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.

Our Heritage

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 1980’s, 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 400 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 who 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.

 

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!

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 | The next generation of the Sorensen family assume running of the business and 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
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 - New Café opened up on 117 Grafton Street
We launched new exciting Drumshanbo Irish Gin truffles in collaboration with The Shed Distillery
2017 - We joined the conscious cup campaign by launching our in brand Keep cup range.
2017 - We launched our brand-new website with new features and beautiful design.
2018 - We launched our Chocolate Collection.
2018 - At the beginning of April, work commenced on our 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 - New Remodeled Cork Café
2018 - Brand New Ballsbridge Café
2018 - With the addition of new solar panels, we are now able to save 247 Tonnes of C02 per annum.
2018 - Our new café in Rathmines.
2019 - Our solar panels have produced over 1 gigawatt of power which could produce 6 million 100g bars.
2019 - Our first ever cookbook was launched.
2019 - We were shortlisted for the Bord Bia Food and Drink awards
2019 - Our Galway café has re-opened after an extensive refit.
2020 - We were thrilled to have achieved Origin Green Gold Membership status from Bord Bia.
2021 - We launched a website refresh just before Valentine's Day.
2021 - We launched our new Pre-order app.
2021 - We have just opened a gorgeous new outdoor seating area at our Ballsbridge café, with a seating capacity for about 30 customers.
2022 - In February, we opened our 25th Butlers Chocolates café in the Blackrock Village shopping center.
2022 - We launched our new Protein + Chocolates