2022 was one of most successful for award-winning Chocolate Manor

Geri reckons last year was one of most successful for her award-winning Chocolate Manor operation in Castlerock.

While many food and drink businesses here were glad to see the back of last year due to the looming recession and cost of living crisis which hit spending on luxury treats like premium chocolates, Geri racked up an impressive string of outstanding achievements for her handcrafted delicacies which position the small business for even further growth in the year ahead.

Geri says: “Looking back at the past year I could never have imagined what dreams would come true over the period. It's fair to say it was a pretty epic 2022 - our 10th year – and probably among our very best - in business! There were many highlights in what was a busy year for the business.”

Among most local successful and progressive chocolate makers and educators, Geri lists the successes including her “biggest ever order of over 50,000 premium chocolates for the Platinum Jubilee for the late Queen Elizabeth II in June.

“In March, we achieved the dream of becoming an Economusee in Northern Ireland, the first chocolate maker outside Canada to join this wonderful global network of workshops that are open to visitors keen to learn about artisan crafts including chocolate making,” adds Geri.

Chocolate Manor was featured by Tourism NI as a prestigious Embrace a Giant Spirit experience for visitors and won a Discover Northern Ireland Best Food and Drink Experience Award, which Geri describes as “the most wonderful moment for my incredible team in Castlerock”.

Geri continues: “The award was a real boost for us, real recognition of our work in product development and in educating people, especially children, about making premium chocolates. My team worked so hard and I am so proud of them. There is really nowhere else in Northern Ireland doing what we do and we are delighted to be putting Castlerock on the map.

“We had zero expectation of coming home with the award, we felt like winners just being shortlisted. We were just so blown away when they called our name out. It was a really lovely recognition for all our hard work and resilience coming through the last couple of years.”

As well as creating ranges of luxury chocolates, Chocolate Manor runs regular programmes for those interested in crafting chocolates and for schools and community bodies at her workshop in the picturesque seaside village.

The small business is also an active member of the Taste Causeway network which seeks to promote smaller food and drink enterprises in the Causeway and Glens, now among the most successful and creative artisan regions on the island of Ireland.

The Causeway’s member companies regularly fare better than many other regions in competitions such as the UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards.

Geri, a mum of two, chose Castlerock for Northern Ireland’s first chocolate experience centre before the coronavirus pandemic which delayed developments she had long planned for the artisan business. She had established the luxury chocolate making business in her Coleraine home.

A specialist in crafting bespoke chocolates for corporate and other events, Geri was among a select group of artisan food and drink producers here to supply products for the hugely successful The Open, the immensely successful golf championship at Royal Portrush. She created chocolates for the iconic event for sale in the golf shop and other retail outlets.

The invitation to shape chocolates for The Open recognised Geri’s passion for quality chocolate production and encouraged the skilled chocolatier to develop plans for a chocolate experience hub that’s now located at Castlerock.

Geri set up the small batch chocolate venture in November 2012 on the back of a successful career in product marketing, advertising and public relations.

All her chocolates use premium ingredients and are hand crafted by Geri and her skilled team. They feature a hand printing process that enables her to create chocolates to the requirements of individual customers seeking, for example, to use corporate brands or names on the product.

The novel printing technology was an extension of her experience handcrafting shapes in chocolate such as shoes, handbags, cowboy boots, as well as a range of other novelty items created in the finest Belgian chocolate.