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A Wexford sister-led chocolate maker has grown from a home kitchen to a national brand by pairing artisanal craft with an overtly Irish identity and a focus on sustainability. Bean and Goose’s journey — from €600 start-up to a factory producing hundreds of bars a day — now includes a booming hot-chocolate line and plans for a small public storefront at its Gorey premises.
From kitchen experiment to chocolate business
Bean and Goose began in 2014 when sisters Natalie and Karen Keane decided to turn a shared love of real food into a business. Neither had run a food company before: Karen trained in software engineering and later worked in teaching and HR, while Natalie had previously run her own business.
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Inspired by memories of a grandmother who made everything from scratch and a mother who prized honest ingredients, the sisters settled on chocolate as a creative outlet they could build together. Early research convinced them there was room for an Irish-centred, ethically minded chocolate brand — one that gave chocolate a distinctive local personality rather than treating it as a cheap commodity.
Learning the craft
Aware they lacked technical know-how, the Keanes spent time learning from an expert. They completed a three-day crash course with French chocolatier Benoit Lorge in Kenmare, then practised for about a year in Karen’s house, developing recipes and their brand identity.
The company name came from local wildlife: during early brainstorming the sisters spotted the bean goose on lists of Wexford flora and fauna. The dual name also echoed the partnership of two founders.
Humble beginnings, steady reinvestment
The business launched with just €600 — €300 from each sister — which bought basic tempering equipment and tools. For several years they could afford not to draw a salary; it was only after four years of trading that they began to pay themselves.
Bean and Goose started selling at markets in Dublin and through small retailers before landing shelf space in stores such as Avoca and Brown Thomas. Early market feedback helped shape the brand’s distinct designs and flavour range, many of them inspired by Irish seascapes and nature.
Scaling up: premises, equipment and funding
As demand grew the business moved from Karen’s kitchen into a 1,000 sq ft unit in Enniscorthy, and later into larger factory premises in Gorey. The current site houses a melting tank with a 360 kg capacity and a tempering machine that handles about 60 kg of chocolate at a time — equipment that supports substantially higher output than in the early days.
The Keanes largely ploughed profits back into the company and supplemented growth with external funding. Recorded supports include €50,000 from the Enterprise Competitive Start Fund in 2018, €100,000 from Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Up programme in 2019, €100,000 in private investment in 2019, and €35,000 from the LEADER rural development programme in 2023.
Product mix and commercial reach
Today the team hand-pours, sets and wraps hundreds of bars daily. Online orders make up around 40% of sales and are packed for international delivery. Bean and Goose also entered wholesale and hospitality channels, supplying hotels and cafés around Ireland after expanding that arm of the business two years ago.
One unexpected success has been their hot chocolate. The drink is made by grating Bean and Goose chocolate into flakes, carrying the brand’s infused flavours — from chamomile to malt — into the cup. It proved popular quickly: the company reports selling 3.6 tonnes of its hot-chocolate mix in the last year.
Looking ahead
Future plans are pragmatic. The sisters aim to streamline some processes, broaden their hot-chocolate range and continue developing distinctive flavour profiles. They also plan to open a small storefront at the factory where visitors can learn about the chocolate-making process, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and participate in collaborations or workshops.
For Natalie and Karen, growth has always been balanced with principle: from the brand’s origins to its production choices, Bean and Goose aims to offer “better chocolate” that reflects place and ethical values rather than just more of it. As the business expands, they say it will continue to create local jobs and show customers the story behind their products.
