An 183-year-old Black Country business is moving its flavours of the past into the future by setting up its own website to promote its old-fashioned sweets worldwide.

Grandmother Betty Guest has three generations of her family working for the traditional confectionery company.

Betty has racked up an impressive 64 years of service at Teddy Grays in North Street, Dudley – set up by her grandfather John Gray in 1826. The business was taken over by her father Teddy Gray in the 1920s with Betty and her brother Ted taking over from him in the 1960s.

Betty started work there as a 16-year-old and she and 73-year-old Ted still own and manage the company with help from their children and grandchildren. A total of seven family members are employed in the company, which has shops in Great Bridge, Wednesbury, Dudley and Bewdley.

It is the original creator of the herbal tablet as well as other much-loved traditional sweets such as rhubarb and custard, pear drops and fudge. But despite the firm’s heritage and traditional methods, Betty and Ted are keen to move with the times and have now set up their own website.

Although the website has been up for less than a week, inquiries are already flooding in. Betty, who lives next door to the factory in North Street, said: “We have already had emails from people who have moved away from the area and remember our products. All of the confectionery is handmade using original traditional methods and the website includes history of the company.”

Betty has one son, Philip Guest, 49, who works for the family business, as does his son, her grandson Mark, 19, who works in the factory. Ted Gray’s son John, 38, works in the factory and his daughter Julie, 45, helps out in the office. He also has two other sons Edward, 41, and David, 25.

Betty’s daughter-in-law Debbie helps in the office, with Ted’s son-in-law David working as a rep. The website, put together with the help of Betty’s grandaughter Zoe, can be viewed at www.teddygrays.com