Small can be far from sweet

Stephanie Everitt says a holiday after Christmas is essential to recuperate and recharge for the following year. Picture / Richard Robinson

When the doors of the Devonport Chocolates factory finally slammed shut on Christmas Eve, it was to the terrific relief of Terry and Stephanie Everitt.

For the hand-crafted chocolate makers, it was the end of a hectic December - their busiest month that brings in one-third of their annual turnover.

Planning for Christmas starts early in the year, centres for Christmas chocolates start to be made mid-year and a second shift dedicated to Christmas stock starts in September.

This time, the climax was working 30 13-hour days in a row at the factory to keep on top of production, rigorous paperwork, last-minute orders and constantly ringing phones.

Staff in the factory and its adjoining shop on Auckland's North Shore doubled to 16 as the Everitts took on extra workers to help them through the season.

As always, the number of late corporate orders was difficult to anticipate and instore sales took a leap in the last week before Christmas.

As stock disappeared out the door, the Everitts closely monitored their supply of base chocolate, trusting what they pre-ordered in May would see them through.

Running low was dreaded - that and sickness sweeping through the staff.

"That would be the biggest disaster at this time of year, because they're highly skilled. I can't just ring anyone and ask them to send me three more chocolate-makers," said Stephanie.

With all this on the go, she also had the staff Christmas party to organise and cook for, something typically taken care of in larger companies.

Although it added to the Christmas stress, it was something they saw as important.

"Everyone works so hard here, we wanted to reward them."

This summer, the Everitts decided to close the chocolate factory for two weeks during the Christmas and New Year period to give themselves a chance to catch their breath.

They've learned from "bitter experience" that taking a holiday after Christmas was essential.

"Otherwise, we drag the long-term tiredness into the year," said Stephanie. "It's the only way we can cope."

She knows similar frenzies lie ahead at Easter, Valentines Day and Mother's Day and feels the benefits of taking a holiday over Christmas outweigh any income they forgo during that time.

Heading up north for a camping holiday, Stephanie said she was most looking forward to reading and "just sitting".

It will be a complete break - something they haven't known since they bought the business five years ago.

Although it was called a holiday, two-thirds of their mid-year trip to visit family in Europe last year was spent on "chocolate work", visiting key chocolate makers in every city. "It ran away on us a bit."

Staff were trained up to manage the business in their absence, but the Everitts kept in email and phone contact with the factory.

"I don't think they'd want to do it again. The responsibility was terrible," she said of those they left in charge.

They'll be straight back into it, with one of the first jobs mocking up order forms for Christmas 2005.