Do you love fine, luxury chocolates that seem to melt in your mouth? It used to be that such delicacies were only available in the UK from specialty manufacturers like Lindt or Suchard or possibly Laura Secord of Canada.
When the specialty chocolates first came out they were hard to find. Die-hard fans had to search them out at local delicatessens or travel to places like Selfridges or Harrods in London.
By the late 1970s things changed. People on vacation in Europe returned home and praised the delicious truffles and delightful praline chocolates that they had on holiday.
To meet their demands, many small Belgian chocolate shops started opening up in the UK. These exclusive specialty shops offered the best in high quality chocolates to its customers. The shops were often very small - no more than room for a few cases, shelves and customers.
Shopkeepers would pack their delicious chocolate treasures in "ballotins." They would wrap them wonderfully and place a lovely bow on them to top it off. Many went so far as to add silk flowers to the boxes making it even more delightful. Unfortunately, many of these small chocolate shops closed because they were in poorly chose locations and the items were priced so high.
The demand for specialty chocolates caused many French and Belgian chocolate manufacturers to open stores all over the UK. The chocolatier Jeff de Brugges, had many successful stores in France but failed to succeed with stores in the UK.
Even the big names like Godiva and Leonardis had trouble finding a foothold. Sure they found success in large department stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester but closed down small kiosks that did poor sales.
Although, having the small kiosks wasn't all bad. It did help them to determine their fan base and the demand for high quality Belgian chocolates has grown. It now can be found in supermarkets and is loved throughout the world.
When the specialty chocolates first came out they were hard to find. Die-hard fans had to search them out at local delicatessens or travel to places like Selfridges or Harrods in London.
By the late 1970s things changed. People on vacation in Europe returned home and praised the delicious truffles and delightful praline chocolates that they had on holiday.
To meet their demands, many small Belgian chocolate shops started opening up in the UK. These exclusive specialty shops offered the best in high quality chocolates to its customers. The shops were often very small - no more than room for a few cases, shelves and customers.
Shopkeepers would pack their delicious chocolate treasures in "ballotins." They would wrap them wonderfully and place a lovely bow on them to top it off. Many went so far as to add silk flowers to the boxes making it even more delightful. Unfortunately, many of these small chocolate shops closed because they were in poorly chose locations and the items were priced so high.
The demand for specialty chocolates caused many French and Belgian chocolate manufacturers to open stores all over the UK. The chocolatier Jeff de Brugges, had many successful stores in France but failed to succeed with stores in the UK.
Even the big names like Godiva and Leonardis had trouble finding a foothold. Sure they found success in large department stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester but closed down small kiosks that did poor sales.
Although, having the small kiosks wasn't all bad. It did help them to determine their fan base and the demand for high quality Belgian chocolates has grown. It now can be found in supermarkets and is loved throughout the world.
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