Godiva Chocolate Profile

Joseph Draps of Brussels, Belgium founded a chocolate company in 1926. He sought a name for his company that would embody the richness and pure elegance of his fine line of chocolates, while creating images of timeless passion and style with a sense of boldness. Thus, Godiva was born, named after the illustrious legend, Lady Godiva.

The Legend of Lady Godiva

Many centuries ago in Coventry, England, a lady of royalty known for her generosity and exquisite beauty devoted her life to assisting the poor and impoverished citizens of the land. Lady Godiva was the wife of a powerful ruler, Lord Leofric, who, unlike his elegant wife, was unsympathetic towards the plight of the people he ruled over. When Lord Leofric imposed a taxation of extreme burden upon the citizens of the kingdom, Lady Godiva strongly protested and pleaded for a lifting of the heavy taxation. Thinking the citizens of his kingdom would fail in a test of temptation, Lord Leofric agreed to lift the tax only if his wife rode through the streets of the kingdom on the back of a horse completely unclothed. However, the burden would be lifted only if Lady Godiva successfully rode through the streets completely unobserved by the citizens of the kingdom. Aware of the extreme beauty and elegance of his wife, Lord Leofric was certain that the lowly citizens he ruled over would fail his test. He was blind however, to the extreme respect and loyalty the citizens held for Lady Godiva. He watched in humiliation as his wife rode naked through the streets while each and every citizen remained behind closed doors with shutters and curtains tightly closed. The tax was lifted and Lady Godiva lived on as a legend of elegance, purity, generosity and extreme boldness.

The History of Godiva

The original boutique, founded in 1926 in Brussels, was located in Grand Place. In 1958, an additional shop was opened in Paris. By the mid 1960s the famous Godiva products were being sold at luxury department stores in the United States. The Godiva company was purchased by Campbell Soup Company in 1967 and the first North American Godiva boutique was opened in 1972 on 5th Avenue in New York. In 2008, Campbell Soup Company sold the Godiva company to Yildiz Holding in Istanbul, Turkey.

Godiva Chocolates

Godiva manufactures a wide array of fine chocolates made from quality ingredients. Some of their more popular products include delightful truffles, exquisite pralines,
fruit and nut filled chocolates, sugar free chocolates, solid chocolates, beautifully decorated and tasty biscuits, caramels, and ganaches.

Truffles

Godiva produces a variety of delicious truffles. Some of the more popular flavours include Key Lime, Cinnamon Pear, Strawberry, Roasted Almond, Hazelnut Praline, and Black Raspberry. In addition to these delightful flavour combinations, Godiva produces many more mouth-watering truffles suited to all tastes.

Pralines

Godiva’s pralines are an elegant mixture of creamy smooth milk or white chocolate combined with ground hazelnut and moulded into a variety of elegant shapes. Godiva’s praline heart is available in both milk and white chocolate varieties. The Hazelnut Praline Raindrop is a luscious blend of creamy milk chocolate and crushed roasted hazelnut encased in a delicious white chocolate raindrop shell, while the Almond Praline Raindrop combines both roasted almonds and hazelnuts in a milk chocolate shell.

Solid Chocolates

Godiva produces a fine line of quality solid chocolates made from luscious milk, dark, and white chocolates. Their elegant Mint Demitasse is a delicious and refreshing infusion of mint into their fine dark chocolate.

Packaging

All of Godiva’s quality chocolates can be purchased in an array of elegant packaging. From beautiful gift baskets and towers, wedding and party favours, or simple gift boxes and tins, Godiva takes as much pride in the presentation as in the chocolate itself.