Belgium Chocolate History

 The exact means by which chocolate was introduced to Belgium  is unclear, however a fair assumption would be; it was brought there by the Spanish. Their relentless conquering spirit had lead to its introduction to Europe in the early 16th century when carried form the Aztec territories of central America; at that time, the land regions encompassing Belgium were under Spanish rule. After the Belgian revolution of the 1830's and the later brutal colonization of Belgian Congo in Africa, which ensured access to a constant supply of  high quality cocoa beans, the Belgian chocolate industry was elevated and soon to be recognised as a formidable, world renowned gourmet chocolate producer.

In 1831 Meurisse began producing chocolate in Antwerp and became one of the countries biggest chocolate producers. Today the brand is owned by Kraft Foods.

In 1840 The Berwaerts Company Introduced chocolate Pastilles and figurines a novelty product which proved to be extremely popular.

Antoine Jaques

Antoine Jaques founded the Jaques chocolate company in Verviers in 1896 making chocolate bars.  His great claim to fame comes in the form of his patented chocolate sticks which are used widely for pastry fillings.  This type of pastry is known  in Belgium as a chocolatine.

Eugenius Callebaut

 Eugenius Callebaut founded the Callebaut company in Weize in 1850 however it was originally a brewery and didn't begin producing chocolate until 1910. After the second world war Callebaut found their specialism in the production of couverture chocolate.

Michiels/Bieswal & Cote d'Or

In 1883 'Côte d'Or' was the name given to a small confectionary shop owned by Charles Neuhaus; named after the Gold Coast of Africa (now Ghana) once visited by him. In 1888 it was sold to Mr and Mrs Léopold Bieswal, who purchased it for their son, Joseph. In 1899 the Joseph Bieswal company joined forces with S.A. Lambert Michiels. Seven years later in 1906 the two formed the company S.A. Alimenta, using the presently famous Côte d'Or trademark name and elephant logo..

Jean Neuhaus

Jean Neuhaus, Swiss son of the chocolate maker Charles Neuhaus, moved to Brussels in 1857 and opened a pharmacy also selling chocolate, marshmallows and other such confectioneries.  He soon began concentrating his efforts on chocolate making. and  in 1895 opened the Confiserie et Chocolaterie Neahaus-Perrin with his son Frederic. After Jean's death, Frederic Neuhaus inherited the company and in 1912 accomplished a landmark breakthrough when he perfected the art of covering chocolate "couverture" which enabled the filling of a crisp chocolate shell. His efforts gave birth to his signature creation; the Praline.  Soft creamy flavoured substances, nougat, fruit etc could now be covered (enrobed) in a thin yet hard chocolate coating. This ground-breaking development changed the art of chocolate making forever. Ever since, pralines have been produced all over the world with some regions having specific versions.  Later his wife Louise Agostini made another significant breakthrough when she invented the ballotin or praline box.  Prior to its conception, transporting chocolate was a delicate task often resulting in damaged products. The ballotin box offered individual protection to each chocolate within a tray and in so-doing, revolutionised chocolate transportation, Chocolate packaging and (perhaps most significantly) chocolate presentation.

Joseph Draps

In 1920 master chocolatier Joseph Draps founded the chocolate comnpany "Godiva" (daringly named after the famous horse-riding naked lady).  With his elegant artistic innovation he soon became known for his characteristic chocolate shell designs.  The company grew to challenge some of its greatest rivals.

Today Belgium boasts thousands of chocolate makers, although most (if not all) of  its chocolate giants have been absorbed into the portfollios of larger companies residing beyond Belgium's borders.  Production output is reported to be as much as 220,000t per year and its reputation for producing some of the worlds favorite and finest quality chocolate, remains firmly intact.