Top Belgian chocolate brands (2024)

Go on a culinary exploration into the world of truffles, pralines, chocolate bars and surprising flavours. With over 320 chocolate shops throughout the country, you’ll definitely find something that suits your taste.

Côte d’Or

On 24 April 1883 Charles Neuhaus registered the Côte d’Or brand. A Belgian icon was born. The first Côte d’Or chocolate was made from cocoa beans from the Gold Coast, now Ghana, and given the familiar elephant logo. The first bar was created in 1911. From their beginnings, these chocolate bars have grown into an assortment comprising dozens of new products and flavours. Including the Mignonnette, Bouchée, Chokotoff, biscuit bars or the launch in 1990 of the Sensations range, the intensely flavoured chocolate for connoisseurs including Noir de Noir, Noir Intense and Noir Brut. All of these chocolate delights stem from Côte d’Or’s expertise and passion for the chocolate product. The reasons for its success are obvious: cutting-edge craftsmanship, faithfulness to a unique intense flavour and the original recipe (high cocoa content and impeccable, consistent quality of the beans) and a constant search for new ideas, with the accompanying successful product innovations. And last but not least: Mondelez International group’s respect for Belgian know-how has ensured that the quality of Côte d’Or chocolate is maintained and internationally renowned.

Godiva

The Godiva Chocolatier story is the story of a craftsman chocolate maker, whose name has become a symbol of luxury and prestige the world over. It all started in Brussels in 1926, when Pierre Draps senior created his first praliné chocolates in the small workshop of his Brussels home. The family chose the evocative name ‘Godiva’, being inspired by the passion and generosity of Lady Godiva from the old English legend. The business continued to grow and a flagship store was opened in Brussels’ iconic Grand Place. Godiva now has a presence in over 80 countries worldwide. Godiva has become synonymous with sophistication and innovations. Godiva’s Chefs Chocolatiers combine amazing flavours with fine textures. They use their expertise to create masterpieces out of the finest ingredients.

Leonidas

Generosity, freshness and ‘making pralines accessible to all’ make up Leonidas’ philosophy. For over a hundred years, Leonidas has enabled the world to share in the generosity of magnificent chocolates, with an assortment of over 100 different varieties in stores all over the world. Leonidas guarantees the freshness and quality of its chocolates. They are manufactured using traditional methods from only the finest ingredients. Only pure cocoa butter is used for the shell together with 100% natural ingredients. All other components are also carefully chosen. Based on the philosophy of ‘making pralines accessible to all’, Leonidas continues to create original and gourmet products in a spirit of togetherness, closeness and sharing.

Mary

In 1919, chocolate-loving Mary Delluc set up a business in Brussels that was destined to become the  Mary Chocolaterie. She pursued excellence and quality, a goal which then became a legacy. Mary’s key concern may be with the quality of the raw materials and the chocolates produced but her extraordinary refinement is also reflected in the way her products are presented, from the chocolate boxes to the window displays. It was in 1942 that Mary was awarded the title of ‘Certified Royal Warrant Holder of Belgium’ for the first time, before receiving it again in 1990 and 1994.

Neuhaus

Neuhaus handles top-quality ingredients with over 155 years of knowhow and craftsmanship. Luxurious gift boxes make their creations a pleasure to both give and receive. When Jean Neuhaus arrived in Brussels in 1857, he opened his apothecary store in the prestigious Queen’s Gallery. To make the taste of his medicines more enjoyable, he covered them in a layer of chocolate. His grandson, Jean Neuhaus Jr., inherited his passion for chocolate. He had the idea of replacing the medicine inside the chocolate with delicious fillings and thus, in 1912, he invented the first ‘praline’ or filled chocolate. A few years later, the wife of Jean Neuhaus Jr. invented the ballotin box, an elegant wrapping that elevated chocolate to a luxury gift. The passion of Jean Neuhaus for chocolate is still strongly present in the wide range of Neuhaus chocolates today. Each praline is graced with its own shape, flavour and name. All Neuhaus chocolates are made in the chocolate ateliers in Brussels, Belgium.