Shane Neary from NearyNógs, speaks to us about Northern Ireland’s first bean to bar craft chocolate!

Tell us a little about your background before setting up NearyNógs?

I’ve worked as a Graphic designer, web-designer, postman, National Trust tour guide, warden and I’ve also run my own landscaping business and worked in Factories and on farms.

Dorothy qualified as a Nurse in the State of Washington. She has a talent for photography and a serious skill for making amazing food!

What do you enjoy about running your own business?

There is a joy and satisfaction of watching the business grow and seeing the opportunities and doors that have been opened. We also love helping people enjoy chocolate while helping them understand the impact of sustainably sourced cacao on people’s lives around the world.

Tell us about NearyNógs and how it came to fruition?

NearyNógs began as a fundraiser for our eldest daughter travelling to India to work with kids. Attendees at the event asked Dorothy to make chocolate for weddings and eventually craft fairs. Customers asked for allergen free, additive free chocolate and just like that bean to bar was born! It was 2011 and our daughter, who was 2 at the time, became ill and needed regular treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. A 9 month treatment plan was suggested. I left my job to help support and sell chocolate. As treatments became more necessary the need shifted from 9 months to 10 years and so the business continues to this day.

As chocolate demands grew, better equipment was purchased and in 2018 NearyNógs bought our own factory on the site of a former potato farm in Carlingford Lough County Down.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced on your journey so far?

Running a business while in and out of hospital has been challenging. It’s always difficult to balance family and work life.

Cash flow has also been very challenging while wholesaling. Chocolate can take 3-4 days to make and so generating an income with simple machinery was very very hard.

Now the challenge is that the factory is machine dependant and energy requirements can be high and upgrading systems can require repeat investment.

How has COVID-19 impacted your business and what do you think will be the long-lasting affects for Irish business?

Our online sales grew during Covid-19. The pandemic has definitely helped create brand awareness. It is hard to know if online sales will remain consistent as restrictions ease so we have started offering tours of our factory with on-site retail. Once restrictions ease we predict it will be a profitable income stream for us.

NearyNógs is based in Northern Ireland, have you been affected by BREXIT?

Sourcing Cacao beans internationally has meant we only use Dublin as a port to avoid extra paperwork and transport fees. It took much longer to import Cacao beans in January compared to pre-BREXIT times! Living in Northern Ireland has given us some flexibility but it has hit us hard when importing from mainland UK.

Packaging has been hard to source but we have decided to source locally where possible and by using outlets in the Republic of Ireland and the EU has helped.

You ethically source sustainable coca beans and are part of the rainforest alliance. Why is sustainability such an important element of your company?

Sustainability produces longevity of our industry. As Chocolate companies like ours grow it shows the immoral practices of some larger chocolate companies and the unsustainable ways farmers are paid and the farms are maintained. This creates pressure for the industry to change at a grassroots level. We want our business to have a positive impact on our environment for the generations to come.

NearyNógs is a family business, what advice would you offer to readers thinking about going into business with family members?

Family is always there when life throws curveballs and unexpected demands, family is your baseline safety net.

However, performing to a professional degree in work can be different as relationships can complicate procedures and efficiencies. I would describe it like hugging a cactus. Saying that, when the pressure is on, the results can be tremendous.

We have mixed our staff with non-family which balances out any unwillingness at work... most of the time!

Working with family is a great journey to be on as you share experiences with those you are closest to. Remember, no matter who you work with there are going to be challenges.

My advice would be to be self aware and to operate in your best skill sets while delegating where possible.

What are you ambitions for NearyNógs over the next few years?

Our ambition is to grow our retail section from site and to increase our wholesale accounts near and far. Also to increase my salary as over the past few years I’ve been reinvesting constantly in the company!

How has the WTC Dublin helped you achieve your exporting ambitions so far?

The WTC Dublin rapidly helped open the door to the U.S.. They helped us to create connections that without their assistance and experience would have taken considerably longer on our own.

The WTC Dublin have assisted us with trademarking and have helped up to grow our brand internationally. They have given us valuable support and advice in preparing for sales abroad.