Bean to Bar chocolatier aims to grow in Britain

Neary Nogs, Northern Ireland's only bean to bar chocolatier, is strengthening its presence in Great Britain, a target market for the small batch producer.

Based near Newry in county Down, the family owned and run artisan business has linked up with Bean to Bar Britain, a collective of premium chocolatiers and supported a pop-up shop set up by the collective near Borough Market in London's Southwark.

Neary Nogs, which is run by husband and wife team Shane and Dorothy Neary, has, in addition, enhanced its portfolio of gluten free bean to bar products with the recent launch of a 72 per cent Sao Tome in 30g, 40g and 65g bars, which will shortly be available with its other chocolates from its e-commerce website.

Shane Neary, commenting on the linkup with Bean to Bar Britain, says: "We were able to attend the London Chocolate Show with the collective and to meet a number of potential customers in Britain, a market which offers extensive opportunities for the fine chocolates that we are producing in Northern Ireland.

"It's great to be able to exchange ideas and experience with other members of the network, an organisation which involves a broad range of chocolatiers including artisan enterprises and bigger producers," Mr Neary adds.

Neary Nogs, which has won UK Great Taste Awards, sources beans from single estate growers especially in the Dominican Republica and has attracted the interest of a major retailer in London.

The couple set up the business in 2005 to develop handmade chocolates as a fund raising initiative for a charity event. The chocolates proved such a popular development that the couple decided to turn it into a small specialist business that became the first stoneground bean to bar chocolatier in Northern Ireland.

The company roasts, shells, cracks and winnows beans to produce cocoa nibs which are then ground by hand to create its original bars which are free from gluten and dairy and suitable for vegans.