Most Popular Brand of Chocolates
Ever wonder how fancy chocolates got to be so popular around the world? Many of the world’s best chocolates are made in in the UK by famous manufacturers like Lindt or Succhard. They were among the first to perfect their chocolates and develop a following.
Diehard chocoholics used to have a hard time finding these specialty chocolates. They would search them out at local delicatessens or have to travel to places like Selfridges or Harrods in London.
When the late 1970s arrived things changed. Vacationers returned home from the continent and shared stories about the wonderful truffles and pralines they enjoyed on holiday. This made their friends and families eager to try them.
As a result, many small Belgian chocolate shops popped up all over the UK. They were tiny, quaint shops that were filled with luscious treats. They were so small they barely had enough room for a few display cases, shelves, staff 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.
Many French and Belgian chocolatiers took steps to increase their sales by opening up shops all over the UK. For example, Jeff de Brugges were an example, in France they had thousands of shops but in the UK but they didn’t succeed.
It was a hard for even household names like Godiva and Leonardis to gain a foothold. They managed to establish steady sales in major department stores in London, Birmingham, and Manchester but weren’t so lucky with small kiosks like they did in Belgium.
The kiosks did serve one purpose, they spread the message to passersby about the delicious, high quality chocolates being made in Belgium. The country’s chocolates have become so popular you can now find them in supermarkets.
