Over €22,300 raised after smoke damage leads to closure of Athlone couple's business

Over €22,300 has been raised after smoke damage has lead to closure of Athlone couple Daniel Linehan and Georgia Quealy's business.

A fire on Church Road in Tullamore on Tuesday, October 13, at a neighbouring unit left the Bon Chocolatiers factory with extensive smoke damage, and co-founders Daniel and Georgia are now seeking a new premises.

"Unfortunately most of what we've built is totally gone," said Daniel in a recent update shared on social media.

"We've had some really really difficult days over the last week. It's been a real rollercoaster of emotions."

The couple have been forced to lay off all of their staff due to the circumstances, in a decision which they described as "very hard".

"The hardest thing we’ve ever had to do was let our amazing team go. These are people who helped us build Bon, who have families, mortgages and plans of their own, and who relied on us."

However, looking to the future of Bon Chocolatiers, Daniel said "we’re not giving up".

"We're moving to a new premises, and starting again from the ground up."

The GoFundMe page set up to support the move had amassed €22,366 of its €35,000 goal from some 257 donations as of Tuesday, October 27.

"Bon Chocolatiers has been built on the loyal support of our community, and we need that support now more than ever," the GoFundMe reads.

The couple have thanked every person who has offered them a kind word or an offer of support in the days since the fire.