BRAND FOCUS


KNOOPS TAKES ITS CHOCOLATE DRINKS CONCEPT TO AMERICA


Jens Knoop, founder of Knoops, outlines the company’s US ambitions and plans to grow its hand-flaked chocolate range across retail and wholesale channels. Kiran Grewal reports.


Jens Knoop F


ollowing its first US opening in Utah, Knoops founder Jens Knoop speaks with Kennedy’s Confection Editor, Kiran Grewal, to discuss the


brand’s measured expansion strategy, the opportunity to build a new drinking chocolate category and the role of retail distribution in its next phase of growth.


What was the decision to use Utah as the starting point for Knoops’ US expansion and what does the company hope to learn from the first stores there? The idea of U.S. expansion had always been part of our plan, following our UAE set up. It was very fortuitous that an investor and fan of Knoops, who had discovered the brand whilst on a trip to the UK, got in touch with me asking whether he could launch it in the


32 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • OCTOBER 2026


States. He really thought it could work in his home state of Utah. But Utah was also a very deliberate choice for us. We could have started in New York or Los Angeles, but we felt it was more important to understand the core American consumer and prove the proposition in a market with a strong food culture and a genuine appetite for innovative, personalised drinks. Salt Lake City in particular has an aspirational food scene and a very strong culture of customisation. We also see Utah as a very good learning


environment. We want to understand how American consumers navigate the different chocolate percentages, temperatures and add-on ingredient Knoops offers, which occasions drive visits, what they come back for and how we adapt our proposition


to local tastes without losing what makes Knoops distinctive. The first Salt Lake City opening has been


extremely encouraging and we’ve had a hugely successful first few weeks there, but for us the really valuable information will come from what happens after the launch period - repeat visits, customer behaviour, operational performance and how the concept develops over time.


How will the US rollout be phased, and what milestones would give the team confidence to accelerate into further markets? Our approach is deliberately regional and measured. Utah is the springboard, rather than a one-off flagship, and the next store in Farmington is also in the pipeline, with further Utah locations already identified.


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