Introduce yourself.
My name is Ian O’ Rourke, I’m the co-founder and Managing Director of RYSE Chocolate, Europe’s first chocolate energy bar powered by caffeine and B vitamins.
What inspired you to join the natural health sector?
I’ve worked in the food and drink industry for 12 years across numerous categories. Over the years, consumers interests and habits have shifted towards the expectation that what they buy will taste good and also give them a benefit of some kind. I’ve always wanted to have my own business, so I waited until I had a product that I truly believed in, and this is it.
Where did you get the idea for your brand?
I was travelling for work in New York where I met a bartender who chewed cacao for energy. He told me about the benefits of cacao and theobromine and how it gives a consistent and steady energy release. It genuinely felt like something hit me in the head when I look back on it, I just knew there was something in this. I asked him every single question I could think of, and when I got home I started researching if there were any products like this on the market and discovered there weren’t. I contacted a chocolate manufacturer and asked for space to try and create a caffeinated bar, I moved from cacao to caffeine as it was more stable in chocolate form and 3 years later we have a 26g chocolate energy bar with 80mg of caffeine (a little bit more than a flat white) which gives you a steady release of energy along with 15% of your GDA of Vitamins B6 & B12 which help improve focus and metabolism all with less than 150 calories.
What makes your brand unique?
It’s the first of its kind in Europe and only the 2nd caffeinated chocolate bar in the world but what makes it truly unique is its taste. We use 30% cocoa solids which mean our bars have a smooth and creamy taste but with an added kick.
What are your company’s core values?
RYSE does energy differently. Doing things differently comes to life throughout the business. In our bars, we have taken a different approach, we made them smaller than competitors as we want to ensure we give consumers a more calorie friendly energy boost all with a great taste.
We’ve also rooted ourselves in being proud of where we’re from. We are based in Meath and we produce in Kildare and we source our packaging from Irish suppliers in Dublin and Louth. We are also a member of Love Irish Food and we have been brilliantly supported by Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland. We are proud of our roots and will continue to highlight this unlike energy brands that don’t communicate this at all.
How do you support your community?
Since our launch, we have provided thousands of bars to local community groups, clubs and fundraisers. We have also raised €1,100 for the Irish Injured Jockeys fund, a very important charity that supports injured jockeys when they need it most.
What has been the most rewarding part of your brands journey?
Winning the best new food and drink startup at the National Convenience store awards in November was incredible as these awards are voted on by the store managers themselves so it shows that they really think a lot of our bars. More recently, when I was in Londis in Dublin City University, I overheard a student say to a friend “have you tried these? They’re class”. That’s what it’s all about, owning a product that people are willing to advocate for on your behalf.
What in your opinion makes Irish brands unique?
I think everything comes back to quality, Irish products have fantastic standards across every category and this competitiveness means that the bar (no pun intended) is set really high. We’ve also seen great support and a sense of comradery amongst Irish food manufacturers which brings a lovely sense of community.
What is your favourite product from your brand?
It would have to be the mint chocolate bar, I have this with a coffee when I have an important piece of work to do and it just elevates the coffee. I’m working on a new flavour at the moment and it’s scoring better than everything else we have ever tried so if we can get that to market it will be a massive success, well at least according to the friends and family that have tried it.
Tell us about something that has shaped your brand?
It really goes back to doing things differently. It’s a simple but effective way to look at things. We have a product that is different than any other in the market in terms the quality of chocolate we use (30% cocoa versus most competitors in the same price range of 25%) and our different size.
We create social media that is different, for instance last month we created a Man V Horse race at Navan races https://www.instagram.com/p/DWONP9qjLXT/
We really just try and bring our mantra of “do things differently” to life across every part of the business.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I want RYSE to be the next Fulfil, an Irish success story that becomes a global household name. I want us to dream big, we’re proudly Irish and we want to create a category of chocolate energy from Ireland that grows across the world.
