OUR STORY

From Three Businesses Shut Overnight to the UK's Favourite Pick N Mix Shop 🐝

This isn't a story about a company. It's a story about what happens when a lifelong love of sweets meets the worst crisis of your career — and you decide to come back bigger than ever.

100+
Sweets in the range
5
Dietary ranges covered
2022
Founded in Reading, UK
1 day
Dispatch on all orders
CHAPTER ONE

The First Time Around

Long before Candy Hive existed — there was just a young man in his twenties who loved sweets and spotted an opportunity. Sam Batra's first venture into the confectionery world came early in his career, and it came with real success. The fundamentals were simple: source brilliant sweets, present them well, give people something they genuinely loved. It worked.

But ambition has a way of pulling you in new directions. Sam's focus shifted toward hospitality — a world of cafes, restaurants, and pubs. He built not one business but three, pouring his energy into the food and drink industry. The sweets chapter felt like it belonged to a younger version of him.

"Three businesses. Shut overnight. No warning, no timeline, no clarity on what came next. Just the silence of closed doors and the question: what do you do now?"

— The Moment Everything Changed, March 2020

CHAPTER TWO

The Night That Changed Everything

March 2020. The announcement came and within days, all three of Sam's hospitality businesses had to close their doors. A café. A restaurant. A pub. Three teams. Three sets of suppliers. Three streams of revenue. All gone simultaneously, with no clear timeline for when — or whether — things would return to normal.

For many business owners, that moment was the end. For Sam, after the initial shock, it became something else entirely: the space to think clearly for the first time in years.

Sweets. Specifically, pick n mix delivered to your door. The market existed, but it was fragmented. The ranges were limited. The experiences were basic. Nobody had built the version of this that Sam knew was possible. He'd done this before. He'd succeeded at this before. But this time, he was going to do it right.
CHAPTER THREE

In 2022, Candy Hive came to life. The concept was straightforward but the execution was ambitious: a genuine one-stop shop for British sweets, covering everything from the traditional and retro favourites to the latest trends driving viral moments online.

The gap Sam had identified wasn't just about product range. It was about inclusivity. Over 100 certified halal products. Over 100 vegan options. Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian — all covered.

The hospitality experience Sam had spent years building turned out to be the perfect foundation. He understood service. He understood presentation. He understood that the difference between a good product and a great experience is in the details — and details are what Candy Hive obsesses over.

"I didn't just want to sell sweets. I wanted to build something that every single person in the UK — whatever their diet, whatever their age, whatever their favourite flavour — could call their go-to sweet shop."

— Sam Batra, Founder, Candy Hive

OUR PROMISE

What We Stand For — Every Single Order

🌟

Always Fresh. Always.

Every order is packed fresh the day it ships. Not pre-packed, not sat in a warehouse — hand-packed to order so your sweets arrive at their absolute best, every time.

🌙

Real Dietary Transparency

Halal certification you can trust. Vegan ranges that are actually vegan. Gluten free sweets that are clearly labelled. No ambiguity, no guesswork — just honest, clear information on every product.

🌈

Something For Everyone

From 5-year-olds to 85-year-olds, from retro traditionalists to fizzy trend-chasers. Candy Hive was built to be the sweet shop that nobody gets left out of.

🚚

Fast, Reliable Delivery

Order before 2pm and we dispatch the same day. Every time. We know that when you want sweets, waiting three days isn't good enough.

⭐

Genuinely Great Range

Over 100 sweets, across 13 types, 31 flavours, and 5 dietary categories. We don't carry products we don't believe in. If it's in the Candy Hive range, it's there because it's brilliant.

💌

Service That Actually Helps

Questions about ingredients? Need to know if something is halal certified? Not sure which size to order? Reach us at info@candyhive.co.uk — we always respond.