Started in 1922 as a small chocolate shop in a small French village, Valrhona now oversees every aspect, from bean to bar, of a sustainable chocolate production empire in 15 locations across 12 countries. Today 13,000 professional clients in over 70 countries use their expertly cultivated and crafted chocolates on a daily basis.
Valrhona has managed to remain on the cutting edge of chocolate production and innovation by maintaining, in philosophy and practice, that pasty chefs make the best products for pasty chefs. Their L’École du Grand Chocolat is at the heart of this idea. Founded in 1989, as a center for innovation and support for Valrhona’s professional clients, L’École du Grand Chocolat employs a team of over 20 pastry professionals around the world who are committed to pushing the boundaries of chocolate artisanship through the development of new techniques and products. Samples of their influence include popularizing bitter chocolate in the 1980s with the introduction of Guanaja, to pioneering the use of spice and salt in western chocolate confections in the early 2000s, to creating the first blonde chocolate in 2012.
With the grand opening of L’École du Grand Chocolat Brooklyn in D.U.M.B.O. on April 20th, Valrhona brings its spirit of developing creativity and camaraderie among culinary professionals to the United States for the first time. Please let me know if I can get you any additional information or set you up with an interview a chief executive to Valrhona during their trip to New York for the opening ceremony.
