A MARBLE TO BEHOLD

QUALITY CHOCS

Bon Chocolatiers’ philosophy is summed up by Daniel: “It’s all about quality.” Ireland doesn’t have a climate that is conducive to growing cocoa beans, so the raw materials have to be sourced overseas. Most of the world’s cocoa beans originate in a small band of the earth, roughly five degrees north and five degrees south of the equator. Within that strip is a large number of countries producing what Georgia and Daniel need, and they are very discerning about where they source their cocoa beans.

“Similar to wine, the terroir it’s grown in – whether the soil is acidic or alkaline – is going to affect the bean, and that is going to affect the end product,” he explains.

By now, the pair have built up direct working relationships with premium suppliers around the globe and by cutting out the middleman, they can ensure that farmers get a fair price, while they get access to some of the world’s premium cocoa beans.

“A decent chunk of our chocolate comes from Ghana and we’d also source some from Ivory Coast and Saint- Domingue. There are about seven or eight different countries that we try and work closely with, and then we’d be the same with a lot of our other ingredients.”

The high-quality vanilla they use comes from France, as do ingredients such as Valrhona’s Raspberry Inspiration couverture, which they drizzle over their delicious brittle and chocolate shards. Hazelnuts and pistachios are imported from Italy. Their signature Salted Caramel Truffles are made with rich Irish butter and cream, combined with Oriel Irish Sea Salt from Co Louth, making their confections a fabulous blend of the finest locally- and internationally sourced ingredients.