Athlone chocolate makers 'devastated' as fire leads to temporary halt in business

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Athlone chocolate makers Georgia Quealy and Daniel Linehan, owners of Bon Chocolatiers, have been left 'devastated' as a fire has lead to a temporary halt in business at their Tullamore factory.

After starting out in Athlone, Bon Chocolatiers moved its production facility to Tullamore in recent years.

A serious fire broke out at a former commercial unit in Tullamore on Tuesday evening, October 13, with two Fire Service units arriving at 8.12pm and leaving at 9.21pm after the blaze had been brought under control.

A fire service representative from Tullamore Fire Station said that the cause of the fire had not yet been determined.

The unit on Church Road in Tullamore where the fire occurred is located next to the factory of artisan chocolate producers Bon Chocolatiers.

In an online message, Bon Chocolatiers said it suffered significant smoke damage to its production facility as a result of Tuesday's incident.

"Thankfully, everyone is safe, which is the most important thing, but our little chocolate factory has been left with extensive smoke damage. We're absolutely devastated, and lost for words," Bon Chocolatiers co-founder Daniel Linehan said in an online message.

"Myself and (co-founder) Georgia (Quealy) spent the last six years putting everything we have into Bon Chocolatiers, and to just see the factory now in the condition that it's in is really upsetting."

He said the award-winning business would now be working to try to get back up and running as soon as possible.

"At the moment, we're still trying to figure everything out, and see what's going to happen next. We're doing everything that we possibly can to get things back up and running.

"We'll definitely be back making chocolate as soon as we can," he said.