Sweet returns: Mayo entrepreneur brings luxury chocolate craft home

At a time when emigration once again dominates conversations in Irish households, Deborah Kilroy’s story is one at odds.

Originally from Charlestown, Deborah spent almost two decades building a life abroad before returning to the west of Ireland to relaunch Van Velze’s Luxury Chocolates alongside her husband, Rob Van Velze, a master chocolatier.

Studying Hotel Catering and Management at DIT Cathal Brugha Street, Deborah always dreamed of owning a business someday.

“In 2002, I moved to Australia because I wanted to travel and have some fun,” she told The Mayo News. While working in Darwin, she met Rob, a Dutch chocolatier. After a brief return to Ireland, the couple moved to Amsterdam in 2004.

After four years, the couple opened Van Velze’s Chocolaterie and Patisserie in the heart of the city in 2008. Here, the pair developed their passion for quality and a loyal customer base.

“I spent most of my adult life in Amsterdam,” Deborah said. “We made lots of our connections in the Netherlands.”

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Returning home

Even as business thrived, Deborah’s idea of returning home never fully disappeared. After 18 years of experiencing city life in Amsterdam, the couple were eventually drawn back to the West of Ireland.

“I knew I was going home to the countryside, which is a big challenge in itself,” she said. “I knew it would be hard.”

When the couple returned to Mayo, they decided to take some time off and settle into their new environment.

“We kind of acted like tourists for a while,” Deborah laughed.

In 2023, the couple officially relaunched their business as Van Velze’s Luxury Chocolates, operating from Ballinrobe. While they brought years of experience with them, Deborah admits the transition was still a learning curve.

“I thought the business would be the same in Ireland as it is in Holland, but that was probably naivety on my part,” she said. “It was like starting over again. But I will say, it was easier than when we started in the Netherlands, because this time around, we really knew what we were doing.”

Some of the differences were welcome. From the outset, the couple always concerned themselves with traceabilty and ethical sourcing.

“Since we started the business in 2008, it’s always been very important to us to know exactly where our ingredients are coming from,” Deborah explained. “We can trace exactly where our chocolate has come from.”

Being based in Mayo has allowed them to lean into local produce more than ever. Achill Island Sea Salt and Connacht Gold cream are now integral to their chocolates.

“I love using local ingredients,” Deborah said. “When the ingredients are so close to you, it just makes sense.”

Irish Dairy, she explains, has its own challenges and rewards.“Irish cream is much heavier than Dutch cream, so of course, it changes the taste. The quality of the milk is much richer.”

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Trial and error

Through years of trial and error, the couple has also learned that tastes differ across borders.

“The Dutch prefer a richer chocolate,” Deborah said. “Irish customers tend to prefer a more milky flavour.

“We use Achill Island Sea Salt and Connacht Gold Cream in the production of our chocolates. Irish cream is much heavier than Dutch cream, so of course, it changes the taste too."

The couple has trialled many different flavour combinations and has had plenty of practice over the years through trial and error.

“The quality of the milk is much richer, and the cream is much heavier than in the Netherlands,” she said.

However, the couple quickly noticed a difference in the Dutch and Irish palates.

“The Dutch prefer a richer chocolate, whereas our Irish customers prefer a more milky flavour.”

Today, Van Velze’s chocolates are sold online through their website and directly from their production premises in Ballinrobe from Thursday to Saturday. Their products are also stocked in Foxford Woollen Mills, Fallon & Byrne in Dublin, and Market 57 in Westport.