I have to admit that I have not been a fan of Godiva. Although possessed of an excellent reputation and one of the most iconic packages in America (the signature gold ballotin is right up there with Tiffany’s blue box), the chocolate itself no longer lived up to the tradition in my opinion. (Read my original article.)

Godiva was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1926 by Joseph Draps. A master marketer as well as chocolate maker, Draps’ use of the Godiva story quickly helped establish the company’s reputation. Introduced to the United States in 1966 (the Campbell Soup Company secured North American distribution rights in that year) Campbell’s purchased Godiva outright in 1972. Today Godiva/Campbell has over 200 boutiques and 1000 retail outlets in the United States alone.

BruCo was introduced in 2003 into the US and I received samples from the importer and tasted the Rum/Vanilla combination with clients over lunch around the time of the Fancy Food Show in January. 

The world of chocolate does not stand still.

A case in point was a conversation I was having with Michael Schneider, one of the partners in Carymax—the company that organizes The World Pastry Forum and The World and National Team Pastry Championships (his other company, Haymarket Group, is the publisher of Chocolatier and Pastry Art and Design magazines).