones you may have forgotten is like discovering pirates treasure.”

Along with a passion for great coffee, Legends will dish out a menu full of freshly made cakes, soups, salads and sandwiches.  “We have some real gourmet cooks helping to produce our fantastic menu, and our premium ingredients will make all the difference to the taste,” Rachel said, “We also intend to use fairly traded and organic products wherever possible.  In the end, we hope to make Legends a regular stopping-off point for locals and passers by. Great coffee and chocolates are a potent combination.”

Craft & Gift Mix

One of the biggest challenges for the new family business was arriving at the right mix of crafts, gifts and curios. Hilarie said that one crucial decision was made at an early stage – not to focus exclusively on Scottish products. “Scotland produces some great arts and crafts,” she said. “It’s a fantastic melting pot of new and old ideas both local and international. We want to reflect the same zest that took Scots all over the world, and which drew many of them back again. Peter and I want to search out things of quality, innovation and artistic flare and we don’t care if they come from Auchterarder or Istanbul.”

Travelling in South Africa, Turkey and other countries in the last 18 months was an inspiration she said: “We have brought back some wonderful things that we are sure will have international appeal. And with Grandtully being on a major tourist route we can be sure to have visitors arriving from all over the globe.”

The Hounam and Burnett families already have plans for future expansion next year. Peter is also looking forward to spending more time working in his profession as a journalist. “I never quite saw myself as an entrepreneur and the last 18 months has been an eye-opener,” he said. “Overcoming dozens of obstacles, including the vagaries of the planning system, was one thing,” he said. “We have all had to broaden our expertise in everything from the mysteries of chocolate tempering to car park construction.

“The rewarding thing is that we are creating jobs for local people, and bringing more life to Grandtully and Strathtay both of which were becoming dormitory settlements. We are tremendously grateful for all the support we have received ranging from Perth and Kinross councillors, all our professional advisors and suppliers, to the trades people we have employed who have done us proud.”