Spotlight 

URBAN VILLAGE LDN SHINES A LIGHT ON A DIFFERENT FULHAM BUSINESS EACH MONTH. IN THIS ISSUE WE TALK TO Lavinia Davolio, Founder of Lavolio Boutique Confectionery.

Lavolio was created by Lavinia after she lost her job during the banking crisis and decided it was time for a change. Swapping the trading floor of a large investment bank for her kitchen table in 2013 she began to make plans to start something new out of her passion for cooking. Lavolio a luxury Italian confectionery business, offering an alternative to a box of chocolates was born. “I was learning as I went along, I went to cookery school and it was while cooking that I came up with the idea for Lavolio: I was experimenting with sweet recipes when I thought of using a thin sugar-shell as a natural preservative. Inside these small shells, I could place pieces of fruit, whole nuts, jellies, coffee beans and different types of chocolate. I was then able to create lots of flavours, using spices and fruit zests – and textures, from crunchy to crumbly to soft, and that’s when I thought I was onto something really special. Everything was done at home on my kitchen table, in super small batches, and I began selling at food markets around London and got noticed because people had never tried anything like what I was offering before. My dream was to make better quality confectionery with proper ingredients, and to create a beautiful taste experience. We aim to WOW our customers with unusual flavours and luxury presentation: Lavolios are presented in specially designed metal boxes, which you will definitely want to keep”.

Lavina told Urban Village LDN more about their confectionery products “We sit at the opposite end of the mass-produced confectionery industry: all of our products are handmade in an artisanal fashion using premium ingredients. The way Lavolio is continuing to get noticed is by being unique in our product offerings with an experience which is carefully thought through. The customers see how much care and attention is given to the product. They are buying something that is handmade, that strives for quality and individuality, care with its presentation; we make sure every detail counts from start to finish”.

In late 2017 Lavina, who has been living in Fulham for 14 years, opened her first shop in Fulham, on Peterborough Road. “It was a dream come true to be able to open doors to our world into a real shop where we have the ability (pre-Covid!) to have tasting sessions and to meet our customers. We love the local area and the support we receive from local customers who always refer us to their friends. The shop is in a quaint location and it is where we also have our office, packing and storage area. The local community is hugely supportive, and there is a lot to be said about the brilliant support and networking opportunities that we have thanks to H&F Council”.

Lavinia told Urban Village LDN that “Lavolio is a made-up word that mixes my name and surname and also translates from my mother tongue, Italian, as ‘I want it’”. Today their range includes over 30 original flavours and the business has grown selling directly to retail from their flagship store in Parsons Green to corporate clients and wholesalers. Lavolio currently supply Fortnum & Mason, Partridges, British Museum and the V&A and over 200 independent stockists across the UK and international locations in Australia, Hong Kong and Kuwait. They have also supplied Buckingham Palace on different occasions.

We asked Lavinia how recent events had impacted on her business “when the lockdown started and we had to close our physical store, most of our wholesale customers also had to close (no more orders). We used to provide confectionery for weddings and events, and all of these are mostly cancelled”. Lavolio have continued to sell their products on line via their website “which is helping us to make up some of the lost business from having our shop closed. Every time I receive an internet order I am so happy I do a little dance!” Upstream which supports, connects entrepreneurs, businesses and academics in Hammersmith Fulham in partnership with H&F and Imperial College London has helped Lavinia by providing a great community for extra support during these challenging times. “I’m still learning, I am having to re-invent myself as a digital marketeer, learn about coding, analytics, sponsored products, changing algorithms, so many new exciting things. What’s the next thing? You never know we might end up on TikTok”. We’re staying tuned Lavina!

We recently placed an undercover order and the products were delivered to us quickly, they were well wrapped and we loved the packaging. The tins are exquisite and our order came with a beautiful handwritten thank you note and a voucher for a discount code on our next order. We haven’t taste tested Lavolio yet as the items we ordered were part of a goodie bag for a friends lockdown birthday but we will be heading back onto the Lavolio site soon to order some more sweet treats. With Easter coming up take a look at their website to see the entire product range and consider supporting local rather than a mass market brand. Follow them on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ilovelavolio/

“This is an outstanding small business. Lavinia’s story is inspirational. Her confectionary is not only delicious but made to the highest standards with great ingredients. It is exquisitely packaged and customer service is perfect. I cannot recommend more highly.” - Judith Nugee, Fulham customer