Knoops is opening its first North of England store in Manchester. Never heard of it? The popular British brand is set on revolutionising chocolate drinks with its unique and completely customisable chocolate percentage menu.
Founder Jens Knoop has had a strong relationship with chocolate since his childhood in rural Germany and has since built up an encyclopaedic knowledge of the taste profiles of many different chocolates.. After observing that chocolate drinks were so often an afterthought on café menus or the preserve of high-end chocolatiers, he set about creating a business fully centred on drinking chocolate, both hot and cold. He opened the first Knoops store in Rye, East Sussex in 2013 and started to experiment with truly personalised drinks that you can enjoy in Knoops today. Coincidentally, his Dutch name “Knoop” means “button” – which is quite fitting for someone who makes drinks out of chocolate buttons…
Jens has spent the last eight years (about 10,000 hours) perfecting these drinks combining different percentage cocoas, with a range of milks and fruits, roots and spices. He named this process “Knoopology” – and it’s an ongoing journey, with new flavour combinations still being discovered.
Knoopology is the ultimate personalisation process and is a four-step method. Individuals choose their preferred hot or cold drink, followed by their chocolate percentage, then their milk, before finally enhancing their beverage with flavoursome add-ons. The drink is poured out as a smooth hot chocolate, or over cold milk and ice for iced chocolate. The drink can be blended with ice cream, for a delicious milkshake. Hot chocolates and iced chocolates using 54 percent chocolate or above can be made vegan.
All visitors will be perfectly immersed into the wonderful world of Knoopology when they visit Knoops Manchester at 68 Cross Street on 21st April 2023.
The shop, which has room for just fourteen indoor seats, is the 10th store to open for the fast-growing brand, and the first Northern presence in the portfolio. Knoops has other locations in Brighton, Rye, Covent Garden, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Manchester, Chelsea, Richmond, Oxford and Cambridge. Each one is on a mission to make drinking chocolate a memorable and joyful experience and has different drink choices for every mood and season, from warming Hot Chocolates and Mochas to decadent Milkshakes and Iced Chocolates as well as a menu of teas and coffees.
Jens Knoop, carefully selects the chocolates that feature in the chocolate library himself. They use a range of blends, alongside a number of single origins from a range of cocoa-growing regions, from Peru and Colombia to Tanzania and Madagascar.
Customers can choose from the full range of chocolate percentages for their bespoke hot chocolate experience. There are 20 different types to select, from a sweet, creamy 28% White all the way up to the deep, rich cocoa flavour of the 100% Extra Dark from the Solomon Islands. In between, there’s a 39% Single Origin from Ecuador with notes of nougat, vanilla & almonds and a 73% Single Origin from the Philippines with notes of citrus, honey and caramel, amongst many others. Hot chocolates and iced chocolates using 54 percent chocolate or above can be made vegan. Available sizes: Single origin – 8oz and 12oz, Cocoa blend – 8oz and 12oz.
Knoops has a diverse plant-based offering. All of the chocolates that are 54 percent and over are suitable for vegans and there are also six non-dairy milks from Minor Figures and Rude Health to choose from, including hazelnut, oat, soya, coconut and almond.
Knoops is also committed to sustainability. The brand uses as much recycled, recyclable and compostable materials as it can for everything, from the chocolate flakes and packaging to the takeaway cups and even its store design. It only sources chocolate that positively impacts the local communities where it is produced and has partnered with a select group of chocolate makers who are genuinely committed to improving the sustainability of their cocoa.
The Manchester opening marks the latest forward step in Knoops’ ambitious expansion plans.
Knoops, 68 Cross Street, Manchester, M2 4JQ
