With an eye towards the iconic brand's 2026 centennial, GODIVA's chocolatiers set out to kick-off the celebration with a brand-new collection for the United States – something even beyond the traditional and beloved GODIVA collections that have become a cornerstone of American gift-giving since 1966, when the brand and its iconic Gold Ballotins first entered the U.S. market.
"To create this collection, I personally traveled to Brussels with a select team of chocolatiers with a mission to build a collection that represents the absolute best of GODIVA. Soon after arriving, we surrounded ourselves with hundreds of different chocolates and confections – all painstakingly crafted and perfected over the course of nearly 10 decades," Carlos Canals, Managing Director for pladis Americas, said. "After much debating and tasting, we ultimately hand-selected the pieces for our Heritage Collection – a first-of-its-kind GODIVA offering in the U.S."
This labor of love resulted in an instantly iconic collection in every way possible, a carefully designed assortment of luxury made-in-Brussels chocolates and confections, all aimed at celebrating the daring flavors and tastes of Belgian chocolate in its purest form -- including all-natural and GMO-free ingredients that go into each piece to further reflect the refinement and Belgitude of the Heritage Collection. This collection is made for and honors the true chocolate connoisseurs, who have helped make GODIVA a brand synonymous with premium chocolate since its founding in 1926.
The launch of GODIVA's Heritage collection comes only five months after Steve Lesnard joined the iconic brand as President. A native of France, Steve took the helm of GODIVA in May and is already steering the brand into an exciting and dynamic new direction while paying homage to the legacy and heritage of the nearly century-old Belgian leader in premium chocolate.
"We are kicking-off the countdown to our centennial with the release of our limited-edition Belgian Heritage Collection," Steve Lesnard, President – GODIVA, said. "This collection, which is an exclusive offer for the United States, is a celebration of our roots and the Belgian craftsmanship that made our brand a global chocolate sensation.
"From our multi-sensorial and proprietary rich dark chocolate couverture, the foundation of our core GODIVA experience -- to the thin and crispy chocolate shell that delivers a feast for the senses when combined with our soft centers, to crafting with all the ingredients you'd expect of a premium chocolate maison. This gift of GODIVA brings the delicious and complex flavors from Brussels to American consumers. We are offering them the ultimate chocolate experience and a glimpse at the future of GODIVA – a relevant brand steeped in masterful tradition and grounded in craftsmanship, creativity, and cultural relevance."
GODIVA's Belgian Heritage Collection includes unique pieces, like:
Ruby G: GODIVA's first foray into ruby cacao, a new variety that boasts a rose red coloration from a specialty mixing process, creating a confection that provides hints of berries paired with a dark chocolate ganache.
Egerie Noir: Created first for our 90th anniversary, Egerie Noir celebrates GODIVA's heritage with an iconic "stamp" of Lady GODIVA, our namesake, on horseback, with a scarlet raspberry filling that demonstrates our expertise in combining intense fruit flavors with rich dark chocolate.
Milk Chocolate Cube: What appears at first to be a simple chocolate cube contains a revelation of taste -- combining traditional Belgian flavors of Sirop de Leige and Speculoos cookie enrobed by GODIVA's signature milk chocolate. All of this makes the piece a virtual journey through the streets and shoppes of Brussels in a single bite.
Iconique: A celebration of GODIVA in a single bite – delectable milk chocolate with a rich Belgian hazelnut praline filling, embossed with the heraldry of Lady Godiva on her horse, the legendary image that inspired Chef Draps all those years ago.
Paris Brest: Inspired by Parisian patisserie, this brings a dark chocolate almond praliné ganache mixed with a crunchy hazelnut mousse tucked inside a dark chocolate shell topped with a caramel crumble.
Lingot d'or: Our signature hazelnut praliné elevated with extra dark chocolate and roasted hazelnuts, wrapped in a golden foil.
Golden Moon: An iconic piece first seen in GODIVA's Asian markets, this piece brings chocolate vanilla mousse with biscuit crumbles & almond praliné in a dark chocolate moon shape, topped with a gold glittering shell reminiscent of caramel brulée.
G-Macadamia: A luscious milk chocolate shell filled with GODIVA's signature hazelnut praliné, dotted throughout with caramelized macadamia nuts and buttery biscuits crisps
White Chocolate Heart: Pierre Draps' iconic 'Coeur de Bruxelles' -- with a buttery white chocolate shell giving way to our traditional praliné filling. This piece was made as a tribute to Brussels, the city that Pierre Draps loved deeply.
Cocoa Pod: Paying homage to the building block of all chocolate, a dark chocolate shell inspired by the cocoa pod, filled with a dark chocolate ganache made of 64% Costa Rican dark chocolate cacao and fresh juice from the cocoa pod.
Croconoir: Smooth and silky dark chocolate ganache enrobed in a crocodile inspired dark chocolate shape.
Twilight Duet: A carefully choreographed ballet of GODIVA's signature milk chocolate with our lavish dark chocolate ganache, accented with a layer of 64% cacao dark chocolate on top.
These chocolates and confections are complemented by a box that blends GODIVA's iconic Gold Box and the original design of GODIVA's iconic boutiques -- boasting flourishes on each side of the ballotin mirroring the Art Nouveau style. The artistic style is emblematic of an early 1900s movement and is still seen today in the historic homes of Belgium, where our founder, Pierre Draps, became a master chocolatier and founded GODIVA.
To celebrate this first-of-its-kind launch for GODIVA in the United States, Macy's Herald Square flagship in New York City will be featuring a three-panel window installation taking viewers on a journey celebrating the magic of GODIVA's Belgian Heritage Collection, boasting larger-than-life recreations of this limited time offering. This special showing will only be on view from October 17 through October 31.
The Belgian Heritage Collection launches with 8pc. and 15pc. boxes, including an assortment of a dozen meticulously crafted artisan indulgences, now available for a limited time exclusively with Macy's (8pc., 15pc.), Bloomingdale's (8pc., 15pc.), GODIVA.com, and in select DFS Global Travel Retail locations.
pladis
pladis is one of the world's fastest growing snacking companies and its portfolio includes much loved brands including McVitie's, GODIVA and Ülker. pladis also owns regional brands Jacob's, Go Ahead, Flipz, Turtles, BN, Verkade and many more products across sweet and savoury biscuits, wafer, cake, and chocolate.
Formed in 2016, pladis is the proud steward of over 300 years of family baking and confectionery experience. The expertise of its 16,000-strong global workforce spans 27 bakeries across 11 countries and is founded on collaboration, agility and resilience. As a responsible business, delivering the highest quality products and exceptional service, pladis' products have the potential to reach more than four billion people across the world.
As a global leader in premium chocolate, GODIVA was founded in Brussels in 1926 by master Belgian chocolatier, Pierre Draps. It has an established global footprint across more than 100 markets where customers can expect to find GODIVA products in many fine retailers, online, and, depending on the market, at brick-and-mortar locations like boutiques and cafes.
GODIVA Company was acquired in 2008 by Yıldız Holding of Türkiye. pladis and the GODIVA Company are wholly owned subsidiaries of Yildiz Uluslararasi Gida Yatirimlari AS.
www.pladisglobal.com
SOURCE GODIVA Chocolatier
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