BRAND NEW DIRECTIONS We found OUR SWEET SPOTE

Meet two women reaping the rewards of creating their own confectionery

Making chocolates is my passion'

Brazilian-born Andrea Staggemeier, 49, gave up a career in banking IT to do something she loved. She now runs Bossa Nova, a luxury chocolate business, from her home in Newport, South Wales, with the help of her husband and their 18-year-old son.

THE IDEA

I've loved making Brazilian chocolate truffles since I was a child. It brings back happy memories of my mum, aunt, siblings and cousins making homemade chocolates around the kitchen table.

In 2019, I took redundancy from my IT job - I was suffering from painful fibromyalgia and wanted to find something that I enjoyed doing that wasn't stressful. With time on my hands, I decided to make some chocolates and try selling them at a local Christmas market. I was amazed by the comments: people loved the chocolates. That was when I decided to try making a business out of doing what I loved.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT