Member for the Dubbo Electorate, Duglad Saunders was in Mudgee on Wednesday November 4 to announce the grant from the NSW Government's Regional Job Creation Fund.

The injection will assist with the purchase of new equipment and upgrades including the insulation of the production shed, construction of an insulated roasting room, and purchase and installation of a new oven.

"For us, it's been a long road to get to this point and it gives us a bit of confidence to grow the business nice and steadily," Spencer Cocoa head chocolate maker, Luke Spencer said.

"Chocolate making equipment is quite specialised, it makes the process more efficient and a lot easier for all.

"You are not going to use all of your cash reserves to buy other bits of equipment, you invest those in other parts of the business like packaging and marketing, so now we don't have to worry about all of our cash being tied up in pieces of equipment."

With production expected to increase from 3,400kg of cocoa beans per year to 7,000kg, additional positions will be created within the business.

"We've got a few staff already, we have some casuals that we would like to offer more permanent work and we would also look at taking on more staff," Mr Spencer said.

"I would love to get some younger staff in to teach them the process so they can take some work off me to allow my wife, Thea and I to work in other parts of the business.

"I'm getting old so I need as much help as I can get," he laughed.

Spencer Cocoa currently supplies to over 80 stockists Australia-wide, including across the Central West.

A second round of the Regional Job Creation Fund will open early 2022 with more information found at investregionalnsw.com/RJCFund.

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