A YORK family run chocolate venture is building on a £10,000 design partnership through seasonal commissions as its client base continues to grow.

Clifton Moor-based Guppy's has been working with Sheffield Hallam University’s in-house product and packaging designers, Design Futures after securing £10,000 from the Yorkshire Innovation Fund to help grow the business.

The Design Futures team helped business founders Fran and Peter Guppy explore ideas for innovative packaging that would both stand out on the shelves and work on a practical level for their growing network of retailers.

Mr and Mrs Guppy, who craft a range of handmade chocolates with their small team, applied to the fund in 2014 for help in broadening the appeal of their signature chocolate shards by introducing smaller quantities with lower price points.

Over a six month period, initial ideas evolved from concept to completion and, in January this year, Guppy’s launched its best-selling chocolate shards in 50g and 100g sizes.

The launch enabled the Guppy's to extend their client base to a new network of independent retailers such as coffee shops where the smaller packs represent an affordable treat for Yorkshire’s coffee lovers.

Sales of the smaller sizes have impacted positively on turnover, as well as improving the saleability of other products within the Guppy’s range.

Mr and Mrs Guppy have since commissioned Design Futures to develop header cards for a new seasonal product range which includes chocolate penguins, reindeers and rabbits.

Mr Guppy, managing director, said: "Thanks to the support from the Yorkshire Innovation Fund, we have a much better understanding of the packaging market.

"We’ve also been able to make savings by cutting out middlemen after the Design Futures team put us in direct contact with packaging manufacturers."

Guppy's was founded in 2010 by self-confessed chocoholics Mr and Mrs Guppy, starting life in a converted garage.

The Yorkshire Innovation Fund brings together ten of the region’s higher education institutions to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Yorkshire and Humber region to grow.

Part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the fund helped small businesses to develop ideas for new products, services or processes by funding collaborative projects with the region’s universities, including The University of Bradford, The University of Huddersfield, The University of Hull, The University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds College of Music, Leeds Trinity University, Sheffield Hallam University, The University of York, and York St John University.