Tucked away on a garage forecourt in Ballinrobe is a tiny shop and production unit creating exceptional handmade chocolates under the brand name Van Velze. Husband and wife team Rob Van Velze and Deborah Kilroy met in Australia and spent a dozen years running a chocolate boutique and patisserie in Rob’s native Amsterdam before Deborah enticed him to a new life in Ireland. They still operate in Amsterdam, where corporate clients include Netflix, Hermés, Sony, Nike and Baileys, and in Ireland they sell online through their website (an excellent service) and you'll find them at some of the region's finest delis and foodstores as well as their little shop in Ballinrobe.
The Dutch famously take chocolate very seriously and the couple make a great team. Robbert is a Master Chocolatier and Baker while Deborah is an effervescent front of house presence, and their dedication to the business and their craft is very evident, especially in the Van Velze’s beautifully presented and packaged artisan product. Eschewing the trend for brightly coloured finishes, these are restrained and elegant in presentation with colour restricted to a hint of red and green on their Mad About Mayo chocolate. Their chocolate is very much a special treat and, as an added touch of luxury, each box is adorned with a little card and tied with a satin ribbon so that opening it feels truly extravagant.
In terms of taste, they are smooth as silk with no hint of the over-sweetness we have become used to in mass produced options; these chocolates are at the very top of the tree, they are truly delicious and made from the very best ingredients. Quality, sustainability and provenance are key to the business and, not only do they use only responsibly sourced cocoa from Costa Rica, but they have visited the farm which supplies it. Some chocolates also include premium local ingredients which are often namechecked – Achill Seasalt, Wildwood Vinegar, Connacht Gold cream, local honey - and they produce seasonal offerings for Christmas, Mother’s Day, heart shaped boxes for Valentine’s Day and deluxe Easter eggs (which can be personalised or branded) and cute little chicks. The standard Van Velze range includes signature boxes, a dark chocolate selection and an alcohol free collection, and there's a wide range of sizes from a little box of 5 mixed chocolates or a pouch of sea salted caramels, through boxes of 9, 16, 25, 36 or an indulgent 49, ‘the ultimate gift box’.
Recognition includes Bronze for their Achill Sea Salted Caramel Truffle at Blás na Eireann in 2024, and the range of services offered is growing. As well as corporate gifts, which can be branded, and wedding favours, Rob also creates celebration cakes (currently Heavenly Chocolate, or Champagne Raspberry) which are gluten free and available to order in a range of sizes serving up to 60.
Van Velze chocolate are not an everyday treat, they are a genuine luxury and both presented and priced as such. They are made entirely by hand and, as they say on the website, ‘made with love and wrapped just for you’. It truly is an art form - and who doesn’t like to receive quality chocolates as a gift?
