Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory – exploiting a missed opportunity online?

Did anybody watch Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory that just finished a 4 episode run on Channel 4? I love shows like this, shows that show somebody struggling to set up and run a successful business, entrepreneurs with a real passion for what they do. Anyway, the show follows Willie Harcourt-Cooze who's single goal in life is to create and sell the best chocolate in the world. He has bought a 1000 acre cocoa farm in Venezuela and as well as growing and refining his own cocoa beans into chocolate he is also marketing and selling it all himself. The series follows his various exploits such as locating and purchasing refining equipment from Spain, setting up a factory in the UK and trying to get his chocolate listed in both Selfridges and Waitrose. What struck me from watching the documentary was the guys absolute passion and commitment to his product. He truly believes he makes the finest chocolate in the world and the enthusiasm he displays when showing the viewers his recipes that utilise his chocolate is quite mesmerising. It's fair to say that he has put a lot on the line in getting his business set up too. With his bank loaning him the capital to get started up and the threat of bailiffs chasing him for non-payments I found myself really willing him on to make his first big sale. Last night's final episode even showed him sleeping in his car rather than commute home from his factory - just because it saved time and meant he can spend more time making his product. The series did end on a happy note, Selfridges listed his chocolate and very soon it was the best selling line in their food hall. The closing few minutes see Willie getting a long awaited phone call from Waitrose telling him that they will also stock the chocolate in their stores. The relief that Willie displays when he receives the news was brilliant to watch. Not so much the sight of Willie stripping off his clothes and running down the road though! It's fair to say he's happy with the news :) So what about the missed opportunity? Because Willie didn't know where and when his next order would be coming and because he is only a one-man business (apart from the help from his wife, which is considerable, so am not underestimating her contribution at all) he didn't have a lot of stock to meet demand. As the TV show grew in popularity a lot of people went online to see if they could buy it from Willie's site. Unfortunately you can't, also I hate to say this but Willie's website is rather rubbish. Try reading the text on the homepage without a magnifying glass for example. I can't help feeling that this is a huge missed opportunity, I'm pretty sure that if Willie had a decent website that allowed customers to order online, it would be a roaring success. However, after watching the show and seeing the pressure that Willie is under I can half understand why this part of the business was neglected. So who exploited this missed opportunity? Affiliates of course! Take a look at Venezuelan-Black.co.uk which isn't Willie's official site. Instead its a site clearly setup to gain traffic from people looking for Willie's official site at VenezuelanBlack.com. Notice the affiliate banners for the likes of Green & Blacks organic chocolate and the many listing of Willie's chocolate on eBay. Speaking of which, Willie's chocolate is currently selling at 3 to4 times the retail price on eBay. Nice. It seems that wherever there is an opportunity or vacant niche available online there is somebody only too willing to fill the space. Ethical? well as long as you don't try to pass your site off as "official" then I don't really see the harm. Selling Willie's chocolate on eBay at 4 times retail? Well you know what they say about supply and demand :) What I'm listening to right now: Ryan Leslie – "I.R.I.N.A."