Chocolatier Neuhaus
Encyclopedia
Neuhaus is a manufacturer of luxury Belgian
chocolate
s, biscuit
s and ice cream
. The company was founded in Brussels in 1857 by Jean Neuhaus, a Swiss immigrant, who opened the first store in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
. In 1912, his grandson, Jean Neuhaus II, invented the chocolate bonbon or praline.
Today, Neuhaus has over 1,000 selling points in 40 countries. All Neuhaus products are still made in Vlezenbeek
, near Brussels
, and are exported worldwide. In 2000, the company was named Accredited Supplier to the Belgian Crown.
. Liquorices, guimauves (similar to marshmallows) and dark chocolate tablets soon joined more traditional preparations on the display counter.
With the assistance of his son Frédéric, he spent an increasing amount of time and effort in preparing and inventing new delicacies to the point where the regular pharmaceutical products gradually ended up making way for them.
In 1912, the year of Frédéric's death, his son, Jean II, created the first chocolate-filled bonbons, or pralines. They were immediately successful. They were followed by another innovation. Louise Agostini, Jean's wife, realised that the pralines were getting crushed inside the paper cornet bags used to wrap them up. Together with her husband, she developed a gift wrap box in 1915 which became known as a the ballotin and was later patent
ed.
Jean's son-in-law, Adelson de Gavre, took over the running of the business. In 1958, he created a series of highly acclaimed pralines such as the Caprice and the Tentation. Suzanne Neuhaus, his wife, specialised in decoration and gift wrapping. The company expanded and stores soon appeared across the country and abroad.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
s, biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
s and ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
. The company was founded in Brussels in 1857 by Jean Neuhaus, a Swiss immigrant, who opened the first store in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert or Koninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen is a glazed shopping arcade in Brussels that preceded other famous 19th-century shopping arcades such as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and The Passage in St Petersburg...
. In 1912, his grandson, Jean Neuhaus II, invented the chocolate bonbon or praline.
Today, Neuhaus has over 1,000 selling points in 40 countries. All Neuhaus products are still made in Vlezenbeek
Vlezenbeek
Vlezenbeek is a small town of 3,324 in the Flemish Brabant southwest of Brussels, Belgium. It is part of the municipality Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. It is the home of Neuhaus, an international exporter of fine Belgian chocolate, as well as Lindemans Brewery, a brewery that produces lambics, a distinctly...
, near Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and are exported worldwide. In 2000, the company was named Accredited Supplier to the Belgian Crown.
History
Having arrived in Brussels from his native Switzerland, Jean Neuhaus opened an apothecary shop in 1857 at the prestigiously located Galerie de la Reine, near the Grand PlaceGrand Place
The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse . The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels, along with the Atomium and Manneken Pis...
. Liquorices, guimauves (similar to marshmallows) and dark chocolate tablets soon joined more traditional preparations on the display counter.
With the assistance of his son Frédéric, he spent an increasing amount of time and effort in preparing and inventing new delicacies to the point where the regular pharmaceutical products gradually ended up making way for them.
In 1912, the year of Frédéric's death, his son, Jean II, created the first chocolate-filled bonbons, or pralines. They were immediately successful. They were followed by another innovation. Louise Agostini, Jean's wife, realised that the pralines were getting crushed inside the paper cornet bags used to wrap them up. Together with her husband, she developed a gift wrap box in 1915 which became known as a the ballotin and was later patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed.
Jean's son-in-law, Adelson de Gavre, took over the running of the business. In 1958, he created a series of highly acclaimed pralines such as the Caprice and the Tentation. Suzanne Neuhaus, his wife, specialised in decoration and gift wrapping. The company expanded and stores soon appeared across the country and abroad.
External links
- Neuhaus website
- Neuhaus Online Store
- Profile - Chocolate Reviews