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Our Story

Founded in 1932, Butlers is Ireland’s premier family-owned firm dedicated to the craft of exceptional chocolate-making. Every day, our team of devoted chocolatiers creates unforgettable experiences for you to discover and savour.

Butlers Chocolates began life in Dublin’s Lad Lane in 1932. The company was founded by a pioneering woman called Marion Butler, who named her luxury chocolate creations Chez Nous Chocolates. Marion established the company in the heart of fashionable Georgian Dublin, making her delicious confections by hand. Marion, who was born in India and moved to Ireland as a young woman, continued to make her delicious chocolates until 1959, when the company was bought by Seamus Sorensen from Cork.  In 1978, the next generation took over the running of the business.

Today, Butlers is one of the few remaining family-owned chocolate producers in its market. In the 1980s, the company was rebranded as Butlers Irish and later as Butlers Chocolates as a tribute to Marion’s dedication to the mastery of chocolate, for which we continuously strive.

Butlers opened its first retail outlet in 1989 on Dublin’s premier shopping street, Grafton Street. This shop was the foundation for the company’s very successful retail concept - Butlers Chocolate Cafés. Today, there are 28 Butlers Chocolate Cafés in high profile locations in Ireland. Butlers Chocolate Cafés are beautifully appointed emporia serving the finest chocolates, delicious confections and premium hot beverages, including its award-winning house speciality, Butlers Hot Chocolate.

The company now employs over 500 staff throughout its factory in Dublin and the Butlers Chocolate Café network in Ireland. The ethos of family and togetherness permeates the very special culture at Butlers. It is a company that has very loyal staff, many of whom have stayed with the company for many years and have seen their careers develop and grow along with the company.

The company is 100% Irish family-owned and everything it achieves is the result of teamwork and the pursuit of a common goal: to create the most delicious chocolates and to look after all of our customers to the best of our ability.

Butlers Chocolates are available in over 30 countries and 50 major international airports around the world.

Butlers Through The Years

  • 1932

    Ms. Marion Butler realises her ambition to create little moments of happiness through her chocolate making enterprise in Dublin’s Lad Lane.

  • 1959

    The company was acquired by Mr. Seamus Sorensen and ran the business as an independent specialist chocolatier.

  • 1978

    The next generation of the Sorensen family began to run the business.

  • 1984

    As the next generation of the Sorensen family assumes running of the business, the company is re-branded to Butlers Irish Chocolates.

  • 1988

    Butlers Chocolates relocate from Lad Lane to the a larger premises in Dublin’s Pearse Street.

  • 1989

    Butlers Chocolates first retail outlet opens in Dublin’s finest shopping street, Grafton Street, which is in the heart of Dublin City Centre.

  • 1996

    Due to continued growth and expansion, Butlers Chocolates relocate to a riverside location overlooking the river Liffey on Sir
    John Rogerson’s Quay Dublin 2.

  • 1998

    Butlers online mail order website www.butlerschocolates.com goes
    live, striving to bring happy chocolate moments to customers around the
    globe.

  • 1998

    The inaugural Butlers Chocolate Café opens in a beautiful corner building on Dublin’s Wicklow Street offering a wide range of premium handcrafted chocolates and delectable hot and cold beverages, including Butlers Hot Chocolate.

  • 1999

    A new café on Chatham Street quickly follows suit.

  • 2003

    Butlers Chocolates is awarded the prestigious Brand Marketing
    Award from Bord Bia in the Irish Food and Drink Industry Awards. Butlers Chocolates relocate to a state of the art production facility in Clonshaugh, Dublin 17.

  • 2004

    Butlers Chocolates open its first café north of the Liffey at the top of Henry Street, Dublin 1.

  • 2005

    The first Butlers Chocolate Café outside Dublin is opened on Cork
    City’s Oliver Plunkett Street and Butlers Chocolate Café arrives at the
    renowned Dundrum Town Centre.

  • 2006

    Butlers open their eighth café on William Street, Galway. Butlers
    Chocolate Café Kiosk opens in Heuston Train Station, Dublin 8.

  • 2007

    The Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Dublin 15 welcomes the arrival of a new Butlers Chocolate Café.

  • 2007

    Butlers Chocolate Café opens on Liffey Street, Dublin 1.

  • 2007

    December - Butlers Chocolates open a new café in The Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords.

  • 2008

    Butlers Chocolate Café wins two awards at the prestigious Shopfitting & Display Industry Awards 2008. August - Butlers Crispy Praline wins a Gold Great Taste award.

  • 2009

    October - Butlers are the very proud recipients of a highly acclaimed Frontier Award at TFWA Cannes for excellence in supply to duty-free markets.

  • 2010

    December - Butlers Chocolate Café Clonshaugh opens at the Butlers factory in Dublin.

  • 2011

    February - Butlers Chocolate Experience opens at the factory at the end of February to the delight of chocolate lovers of all ages. November - Butlers Chocolates are crowned Food & Drink Exporter of the Year at the Irish Exporters Awards.

  • 2012

    April - Butlers extended visitor centre, the Butlers Chocolate Experience reopens – offering the ultimate chocolate discovery tour in Ireland. December - Butlers open their newest Café at the Jervis Shopping Centre, Dublin 1.

  • 2014

    November - Butlers open their first Café in the Southwest region in the Crescent Shopping Centre in Limerick.

  • 2015

    April - Butlers Chocolate Café Ranelagh opens its doors just in time for Easter!

  • 2016

    Butlers Chocolate Café opens in Liffey Valley.

  • 2016

    Butlers Chocolates launches The Platinum Collection

  • 2017

    Butlers newest store opens in Chatham Street.

  • 2017

    A beautifully remodelled and extended Chocolate Café is unveiled in the Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords.

  • 2017

    A new Butlers Chocolate Café opened up on 117 Grafton Street.

  • 2017

    Drumshanbo Irish Gin truffles are launched in an exciting new collaboration with The Shed Distillery.

  • 2017

    Butlers Chocolate Café joins the Conscious Cup campaign by launching our in-brand Keep cup range.

  • 2017

    A brand-new website is launched with new features and a beautiful design.

  • 2018

    The Chocolate Collection is launched.

  • 2018

    At the beginning of April, work commenced on a new extension at the factory.

  • 2018

    New Café openings kiosk opened on the concourse at Level 1 in the Blanchardstown Centre.

  • 2018

    New Dawson Street Store.

  • 2018

    The newly remodeled Cork Café opens.

  • 2018

    A brand new Ballsbridge Café opens.

  • 2018

    With the addition of new solar panels, Butlers Chocolates are now able to save 247 Tonnes of C02 per annum.

  • 2018

    A new café in Rathmines.

  • 2019

    The solar panels on the roof of the Butlers factory have produced over 1 gigawatt of power, which could produce 6 million 100g chocolate bars.

  • 2019

    The first ever Butlers Chocolates cookbook was launched.

  • 2019

    The Galway café reopens after an extensive refit.

  • 2020

    Butlers Chocolates achieves Origin Green Gold Membership status from Bord Bia.

  • 2021

    The Butlers Chocolate Café pre-order app is launched.

  • 2021

    A gorgeous new outdoor seating area is opened at Butlers Chocolate Café, Ballsbridge, with a seating capacity for 30 customers.

  • 2022

    In February, the 25th Butlers Chocolate Café is opened in the Blackrock Village shopping centre.

What We Make

In addition to luxurious milk, dark and white speciality chocolate assortments, Butlers Chocolates produce creamy toffee, soft fudge, deliciously moreish chocolate filled and solid chocolate bars, enticing milk chocolate truffles delicately flavoured with famous liquors, hot chocolate and enchanting seasonal collections at Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter!