The owner of a Scottish soap ingredients manufacturer has told STV News how she fears her company will "probably end up going under" due to Brexit.

Elizabeth Carnahan, who runs Stirlingshire-based Gracefruit, highlighted supply shortages and currency fluctuations as reasons her small firm is already struggling.

The 51-year-old's business, which she founded back in 2004, depends heavily on Europe, with two-thirds of her buyers coming from EU nations.

It comes as a new report from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) found a fifth of companies in Scotland are less optimistic than a year ago.

And this is being felt most keenly among manufacturers, particularly small ones, who are posting their first negative results for business confidence in two years.

For Ms Carnahan, October is supposed to be one of her busiest times of year - but many of the shelves in Gracefruit's warehouse in Longcroft near Falkirk are lying bare.

Her business is suffering from significant supply chain problems. "A lot of our suppliers aren't holding the stock that they used to hold, so we can't get product," she explained.

Another conundrum is what to do with the little stock she does have on-site, given the UK's withdrawal date from the EU of March 29 next year is rapidly approaching.

"We don't know much stock to hold - we don't know if we can sell it after next March," she said.

"Business is not risk-free but Brexit is making it increasingly difficult for companies like mine to stay competitive, especially against other firms in the EU, and it's making it very difficult to plan."

The SCC report cites rising costs for raw materials as a growing pressure for manufacturers across the industry, which are linked to a range of economic and trade factors beyond Brexit.

But the study, which surveyed Scottish businesses across all sectors, also found that more than two-thirds of firms have conducted no Brexit-related risk assessment.

Ms Carnahan is one of many business owners who cites a lack of clarity from the UK Government and its negotiations with Brussels as the cause for this lack of planning.

She told STV: "There's no information coming out of the negotiations - we have no better idea now than we had in June 2016.

"As far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed, everything is up in the air, and trying to run a business in this much uncertainty is proving really difficult.

"We can't get the products that we need, because there are shortages.

"The exchange rate has been a wrench and I don't know if I can sell to my customers after March 29 next year."

Asked what she thinks will happen to her company, Ms Carnahan replied: "I think we'll probably end up going under...

"As a result of Brexit, this company will go out of business."