Shaun Weston caught up with Nicolas Khedir and Bruno Lescut at Gulfood 2010 in Dubai, and somehow managed to fire off a few questions in between sampling the chocolate.
You’re certainly not a new company, as you’ve been around since 1909, but what steps is the business taking to ensure its success in the 21st century?
Nicolas Khedir and Bruno Lescut: Nowadays, the common trend among chocolate companies is to set off on the export business. This is all the more true since the Belgian chocolate market is glutted and competition cut-throat. Bruyerre currently exports to more than 30 countries, yet our vision hasn’t changed: to keep spreading Belgian chocolate culture to other continents by proposing high-quality and traditional products.
What’s competition like in the ‘quality chocolate’ industry in various parts of the world, and what do you do to stay ahead?
Khedir & Lescut: Quality chocolate becomes more and more popular in various parts of the world among communities who had not been familiar with this commodity before. In the Middle East for instance, chocolate is literally booming and so is the competition.
To stay ahead, Bruyerre constantly develops innovative products and puts the stress on flexibility. As we don’t manufacture industrial products but artisanal ones, we’re able to quickly respond to our customers’ specific demands – chocolates with dates for the Middle East, colourful items for Japan, chocolate with goose liver for VIP clients, etc.
Flexibility and innovation are definitely the key words.
Your packaging is beautiful. Is it difficult to find a balance between marketing a high-quality, well-packaged product and encouraging a sustainable approach to business?
Khedir & Lescut: In fact, the only sustainable approach to business is to propose both high-quality and well-packaged products. One without the other would just be nonsense. This is something Bruyerre carefully bears in mind.
In practice, it materialises in setting up quality controls in every step of the production, from the moulding to the packing. The packaging also receives our full attention. Our professional graphics and designers make sure the packaging not only appeals to clients by their originality, but also resists to transportation and climate conditions. And each situation requires one particular packaging – a two-chocolate box personalised for hotels, chocolate roses for Valentine’s Day or weddings, destination packs for the tourism sector, etc.
The trend towards Fairtrade chocolate is hard to resist. What’s your view on the chocolate industry falling under the spell of Fairtrade?
Khedir & Lescut: Farm workers deserve to be properly paid. Bruyerre is aware of this and therefore strives to select suppliers who respect Fairtrade. Besides, as the demand for more Fairtrade products is manifest and ever-growing, it is of utmost importance to take this parameter into account, especially since it helps contribute to develop small farmers’ wellness.
What’s your most successful product?
Khedir & Lescut: Our most successful product might be the chocolate roses. They come in four different flavours: white ganache, gianduja with dark chocolate cover, gianduja with milk chocolate cover and praline with red fruit.
Basically, it’s a unique concept. We have developed this product to bring something new into the market. The chocolate roses can be used for all purposes. Event planners love the idea of making a splendid bouquet of decoration, Romeos can flatter their Juliets by offering them a delicious red rose, and hoteliers know their establishments will gain in prestige if their guests can find a nice box of two chocolate roses on the suite bed.
The success of our bouquet of chocolate roses at Gulfood, displayed for this special occasion, was simply amazing.
Do you still produce new products as much as you used to, before the recession kicked in?
Khedir & Lescut: In this sector, it’s a necessity to approach every season with new products, recession or not. As a matter of fact, one needs to be even more imaginative in terms of product research and development when facing less thriving times. However, you cannot really talk about recession when it comes to chocolate, for the simple reason that people usually choose not to overlook this fantastic commodity reputed for fighting depression!
What’s the most challenging aspect of global chocolate distribution, and how are you managing to overcome it?
Khedir & Lescut: Like wine, chocolate can be easily damaged by heat and humidity. The former can melt it while the latter whitens it. In addition, too much light oxidises the product, and it turns rancid. As you can imagine, it’s not an easy business to ship chocolates to the UAE, for example, where the temperature reaches 50°C.
You must be certain that in every step of the whole process, the chocolates will be maintained at 15-18°C and in a dry place. That’s the challenge about chocolate: it’s a precious material that must be handled accordingly.
What’s next for Bruyerre?
Khedir & Lescut: For one century on, Bruyerre’s main objective has remained unchanged: to satisfy chocolate connoisseurs by proposing exquisite products, attractive packaging and unequalled service. Yet, because sometimes it’s the chocolate that has to go to the mouth and not the other way around, Bruyerre will expand its activity to new markets … for the pleasure of new chocolate lovers, we hope.
Nicolas Khedir is Middle East export manager for Bruyerre, and Bruno Lescut is export sales manager.
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