Godiva Chocolates Essay

A family by the name of the Draps began creating these amazing, little chocolates in Brussels, Belgium in 1926. Pierre Draps, in particular, was the man behind the chocolate. He started selling his chocolates to local shops to get business going. After World War II, Pierre’s son, Joseph, took control of the business. Joseph wanted to open a store of his own and asked his wife for insight on a name. His wife recommended the name â€Å"Godiva,† after the Lady Godiva who was famous for protesting high taxes by riding her horse nude through Coventry, England. After the opening of Godiva in the Brussels’ Grande Place, the Draps family realized that it was a huge success. With that being said, it was decided to expand the business, and more stores were opened throughout Belgium. Joseph’s idea was to have his company be a â€Å"premium chocolate company. † He wanted to use the most classy and elegant advertisement, as well as packaging. The family strived to have smooth, rich, and delicious chocolate. They decided they would only use the finest of ingredients, found throughout the world, to ensure the best tasting chocolate. At first, Godiva started off with a rich chocolate shell, filled with basic â€Å"ganache,† which is rich chocolate fudge, or a hazelnut praline filling. As time went on, the Draps began to create many more flavors and textured chocolates. The most famous chocolate creation was the Comtesse. This chocolate was made particularly to rejoice the Lady Godiva. It consisted of a creamy chocolate center with either a milk or dark chocolate outer layer. After the Comtesse came the Autant. The Autant was a chocolate leaf shaped milk chocolate that was hand-decorated and filled with a coffee-chocolate cream. This chocolate was made to honor the opening of the production â€Å"Gone With the Wind†, in 1939. There were several other chocolates designed and created to recognize a certain date or event; the Fabiola was a chocolate that was created in 1958 for the engagement of Queen Fabiola and King Baudouin I, the Golf Ball was a chocolate created to recognize Belgium’s King Leopold III passion for golf. In 1958, the Godiva company expanded to Paris and then to the United States. While expanding, the company also decided to invest with Pepperidge Farm and Campbell Soup. In 1972, Godiva finally opened its first store in the United States. The store was located in a high end part of New York City. Being a company that focuses on elegance and perfection, Godiva displayed its products as if they were diamonds, shining in their cases. Creation of New Products In the early 1990’s, the chocolatiers realized that they needed to keep up with the latest trends. Godiva introduced the Cafe Godiva portion of their company in 1993. The Cafe Godiva brought a variety of coffees, chocolate liquors, cocoa mixes, single serving pastries, and also cookies. With this new product line, Godiva saw a huge increase in their sales. Though Godiva is a European chocolate company, it was understood that Americans enjoy sweeter chocolate than most Europeans. Europeans typically eat a richer chocolate that is not very sweet at all, but actually considered â€Å"intense. † Godiva realized that tastes change over time. Currently, Godiva is adjusting its product line and are incorporating more European-like chocolates. Godiva is also changing most of its chocolates and candies. Instead of the outer shell being thick, Godiva is thinking about thinning the outside. The Chocolate Making Process The making of the delicious Belgium chocolates begins with the cocoa bean. After the beans are harvested, they are dried and carefully inspected for good quality. The beans the Godiva uses are considered to be the best of all the cocoa beans. They are shelled to expose cocoa nibs, which are then baked to release their intense aroma. After the beans are ready, the next step is to create the cocoa liquor. The chocolate liquor is the most important part of the chocolate making process, after all, that is where the chocolate gets its entire flavor. The liquor is created by grinding the nibs to a point when liquid begins to evolve. The liquid is extremely fine and consists of cocoa butter and cocoa particles. When creating the fillings, Godiva refuses to use any preservatives and artificial flavorings. Separating them from other chocolate companies, Godiva uses Grade A dairy butter and heavy cream to create their creamy and delicious fillings. Godiva is well known for its beautiful and unique shaped and designed chocolates. This was intentional; Godiva wants their products to be recognized when they are seen. Their shapes, molds, and designs represent everything there is to fine chocolate. The â€Å"Look† of Godiva In the initial openings of Godiva stores, the stores were designed to look similar to a jewelry store. There were pink marble counter tops with black lacquer, representing a very clean and classy look to them. In 1994, the company decided to take a risk and redesign the stores. The new stores would consist of bleached wooden floors, creamy white counter tops, and cherry wood cabinets. This new design was created to show a more welcoming and cozy feel to customers. As the new design was taking place, Godiva changed their set-up of their display. There were new single serving chocolates put out for the customer to browse at, as well as their prices. Instead of having their store look appealing to only the â€Å"wealthy† population, the store was recognized but all chocolate lovers. Thought Godiva changed the look of the interior of the store, their â€Å"perfect chocolate† image still remained. The expressed their image through creative advertisement and packaging. The advertisement campaign that Godiva uses is called â€Å"silhouettes. † Their chocolates are packaged in a way that looks appealing to the eye, using warm colors for all their packing. The packing consists of an assortment of golden boxes, ribbon, silk flowers, collectors’ tins, and colorful wrapping paper. Today, their famous assortment is known as the Gold Ballotin. This assortment is available in seven different sizes, and is used for all occasions and events. The Ballotin is a gold box with the Godiva logo located on the top of it, followed by a gold silk ribbon wrapped around it. Godiva named their assortment the â€Å"ballotin,† after the French word â€Å"ballot. † The world in French meant small package of goods for sale. Godiva Today Godiva has continued to expand their company worldwide. In 2009 Godiva began opening stores in Malaysia, Singapore, and even Taiwan. More recently, Godiva opened its first store in Turkey in September of 2010. The most recent event and accomplishment for Godiva is the opening of a Cafe Godiva in one of London’s well respected stores, Harrod’s Department Store. Today the Godiva name and brand is well known, respected, and loved in over 80 countries. Godiva now owns and runs more than 450 stores around the world. At all the stores, you are able to find an extensive selection of chocolates and products. With that being said, Godiva is able to suit anyone’s needs and give you the best of Belgium, all the way from New York to Taiwan.