Scottish chocolates hit the Oscars - 13th March 2024

As big names in Hollywood celebrated together at the Oscars this year, they knew nothing of the small but special surprises in their gift bags.

For the nominees of Best Director, Actor, Actress and Supporting Actor and Actress, there was an unusual collection of handmade chocolates among the other gifts. The sweets were handmade by Fiona McArthur, who owns and manages a vegan chocolate shop in Campbeltown, Western Scotland.

When she was first asked by the organisers to provide the goodies, she couldn't believe it because she's such a small brand.

Fiona McArthur: "The Oscars came about when I was approached by the company that puts together the gift bags and they asked if I'd like to be involved. I couldn't believe it, I actually thought it was fake when they first contacted me because I thought 'I'm such a small brand, I'm so new', like, but yeah, it's, it's real."

McArthur's company's called FETCHA and all her sweets are vegan, as well as free from gluten, soya, palm oil and alcohol. The packaging she uses is also plastic-free. All these features were exactly what attracted the organisers to her product.

The businesswoman's also keen on films, and has even had a little role in some movies herself. So she wanted her chocolates to take centre stage. She created sweet goodies which were based on Oscar films, like her pink Barbie chocolates, or her bomblike Oppenheimer balls.

Fiona McArthur: "So I've got a, a chocolate themed for 'Barbie', a chocolate themed for 'Oppenheimer', and 'Killers of the Flower Moon', 'Poor Things', 'Holdovers' and 'Maestro'. And they're all tailored, like 'Barbie' is pink and 'Oppenheimer' is like a bomb, so it has kind of yellows and oranges and it has popping candy in it. So, they're kind of all themed to the movies themselves."

At this year's ceremony, after Willy Wonka, there was a new chocolate maker in town!