AN award-winning low sugar chocolate spread company has gone global.

Kevin Bath, 51, launched Jimjams in 2016 with his wife, Kellie, in the kitchen of their home in Halstead.

But it is now filling supermarket shelves in the UK and the USA.

Mr Bath was in the Royal Navy for six years before taking a job as an IT consultant in London.

But the dad-of-five gave up his £65,000 a year job in the City to set up the firm due to his horror at the sugar levels in leading brands of spread.

He said: “Despite having no background in the food industry, I realised, as a parent of young children there was a real and urgent need for healthier spreads for children.

“I took the leap to leave my successful career and have never looked back.

“Since receiving a £25,000 Start Up Loan, the business has gone from strength to strength and we’re delighted that we’re now expanding overseas.”

Four years on, the couple have tasted success with the low-sugar chocolate spreads, jams and marmalades now available in major UK supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

At the end of last year, the business expanded to America, selling in Publix stores, the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the US, across 800 of its outlets.

Jimjams has also launched a milk chocolate dipper which is on sale via health food chain Holland and Barrett.

Mr Bath said he hopes to sell it into Disney theme parks as well as leading theme parks in the UK.

He said: “I can envisage the products selling in school tuck shops, NHS shops as a snack for visitors, it has loads of scope.”

Jimjams products are selling well in the UK with brands like Hilton hotels using the products.

The family-run business has come along way from its beginnings in Mr and Mrs Bath’s kitchen and despite its global success it is still a family orientated operation with children Jack and Evie getting involved in making recipes and videos.

Mr Bath added: “The ultimate goal would probably be to be the go-to brand for healthier chocolate products.

“The biggest consumers of chocolate spread is children and most of the leading brands are still full of sugar so the market did need a sugar-free spread.

“I’d love to say I think it is possible, we have plenty of ideas and new products.”