Great Varieties of Chocolates

Do you love decadent, rich chocolates? Lots of people do. They are especially popular in Europe where manufacturers like Lindt and Suchard have gained a strong foothold in the market. 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. The shop keepers would carefully wrap the decadent treats in small eballotins, and wrap them in lovely paper and bows. Some even used beautiful silk flowers to make the gift more special. The sad thing, was that these stores were often in poorly chosen locations and failed not long after opening. The demand for chocolate caused some French and Belgian chocolatiers to open shops in the UK. The chocolate chain, Jeff de Brugges thrived in France but failed when it tried to establish a presence 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.