Our production
facilities
We have been making Belgian chocolate since 1964, under our own brands and those of our customers. This page explains the materials and equipment we use, what our facilities can produce and what our certifications guarantee.
Chocolate first
Our chocolates are made with 100% pure cocoa butter. We set ourselves two minimum cocoa contents: 60% for dark chocolate and 38% for milk chocolate. Our cocoa beans come from Africa and South America.
These minimum cocoa contents are our own choice, rather than a regulatory requirement. They help explain both the flavour and the price.
| Cocoa butter | 100% pure cocoa butter |
| Dark chocolate | Minimum 60% cocoa |
| Milk chocolate | Minimum 38% cocoa |
| Bean origin | Africa and South America |
Two production lines
Our production site in Aartselaar has two production lines. We process around 250 tonnes of chocolate there each year, yielding nearly 400 tonnes of finished products once fillings and coatings have been added.
Our catalogue already includes more than 300 recipes, with conventional, organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and reduced-sugar options with stevia. We have been developing this expertise for many years, notably for our Perlège brand.
Developing a recipe
Our R&D department works both on adapting existing recipes and on researching new ingredients.
For most projects, we start with one of our 300 recipes and adapt its cocoa profile, texture, intensity and sugar content. This is faster and more reliable than starting from scratch, and the recipe is still yours.
Our certifications
Valid certificates are provided on request.
| Certification | Certification body | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| IFS Food | Unannounced annual audit | Certificate renewed each year |
| HACCP quality charter | Applied across all production | — |
| EU organic | Certisys | BE-BIO-01 |
| Fairtrade | Flocert | FLO ID 25534 |
| Rainforest Alliance Cocoa | Rainforest Alliance | — |
What our facilities produce
Chocolate bars
85 g and 100 g
Chocolate sticks
Filled and solid, 30 g and 45 g
Neapolitan chocolates
5 g
Mini chocolate bars
9 g
Belgian pralines
Traditional, moulded and non-moulded
Easter eggs
Five moulds
Sourcing options
Conventional, EU organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance
Reduced sugar
With stevia
Raw chocolate
Dark, milk and white chocolate
How long does it take to launch a product?
We do not quote a standard lead time, because no single timeframe would give you an accurate picture.
The duration of a project depends on the recipe, the number of products, the quantities, ingredient and packaging sourcing, and how quickly you approve each stage. A Neapolitan chocolate made to an existing recipe in standard packaging takes a different amount of time from a range of four chocolate bars with a new recipe and bespoke packaging.
We owe you a realistic schedule from our very first conversation, and a commitment to keeping to it. We draw it up with you once the scope of the project is defined.
Our approach
We are a signatory to Beyond Chocolate, the Belgian partnership for sustainable cocoa, and we have renewed our commitment. Our packaging is recyclable and biodegradable. Solar panels are installed at one of our two sites, and we continue to look for ways to reduce our consumption.
We prefer to make modest promises and keep them, rather than the reverse.
Talk to us about your project
Tell us what you want to produce, in what quantities and for which market. You will receive a personal reply from someone who knows our production facilities, rather than an automated response.
Write to our private label managerFor formats, minimum order quantities and packaging options, everything is set out on the Private label page.