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Award Winning Refuge Launches Free-from Chocolate Spread

Refuge Hot Chocolate, the award winning producer of delicious thick liquid chocolate, has launched a new and unique Belgian chocolate spread.

Refuge, a social enterprise based in Belfast, has created a spread which is less than half the carbs and sugar of the market leader. The product is made from fair trade cacao and is free-from from palm oil, dairy, nuts, gluten, eggs and wheat.

The new product from Refuge, which has woman a major award in the Irish National Food Awards and continues the small company’s longstanding support for Flourish, a registered charity caring for victims of international trafficking, especially women and children, retails at £3.95 for a 174g jar.

Tara Mullan, who created the small food business in Belfast in 2017, commenting on the new and unique chocolate spread, says: “It’s very unusual to get a chocolate spread that is both dairy and nut free. We’ve achieved this after extensive research and development.

“Another feature of the chocolate spread is that – unlike our original chocolate liquid – the product does not have to be refrigerated.  What this means is that it’s easier to get shops to stock our ambient products. We can also post the product unlike our refrigerated range,” adds Tara.

In addition to its network of stockists, Refuge Hot Chocolate also sells the new spread and other products from its website.

A graduate in Fine and Applied Arts from Ulster University, Tara, a volunteer with Flourish, has developed a success smaller food business. Her products are all based on her own recipes and have been listed by Lidl on the island of Ireland for 200 supermarkets.

We have several other products including liquid chocolate that can be enjoyed hot or cold, thick chocolate milkshake, solid hot chocolate Melts and ourhot chocolate Blend (finely ground chocolate and other magical things). 

We offer retail and wholesale sizes,” continues Tara. “Our products are fair trade and as waste free as possible, nut free, egg free and gluten free.  We also have other dairy free options.