MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Shane Neary from NearyNógs, speaks to us about Northern Ireland’s first bean to bar craft chocolate! Tell us a little about your background treatment at Great Ormond before setting up NearyNógs? I’ve worked as a Graphic designer, web- Street Hospital designer, postman, National Trust tour in London. A 9 guide, warden and I’ve also run my own month treatment plan was suggested. I left landscaping business and worked in my job to help support and sell chocolate. As treatments became more necessary the Factories and on farms. need shifted from 9 months to 10 years and Dorothy qualified as a Nurse in the State so the business continues to this day. of Washington. She has a talent for photography and a serious skill for making As chocolate demands grew, better equipment was purchased and in 2018 amazing food! NearyNógs bought our own factory on the What do you enjoy about running your site of a former potato farm in Carlingford own business? Lough County Down. There is a joy and satisfaction of watching What has been the biggest challenge you the business grow and seeing the have faced on your journey so far? opportunities and doors that have been opened. We also love helping people enjoy Running a business while in and out of chocolate while helping them understand hospital has been challenging. It’s always the impact of sustainably sourced cacao on difficult to balance family and work life. peoples lives around the world. Cash flow has also been very challenging Tell us about NearyNógs and how it came while wholesaling. Chocolate can take 3-4 days to make and so generating an income to fruition? with simple machinery was very very hard. NearyNógs began as a fundraiser for our eldest daughter travelling to India to work Now the challenge is that the factory with kids. Attendees at the event asked is machine dependant and energy Dorothy to make chocolate for weddings requirements can be high and upgrading systems can require repeat investment. 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
14
