Lorge on the changing face of chocolate: 'Treat it like a good wine’

With the price of cocoa increasing by 140% in the space of a year, is it time we looked at chocolate as a luxury item? Benoit Lorge reflects on two decades in the business of chocolate and tells Kate Ryan why 2025 could be the toughest yet for Ireland’s independent chocolatiers

Benoit Lorge: “I encourage people to go for quality rather than quantity. If the price of chocolate goes up, it does not affect the mass-produced chocolate as much because manufacturers substitute expensive cocoa with other cheaper ingredients that are not as healthy."

In the tiny village of Bonane just outside Kenmare on the Beara Peninsula, Benoit Lorge has been handcrafting chocolates for two decades.

Originally from Lorraine in north-eastern France, Lorge trained as a pastry chef — a skill that paired well with his love of travel.