Established chocolate drinks business, Knoops has named leading UK food distributor RH Amar to accelerate growth of its ‘At Home’ retail range, as well as bolstering its overall retail offering, writes Neill Barston.

The East Sussex founded business has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence with its bold premium offerings have found a strong following in the luxury beverage market.

RH Amar, which is behind major brands including Del Monte, Dunkin’ , and Ella’s Kitchen, is set to distribute 11 ranges from  the ‘Knoops At Home’ range of hand-flaked drinking chocolate including the signature 54% House Blend and hugely popular 43% Single Origin Venezuela.

As the company noted, the partnership marks the first time Knoops has appointed a dedicated UK distributor, with RH Amar’s remit including grocery, speciality, wholesale, foodservice and online, helping to extend the reach of Knoops’ retail offering beyond its own stores, knoops.com and other existing retail channels.

This represents the next phase of Knoops’ multi-channel UK expansion as it moves through own-store retail, direct-to-consumer, Amazon and retailers including Ocado, Harrods, Selfridges and Whole Foods. Last year, Knoops invested in ‘The Flakery’ – its new production and warehousing facility to support the continued growth of its luxury drinking chocolate across both its store estate and ‘Knoops At Home’ range.

Jo Brett, COO of Knoops, which founded in Rye, East Sussex in 2013, enthused about the collaboration: “We’re excited to partner with RH Amar to bring our ‘Knoops At Home’ range of hand-flaked chocolate to more customers across the UK. RH Amar’s expertise and extensive network of specialist retailers and distribution channels will help us accelerate our UK growth, build greater awareness and access to the Knoops brand, and meet the strong demand we’re already seeing across our existing sales channels.”

Justin Burbage, Commercial Director at RH Amar praised the partnership as a fantastic addition to its portfolio.

He added: “This comes at an exciting time for the premium drinks category, as consumers continue to seek high-quality, indulgent products to enjoy at home. We are looking forward to building on the success of this exciting brand beyond its own stores and unlocking new opportunities for the ‘Knoops At Home’ range  to an international chocolate drinks brand with more than 30 stores in the UK and overseas with its most recent opening last month in Utah, USA.

“The chocolate is sustainably sourced from small farm holders in countries including Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Ghana and carefully selected for drinking.

“With the world’s largest drinking chocolate library, Knoops customers create their perfect chocolate drink by choosing a chocolate percentage from 28% White to 100% Extra Dark and is perfectly positioned to capitalise on the trend of consumers wanting to recreate cafe-style drinks at home,” adding that an unwillingness to compromise on taste and quality remained a core buying factor for many of its customers.