Belgium got its chocolate name the slow way. A chocolatier there invented the filled praline in the early 1900s, the country kept its couverture standards high after that and somehow ended up with a crowd of skilled chocolatiers that’s out of proportion to its size, so when someone says “Belgian chocolate” most people just assume it’s good, wherever they happen to live.
The invention of the praline
The story goes that a chocolatier in Brussels made the first praline in 1912, a molded shell wrapped around a soft filling. Then came the ballotin, a little box so people could carry the things home. Funny how one small idea gave Belgium a format the rest of the world still files under fine chocolate.
A culture of chocolatiers
For a country that small there are a lot of chocolate makers and shops and there’s a real apprenticeship culture behind them where the skills get handed down, which is probably why the standards haven’t slipped and why Belgium keeps turning up whenever anyone starts talking about fine chocolate.
Quality standards
It all rests on pure cocoa butter and fine refining, with nobody cutting corners on cheaper fats. If you resell it, that history is more or less your sales pitch, so have a look at our Belgian lines and the chocolate category and see what you’d want on your own shelf.
FAQ
Why is Belgium known for chocolate?
Both the filled praline and the ballotin box started there in the early 1900s. Couverture standards stayed high after that, and a lot of skilled chocolatiers grew up around the whole business.
Who invented the praline?
A Brussels chocolatier made the modern filled praline in 1912 and the boxed ballotin assortment came along soon after.
