Chocolate lovers in major US centres such as Los Angeles and Seattle are now able
to enjoy delicious and award-winning bean to bar creations handcrafted by a family
business near Newry in Co Down.
Husband and wife team Shane and Dorothy Neary, owners of artisan Chocolate
maker NearyNógs, are celebrating significant new business in the US with other family members for a unique range of innovative products, including the successful Irish collection bars such as Irish Coffee, Dulaman (Irish seaweed); Lunasa (Irish Lavender); and Irish Soda Bread.
The small chocolate business, which has also become a major attraction for tourists
and other visitors, has just lined up new sales in the US from its recent participation
at the influential Northwest Chocolate Festival, one of the biggest events for the
industry in the US, Canada and in the world, held at Bellevue, Washington state.
“We sold out of all our chocolates on our stand at what is the only genuinely global
event for artisan producers,” says Shane. “Also popular with visitors were our unique
chocolate stout cups and our hugely successful drinking chocolate,” he adds.
“We secured new trade in the US and other exporting opportunities were also
sealed. So, we are delighted with the festival.
“The event was an unrivalled opportunity to meet up with other chocolate makers
from around the world, as well as cacao farmers, other people from our industry and
the media.
“We also enjoyed encouraging sales with our new range of single origin bars from
Thailand, Nicaragua, Tanzania and our very special Buena Vista Chocolate Club
Bar. We are finding that chocolate enthusiasts are increasingly seeking new taste
options and experiences from single origin sources,” continues Shane, a graphic
designer by profession who has created many unique flavours with wife Dorothy,
originally a nurse from Seattle. It was a recipe from Dorothy’s mother which led to
the enterprising couple starting to craft chocolate for food markets here.
“Our focus is on creating innovative tastes from the best beans from cocoa growers
from across the globe, especially those who share our dedication to preserving their
local environment.”
Shane, furthermore, has scheduled visits to develop sales in Atlanta, Georgia and
other centres soon with Tourism Ireland and to promote the chocolate factory as a
tourism destination in the Newry, Mourne and Down area. NearyNógs has developed
a visitor information centre and a café at the plant.
“We will be making a strong pitch to high-end luxury tourism businesses in the US,”
Shane explains.
The couple formed the artisan business in 2005 and decided to name it NearyNógs
for Shane’s father, Jonnie, a writer of children’s stories and creator of the mythical
NearyNógs.
The couple initially created a range over 30 handmade soft chocolates and fudges
with unusual flavours such as lemon and green tea, toasted walnut, mojito macha,
almond nut buttercup and cardamom and clove.
The popularity of the chocolates with smaller retailers and with shoppers at country
markets led the ambitious duo to break new ground here with the development of
Ireland’s first gluten-free bean-to-bar product.
The unique bar, according to Shane, was created to offer “something quite different
from other handmade chocolates currently on the market.” And it has proved
outstandingly successful, leading to business with major retailers such as the iconic
Fortnum and Mason food hall in London.
They worked alongside Fortnum and Mason, for instance, on the creation of the
world’s first ‘farm to shore’ Sailboat Chocolate, a naturally grown and certified
organic product which was 99 percent emission-free.
Fortnum’s approached the couple to be part of the unique project to turn fine cocoa
from an organic grower in Grenada in the Caribbean into a premium chocolate slate
for sale in the prestigious store in London. It was chocolate with a difference….and a
massive endorsement for the environment conscious Co Down artisans.
The store was attracted by the company’s use of solar panels to power chocolate
production, its collection of rain water to help supply the business and eco-
packaging.
The company has led the way in the creation of single origin chocolates for key
markets in the US and Europe
The chocolate was grown, processed, shipped from Grenada and produced in
Northern Ireland to be almost 100 percent emission-free, a world first for the industry
that meant using sailboats, horse and cart, solar power and all-electric vans.
NearyNógs, which began making chocolate in 2011, sources cacao beans ethically
grown in Sâo Tomé, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Panama,
Uganda, Nicaragua, Philippines and Ecuador. Beans and sorted by hand, roasted,
cracked and winnowed, stone ground and tempered to produce fine chocolate.
