EASTER IRELAND

THE MECHANICS OF CHOCOLATE

Ann Rudden has been with Simply Better from close to the beginning. A meeting at Bloom led to a first run of four Belgian-style bars that came in 70% dark chocolate, plain milk, dark orange and a mint. Today, Áine’s makes “about 32 lines” for Dunnes Stores - a chunk of production that keeps the factory humming and allows the company to plan ahead rather than just react.

Dunnes Stores, she says, “worked very closely with us as a food producer” and they understand the particular vulnerabilities of smaller manufacturers. “When you start a business, you need high volume to keep your wages paid and to grow. With the likes of Simply Better, they have that volume and it’s a win-win situation for both.”

Simply Better is synonymous with quality and the provenance of the raw material that makes up the range is key. Áine’s Chocolates are no different. “We currently do five different Single Origin bars for Simply Better. From Colombia, we have an 85% cocoa Colombian dark chocolate. From Cameroon, an 80% Dark Chocolate. There’s a 71% dark chocolate from Ecuador. We have a Costa Rican dark, that’s 64% cocoa and a 38% milk chocolate. And then we also do a range of Belgian chocolate bars where we start with a 70% cocoa and it works its way down to a 55% and a 34% cocoa chocolate.” The 85% dark chocolate is a rich, waxy, beautifully textured treat and the various milk chocolates are silky smooth and indulgent.