{"id":644046,"date":"2026-10-03T23:48:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T23:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/644046\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T23:48:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T23:48:28","slug":"how-a-local-irish-cafe-can-manage-to-sell-200-cups-of-hot-chocolate-every-day-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/644046\/","title":{"rendered":"How a local Irish cafe can manage to sell 200 cups of hot chocolate every day \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the heart of Kinsale<\/a>, Co Cork<\/a>, there\u2019s a chocolate shop and cafe opposite the pier where the owners have a simple philosophy: they\u2019ll only ever make hot chocolate with real, melted chocolate and powdered hot chocolate will never pass through the door. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a more significant position than many of us might realise, with soaring cocoa prices in recent years prompting many hot chocolate vendors to save money (and horrify purists) by switching from melted chocolate to powder in their drinks. <\/p>\n

Koko Kinsale, a family-run business founded by Frank Keane in 2012, is one of a number of Irish independent businesses that have committed to continuing to use melted chocolate. <\/p>\n

As customers enjoy the chocolate shop and cafe in the seaside village, Keane works on the floor above perfecting his chocolate creations with an artistic flair developed from his previous work as a ceramicist.<\/p>\n

Koko offers white, milk and dark hot chocolates, and they are the biggest seller in the cafe \u2013 just over half of its hot drink sales are hot chocolate, coming just ahead of coffee. A regular hot chocolate is priced at \u20ac4.50, with most customers aged 25-45. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe would\u2019ve never, ever even thought about using hot chocolate powder,\u201d says Emily Keane, Frank\u2019s daughter. \u201c[When cocoa prices rose] it was a really tricky time and we\u2019re kind of still suffering from it, to be honest. The price of cocoa only came down reasonably in the last couple of months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stopped wholesaling, and we\u2019re lucky because we can rely on our local business, and the business we\u2019ve built online. We weren\u2019t making a loss, but we were just about keeping our head above water.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Life as an Irish chocolatier: \u2018You do end up elbow-deep in chocolate\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

On a quiet day, Koko Kinsale sells 25 cups of hot chocolate, but in busier periods the team sells about 200 a day. Last winter, Koko sold 10,300 hot chocolates and the Keanes expect that number to increase by 2 per cent this winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, hot chocolate sales over the last few years have been growing massively,\u201d says Emily. \u201cI came on board to the business in 2018, and I\u2019ve noticed hot chocolate sales growing more and more each year.<\/p>\n

\"FrankFrank and Emily Keane taking a hot chocolate break outside Koko. Photograph: Clare Keogh \"EmilyEmily Keane at work in Koko in Kinsale. Photograph: Clare Keogh <\/p>\n

\u201cOnce people try our hot chocolates, they come back again because it\u2019s a completely different flavour profile than when you have a powdered hot chocolate. And sometimes when we make our hot chocolates, we\u2019ll sprinkle big shavings of real chocolate on top. There are big clumps of chocolate that sink to the bottom, and you get a lovely bit of chocolate at the end of a hot chocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Dubai chocolate: The sweet viral sensation driving 24\/7 production at a Westmeath chocolatierOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

In Galway city, French chocolatier Truffle also crafts indulgent hot chocolates, chocolate treats and pastries. Visitors to its cafe can marvel at a wall of flowing melted chocolate, in an environment that feels like wandering into a chocolate-infused Parisian patisserie. <\/p>\n

Founded by Alexandra Saivre and her husband Frederic Gervais, who also run the popular Le Petit D\u00e9lice in the city, Truffle allows the couple to share their passion for chocolate.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people ask if we use real chocolate in our hot chocolate, and when we tell them we do, it\u2019s a great surprise for them,\u201d says Saivre. \u201cWe just melt the chocolate in the milk. It\u2019s not more difficult than making a hot chocolate with powder.<\/p>\n

\u201cTruffle specialises in chocolate, so it would\u2019ve been crazy for us to ever use powdered hot chocolate. We use white, dark and milk chocolate, all in chocolate chip form.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in our other shop in town \u2013 it\u2019s bigger and busier than Truffle \u2013 we also use proper chocolate in our hot chocolates. But as it\u2019s busier, the pastry chef makes the mix in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Truffle inTruffle\u00a0in Galway. Photograph: Bryan O\u2019Brien \"AliceAlice Camugli of Truffle\u00a0making hot chocolate. Photo: Bryan O\u2019Brien <\/p>\n

This involves melting the chocolate chips in the milk and bottling it so it can be heated up later. <\/p>\n

Truffle sold roughly 2,000 hot chocolates last winter (prices start at \u20ac4.10), but coffee is still the biggest seller. When it came to contending with the high cost of cocoa, the business decided to raise its prices slightly rather than consider powder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t even think about switching. We had to increase the price of our hot chocolate a bit,\u201d she says, acknowledging that the couple\u2019s wholesale business helped in tempering costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have access to better prices because we order pallets of chocolate to distribute to other businesses. So, the price [of cocoa] went up, of course, but probably it was cheaper for us than it would\u2019ve been for other businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saivre believes hot chocolate should have \u201cthe proper taste of chocolate\u201d and says that when she\u2019s buying outside her own cafe, she always tries to see what goes into it before ordering. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s mainly powders as far as I can see in just regular coffee shops,\u201d she says. \u201cThen, of course, you have different types of powders \u2013 some are better quality than others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PreparingPreparing a hot chocolate at Truffle. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien \"AA hot chocolate being made at Truffle. Photograph: Bryan O\u2019Brien \"Truffle'sTruffle’s hot chocolate. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien <\/p>\n

In a basement unit just across from City Hall in the centre of Belfast lies Daisies, a family-run chocolate shop that specialises in hot chocolate using raw cacao, which is mixed with small amounts of raw cane sugar and salt and ground into a powder.<\/p>\n

Daisies owner Martin Giles has perfected his own cocoa-rich hot chocolate powder with a deep chocolate flavour. It\u2019s distinct from most powdered hot chocolate on the market, which typically has more sugar than cocoa powder.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Chocs away: three Irish artisans offering an immersive chocolate experienceOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use ethically sourced, 100 per cent raw cacao in our hot chocolate,\u201d says Giles. \u201cWe melt the raw cacao down and add organic raw cane sugar and sea salt in small amounts. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe alter the 100 per cent so it measures out that it\u2019s a 70 per cent dark chocolate drink. We solidify our mix into a block which is shaved into a powder.\u201d<\/p>\n

This powder is then mixed with hot full-fat milk, to create the moreish, award-winning Daisies hot chocolate.<\/p>\n

Giles says that last winter, Daisies sold more than 16,000 hot chocolates, and hot chocolate is consistently its biggest seller, making up over 80 per cent of their hot drink sales. A sit-in hot chocolate sells for \u00a34.50. <\/p>\n

\"DaisiesDaisies in Belfast, near the City Hall. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd \"MartinMartin Giles perfecting his hot chocolate in Daisies. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd \"TheThe hot chocolate in Daisies is served with home-made marshmallow. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd <\/p>\n

\u201cOur hot chocolate is creamy, it\u2019s smooth and it\u2019s really clean on the palate \u2013 other powders are so sugary you\u2019d need to drink a bottle of water afterwards,\u201d says Giles. \u201cIt\u2019s a rich, velvety, decadent drink. It\u2019s very much described as an \u2018adult\u2019 hot chocolate, but a lot of children really enjoy our hot chocolate also.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sees hot chocolate having gained \u201ctrend\u201d status in recent years, particularly in \u201ccosy\u201d seasons.<\/p>\n

Back in Kinsale, hot chocolate season is in full swing in Koko. Emily is happily serving customers the quintessential winter drink with a true chocolate taste.<\/p>\n

\u201cHot chocolate is homely; it gives you comfort,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you drink coffee, you almost get a high or a buzz off it, but hot chocolate is calm. It\u2019s a really warm, comforting drink that\u2019s perfect for dark, cold winter days.\u201d <\/p>\n

Chocolatiers\u2019 sweetest memories Emily Keane of Koko KinsaleBest hot chocolate you\u2019ve ever had?<\/p>\n

It was in a little cafe in Paris. It was really thick. I don\u2019t always like massively thick hot chocolate, but I just poured a little bit of cold milk in it and it was just amazing. I couldn\u2019t have much of it, only a couple of sips, but it was so good.<\/p>\n

Best chocolate you ever had?<\/p>\n

It was in Greece. They had crystallised ginger dipped in dark chocolate, and it was just unreal. Doing crystallised ginger is a real artform, so when you get a piece of crystallised ginger which has that chewy fiery-ness to it and the dark chocolate balances it out, it\u2019s just unbelievable.<\/p>\n

Secret to a good hot chocolate?<\/p>\n

You shouldn\u2019t complicate hot chocolate. There shouldn\u2019t be a long list of ingredients \u2013 it should be just the cocoa percentage, and if there\u2019s milk added, there\u2019s a bit of milk powder in the ingredients. Then it\u2019s melted into the milk of your choice. Keeping it simple, a lot of the time, is more delicious.<\/p>\n

Alexandra Saivre of Truffle, GalwayBest hot chocolate you\u2019ve ever had?<\/p>\n

It was in Barcelona. I went to a place that specialised in chocolate and the hot chocolate was in an espresso cup. It was really small and really thick; it was nearly like you were eating a chocolate sauce. It was amazing. It\u2019s not something you\u2019d have every day, but it was a real treat.<\/p>\n

Best chocolate you\u2019ve ever had?<\/p>\n

I love a good dark chocolate bar with sesame seeds and sea salt.<\/p>\n

Secret to a good hot chocolate?<\/p>\n

Good quality chocolate \u2013 all you need is milk and chocolate.<\/p>\n

Martin Giles of Daisies, BelfastBest hot chocolate you\u2019ve ever had?<\/p>\n

It was in Barcelona. It was 85 per cent dark hot chocolate. It came out in a small cup on a little plate, and there was a little ramekin dish with chilli oil. I poured half of the ramekin into the chocolate and gave it a stir. The hotness mixed with the richness of the chocolate was absolutely divine.<\/p>\n

Best chocolate you\u2019ve ever had?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s by a company called Cocobros. They\u2019re long-time friends of mine and amazing chocolate makers. The chocolate is called cherry kiss \u2013 it\u2019s dark chocolate but it\u2019s coloured purple and white. It\u2019s got a really dark morello cherry filling inside. <\/p>\n

Secret to a good hot chocolate?<\/p>\n

Using full-fat milk, and ethically sourced raw cacao.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the heart of Kinsale, Co Cork, there\u2019s a chocolate shop and cafe opposite the pier where the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":644047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[4501,72,46,13355,4500,61,60,6202],"class_list":["post-644046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-belfast","tag-business","tag-cork","tag-food-production","tag-galway","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kinsale"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=644046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/644047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=644046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=644046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=644046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}