Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory might not be real, but the Omnom Chocolate factory is, and stepping inside it is a magical experience of a different kind. Instead of a chocolate river, you’ll find tubs of silky smooth chocolate being churned around tempering machines. And instead of a top hat-clad Gene Wilder, you’ll meet Kjartan Gíslason, chef and co-founder of Omnom.
Gíslason started Omnom in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 2013 with his longtime friend Óskar Þórðarson. Gíslason is a chef with a passion for pastries and desserts, and Þórðarson is a serial entrepreneur. As childhood friends, they kept in touch over the years, and when Gíslason had the idea for a pastry shop and making his own chocolate to be used in the pastries, Þórðarson helped to hone the idea into making their own bean-to-bar chocolate brand. “It was something that no one had done before, at least here in Iceland,” Gíslason told me.
With that, the pair set up a small production lab inside a converted gas station in Reykjavík, and Omnom was born. They moved into their current facility a few years later, and while the space is much larger and allows them to produce more chocolate bars, Omnom remains true to its roots as a small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate company using premium ingredients.
As far as sourcing goes, Omnom places a lot of value in ethics, sustainability and transparency. The company buys ingredients (from cocoa beans to organic sugar cane to Icelandic milk powder) directly from farmers to help better understand the social, environmental and economic impact of their purchases. Their factory is run solely on geothermal energy.
The heart of Omnom’s product offerings are their chocolate bars, which include premium single-origin chocolate bars, Iceland-inspired chocolate bars and seasonal flavors. The outer packaging (each flavor bearing a colorful geometric design featuring fantastical creatures), is undeniably eye-catching, and the ultra-smooth, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate bar inside breaks into shards rather than squares.
Madagascar 66%, made with just three ingredients (organic cocoa beans from Madagascar, organic cane sugar and cocoa butter), was the first chocolate bar Omnom made. “I was so fixated on those Madagascar beans because they changed my views about the flavors of chocolate and how dark chocolate could be perceived,” Gíslason said. “Finalizing the recipe was all about finding the right balance of sweetness because the beans are a little bit sour, citrusy and fruity. A lot of people are under the assumption that anything below 70% is not good dark chocolate, but to me it’s all about balance.” Dark Milk of Tanzania 65% is his go-to favorite of Omnom’s chocolate bars, but if you ask me their Coffee + Milk bar (featuring coffee beans from Reykjavík Roasters) is something truly unique and special.
In September 2020, Omnom opened an ice cream shop, which is attached to their chocolate factory. On the menu are soft serve sundaes with toppings (like honey roasted corn flakes) and sauces (like salted licorice chocolate fudge) that are all made in-house. Gíslason told me that the idea had been with him for a long time, and he sees it as another creative outlet to play with their products. “Óskar and I pitch ideas constantly,” Gíslason said. “He always says that there’s a time and place for everything, and with restaurants shifting to takeout models during the pandemic it seemed like the right time.” The company saw an uptick in foot traffic, particularly when border restrictions were lifted and an influx of tourists visited the shop, and the Omnom team has plans for more seasonal offerings in the future.
There have been ups and downs over the course of Omnom’s eight years in business, but they continue to grow and the team has much to be proud of. Their Milk of Nicaragua bar was named the best milk chocolate bar in the world by the International Chocolate Awards in 2018. Awards aside, Gíslason told me that he’s proud of working with a dedicated team of people, several of which have been with the brand for years. “It’s humbling to work alongside people who have been with us through some hard times and still believe in us,” he said. “They motivate me and make me proud to be part of this team.”
