NearyNógs: From Homemade Fudge to Chocolate Factory

NearyNógs Stoneground Chocolate, Northern Ireland’s first bean-to-bar craft chocolate makers, have been in operation since 2011 and are located about an hour South of Belfast, but more specifically along the Mourne Coast. The business name combines the Neary family surname with an abridged version of the Gaelic word, Tír na nÓg. Translated as “Land of the Young,” this term in Celtic mythology refers to an eternal otherworld. But the story behind the company is rooted in real-life challenges and the joy of chocolate.

History

Shane Neary and his wife, Dorothy, got into chocolate making when their oldest daughter was going to India for charity work and held a fundraiser to help with her costs. While Dorothy was talking to her mom, she remembered an old family chocolate recipe for fudge and made some to sell.

After a buyer asked if the Nearys could make chocolates for a wedding, the family began producing more for these special events and then started getting invited to participate in fairs and festivals.

Initially, their chocolate venture was more of a hobby than a business. That changed when their then-2-year-old daughter began having serious health issues that brought the Nearys to the hospital often.

“We were advised by the doctors and surgeons to figure out if there's any way we could have flexible employment,” recalls Shane.

Originally, the Nearys planned to make chocolate for a year, but due to complications, their daughter’s treatment was prolonged so the couple (Dorothy was a nurse while Shane had tech-related jobs) concentrated more on their new venture. First working out of their home, the Nearys got feedback from customers who were seeking chocolate without additives like soy or dairy. That led them down the path of making bean-to-bar chocolate.

“We figured that the only way we could provide this for these customers was to make it [ourselves],” says Shane. “We burned a lot of cocoa beans and we made lots of messes, but eventually we figured out how to make it.”

Through participating in Balmoral Show, Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event, the family landed wholesale accounts with restaurants and bakeries, which they still supply.

For five years, they rented an industrial unit for their business about a half-hour away. But as their daughter still had serious health conditions, they had to frequently shut down equipment and go help with emergencies or treatments. In 2018, they bought a former potato farm that was integrated with a house next door to them so they could be in closer proximity to their daughter.

The farm turned factory’s two-level central barn uses the lower floor for retail space and a coffee shop. An upstairs event space holds factory tours. Along with a general tour, a paired chocolate and whiskey tasting tour is held with the neighboring Killowen Distillery. Visitors can sample chocolates alongside gin, whiskey, Poitín and rum.

Products

NearyNógs Stoneground Chocolate’s Irish Collection is a series of chocolate bars infused with Irish-related flavors such as soda bread, Irish whiskey and Irish sea salt plus lavender that the Nearys grow. The collection’s Dúlamán, inspired by the traditional Irish practice of gathering edible seaweed known as “channel wrack," includes Carlingford Irish seaweed that’s been dried out and turned into a powder.

Their Buckfast truffles are made with Buckfast Fortified Wine, a caffeine-induced drink originated with monks in Devon, England but also found in Northern Ireland.

Single origin and single estate chocolate bars are made with various percentages and represent sources from Uganda, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Tanzania and the Philippines. Ethical and sustainable sourcing is a core value, and their suppliers include Togo Kekeli from West Africa and Hacienda Victoria and Hacienda Limon in Ecuador. The Nearys also source from European suppliers but directly trade with the Grenada Chocolate Company via Fortnum and Mason, a retailer in London.

In October 2020, Fortnum and Mason launched a 99-percent emission-free chocolate slate called Sailboat Chocolate and produced by Grenada Chocolate Company. It was sent by a tall ship from Grenada to Piccadilly with a stop in Northern Ireland for NearyNógs Stoneground Chocolate to offload some cargo.

“We used a horse and cart to get [cacao and chocolate] into our workshop,” said Shane. In turn, NearyNógs Stoneground Chocolate products were made and sent onboard this ship.

Looking forward

Dorothy serves as the chief chocolate crafter while Shane handles more of the administrative side but still helps with tasks like grinding cocoa beans. Shane anticipates a growth in distribution in parts of Europe and the U.S. Currently, they supply shops in Boston and San Francisco and Snack Magic, a corporate gift box company.

In March 2024, NearyNógs Stoneground Chocolate appeared in a commercial during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade NYC broadcast. “We got hundreds of online orders within five minutes,” said Shane.

The couple is also looking to best scale their business opportunities and streamline operations without impacting quality. “We know that our growth potential is definitely there, and we do want to grow,” noted Shane. “I think it's just we need to be careful with how we grow because we don't want to lose anything, especially our sanity.”