Godiva Chocolatier
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Confectionery production |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Founder | Joseph Draps |
| Headquarters |
333 West 34th Street, New York City, U.S.;, Belgium |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Chocolates |
| Parent | Yıldız Holding |
| Website | www |
Godiva Chocolatier is a manufacturer of premium fine chocolates and related products. Godiva, founded in Belgium in 1926, was purchased by the Turkish Yıldız Holding, owner of the Ülker Group, on November 20, 2007. Godiva owns and operates more than 600 retail boutiques and shops in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia and is available via over 10,000 speciality retailers.
In addition to chocolates, Godiva also sells truffles, coffee, cocoa, biscuits, dipped fruits and sweets, chocolate liqueur, shakes, wedding and party favors and other items arranged in gift baskets. Godiva's signature package is the Gold Ballotin (French for "small, cardboard box of chocolates"). Godiva also produces seasonal and limited-edition chocolates with special packaging for major holidays. Godiva also has license agreements for the production of ice cream, cheesecake, coffee pods and liqueur that comes in several chocolate-related flavors. Products are also available in sugar-free and Kosher varieties.
Godiva was founded in 1926 in Brussels, Belgium, by Joseph Draps who opened his first boutique in the Grand Place in Brussels under its present name, in honour of the legend of Lady Godiva. The first Godiva shop outside Belgium was opened in Paris on the fashionable Rue Saint Honoré in 1958. In 1966, the company's products reached the United States, where they were sold at luxury strip malls. The following year, it was purchased by the Campbell Soup Company. In 1972, the first Godiva boutique in North America was opened on New York City's Fifth Avenue.
By 2007, Godiva had annual sales of approximately $500 million. In August of that year, Campbell Soup Company announced it was "exploring strategic alternatives, including possible divestiture, for its Godiva Chocolatier business"; the company said the "premium chocolate business does not fit with Campbell's strategic focus on simple meals".
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Wikipedia