Our Story

The Fudge House began in southern Italy, in a small village in the foothills of the Abruzzo mountains, where Francesco and Filomena Margiotta raised their family before travelling to Scotland in search of new opportunities. They settled in Edinburgh and opened a café on the Royal Mile. In the austerity following the Second World War, two of their sons, Armando and Dominic, set out to bring a little joy back into people's lives — by making and selling fudge.

Combining sugar rations from family and friends, Armando started making fudge a little further along the Royal Mile. As rationing eased and his reputation grew, the business boomed — their Cherry Brandy Cocktail fudge became a national favourite and was even featured in Vogue. Armando later became one of Scotland's first television chefs, passing the fudge-making on to Dominic and his wife Beatrice, who ran The Fudge House as a café, restaurant and shop. Their daughter Erena, born in 1954, grew up in the shop — learning the secrets of the family fudge.

Raymond and Erena had three sons — Giancarlo, Paolo and Ottavio — who all grew up helping in the shop. In 2007, Giancarlo and Paolo took over the business and made the decision to step away from running The Fudge House as a café, focusing entirely on making and selling their fudge. After refurbishing the shop in 2008 — drawing on their European heritage with a glass display cabinet and brass accents — they were back up and running, and have since introduced new flavours, new products, and an online shop that carries their fudge around the world.

Today, alongside their artisanal bars of fudge, they're collaborating with local food and drink makers on fudge-pairings — including their own signature tea and coffee blends — and looking at new ways for people to enjoy fudge. With over 70 years of family knowledge behind them, they're excited for what's next, and look forward to passing their skills on to the next generation.