A swanky ice cream maker, which has developed a legion of fans, is expanding by launching a wholesale range.

The family-run Bears Ice Cream Imaginarium has proved a hit with its outlet in Whitstable and another in London.

Having won a host of awards, it is also shortlisted for food producer of the year in the Kent and Medway Food and Drink Awards - the winners of which will be revealed later this month.

Now the Kent-based firm has completed a kitchen renovation to scale up its production and distribution capacity with a view to offering its artisan ice cream to speciality retailers, cafes, pubs, restaurants and leisure attractions.

Phil Harrison, co-founder of Bears alongside wife Vera Thordardottir, said: “After a year of recognition for our ice creams, we’re now working towards realising our ambitious plans to scale the business and widen distribution for wholesale customers looking for premium handcrafted ice cream that delivers on both taste and the bottom line.

“Having secured investment, we’ve recently completed a kitchen renovation to scale up production capacity at our Whitstable shop.”

The wholesale range will include seven dairy and three plant-based flavour cominbations - including brown butter popcorn; blueberry, lavender, jam and meringue swirl; and brownie, honeycomb, chocolate and caramel sauce.