Rich Northern Irish Flavours From Luxury Craft Chocolate Maker NearyNógs
Bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker NearyNógs in Northern Ireland has just launched two limited edition bars.
The new stoneground chocolate bars have been created to reflect the environment of the Mourne Mountains of county Down overlooking Carlingford Lough where the family owned business is based.
The craft chocolate maker, a Food NI member company, has a workshop and visitor centre in the Mourne’s near Rostrevor.
The new bars, each retailing at £5, both use 70% dark chocolate from a single estate in the Dominican Republic. The new Dúlamán chocolate bar, for instance, features a distinctive blend of locally harvested gorse flower and seaweed from the shores of Carlingford Lough.
The company is Northern Ireland’s first and only bean-to-bar producer of chocolate and has developed an impressive reputation for original flavours from the best cocoa beans from single estates in the Dominican Republic and Sao Tome.
Shane Neary, who owns and runs NearyNógs with wife Dorothy, explains: “Gorse flower adds a hint of coconut flavour along with the lightly salty Seaweed makes a fantastic taste experience. A real complement of flavours from County Down local craft.
The second limited edition bar is part of the company’s Irish Collection and is Old Fashioned with burnt sugar, orange bitters and Irish whiskey, which was once distilled wildly in the Mournes and has recently been revived by a small distillery producing Ireland’s only whiskey distilled over flame. The new craft chocolate is part of the company’s developing Irish Collection of limited edition bars.
“The new bars are inspired by the songs, stories we’ve grown up on and passed through the generations and ancient traditions of the Mournes…with a chocolate take. We are steadily creating unique chocolates with distinctive Irish flavours which were proving extremely popular with tours to our workshop before the global virus outbreak,” adds Shane.
Both bars continue the company’s focus on products which are organic, fairtrade, gluten free and suitable for vegans.
NearyNógs began making chocolate in 2011 and has collected a string of prestigious awards for premium quality and rich flavours. It has sold chocolate to Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as in Great Britain, other parts of Europe and to New Zealand, Australia and the US increasingly through its website and recently launched a monthly subscription scheme which is also providing popular.
NearyNogs has developed a portfolio of delicious chocolates, mostly 70 percent and more of cacao, including bars, slates, drinking chocolate, cacao nibs, truffles, chocolate cups, traditional chocolate fudge and its novel American-style Rebel Fudge.
