Valrhona
 |
|
| Type | Subsidiary of Bongrain |
|---|---|
| Industry | Confectionery production |
| Founded | 1922 |
| Headquarters | Tain-l'Hermitage, France |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Chocolates |
| Employees | 350[1] (2004) |
| Website | www.valrhona.com |
Valrhona is a French luxury chocolate manufacturer based in the small town of Tain-l'Hermitage in Hermitage, a wine-growing district near Lyon.[2] It is now a subsidiary of Bongrain.[3][4] The company was founded in 1922[5] by a French pastry chef, Albéric Guironnet, from the Rhône valley and has five subsidiaries and 60 local distributors across the globe. It is one of the leading producers of gastronomic chocolate in the world.[6] The company also maintains the École du Grand Chocolat, a school for professional chefs with a focus on chocolate-based dishes and pastries.
Valrhona focuses mainly on high-grade luxury chocolate marketed for commercial use by chefs as well as for private consumption.[6] Though considered one of the foremost chocolate makers in the world, Valrhona is in roughly the same price range as Godiva and Neuhaus.[7] The product line includes chocolate confectionery, plain and flavored chocolate bars and bulk chocolate in bars or pellets. Valrhona produces vintage chocolate made from beans of a single year's harvest from a specific plantation, primarily the Grand Crus which is grown in South America, Oceania and the Caribbean. Currently three brands of vintage chocolates – Ampamakia, Gran Couva and Palmira – are in production with plantations on Madagascar, Trinidad and in Venezuela respectively.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Les Valrhona veulent travailler plus". Le Parisien (in French). 13 December 2004. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ Terrio, Susan Jane (2000). Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate. University of California Press. pp. 279–. ISBN 9780520923942. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ "Valrhona peaufine son process à l'ancienne". L'usine Nouvelle (in French). February 9, 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ Rosenblum, Mort (2006-10-17). Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light. Macmillan. pp. 150–. ISBN 9780865477308. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ [1] Valrhona
- ^ a b Collins, Glenn. "Hoping Chefs Will Melt for Tcho Chocolate". November 2, 2010. New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
- ^ International Herald Tribune, "Valrhona May Be Best, but Not Most Expensive : For Chocolate Lovers, Offer a Taste of Paradise" by Conrad de Aenlle. December 18 1999.
