Godiva Chocolatier is an international chocolate and coffee company. As one of the biggest chocolate manufacturers in the world, the chocolate factory has six hundred plus shops across Europe, Canada, the United States, and Asia.
In 2022, Godiva Chocolatier will be a 95 years old company. Let’s find out where this nearly a century-old company manufactures its chocolate in 2024.
Yildiz Holding and MBK Partners manufacture Godiva chocolate in Brussels, Belgium, to supply the chocolate internationally.
However, the chocolate company has a production facility in Reading, Pennsylvania, for North American countries. The facility in Pennsylvania produces the same amount of Godiva chocolate as the Belgian plant.
Is Godiva chocolate made in the USA?
The answer is yes. In Pennsylvania, USA, Godiva Chocolatier has a chocolate manufacturing facility. Godiva supplies its chocolate in the following country and Canada from this factory.
In 1966, Godiva first came to the USA to sell its products, and its chocolate was a hit in this country’s market. At that time, Godiva chocolate was only found in supermarkets and shopping malls.
Finally, due to its popularity in the American market, Godiva opened its first shop in New York in 1972. At that time, Campbell Soup Company was its parent company.
As its demand increased, the company had to establish a manufacturing facility in Reading, Pennsylvania. This factory is currently working to fulfill the consumers’ demands of Western countries.
Is Godiva chocolate made in China?
As of 2022, Godiva Chocolatier supplies its chocolate in 80 countries worldwide, including China. However, the company does not have any chocolate manufacturing facility in China.
To supply Godiva chocolate in European and Asian countries, the company produces its delicious chocolates in Brussels, Belgium. Godiva Chocolatier has only two factories globally from where it manufactures chocolate for consumers worldwide.
Related Read: Where is Cadbury Chocolate
Who manufactures Godiva Chocolate?
In 2022, Yildiz Holding and MBK Partners are manufacturing Godiva chocolate. Yildiz Holding has been working as the Godiva chocolate producer since December 2007. Later in 2019, MBK Partners purchased shares and began working with Yildiz.
Yildiz Holding is a Turkish multi-industry company. It is famous for producing food products. Sabri Ulker and Asim Ulker established this company in 1944 in Istanbul, Turkey.
On the other hand, MBK Partners is a North Asian-based private equity firm. It was founded in 2005. Michael ByungJu Kim established this firm, and in 2022, it has six billion dollars in assets under management.
Where does Godiva source its chocolate?
Godiva is a massive chocolate company. Its chocolate has a vast demand worldwide. Children to adults, domestics to restaurants, everywhere uses its chocolate. So, it needs many cocoa beans to manufacture such an immense amount of chocolate.
Around 70 percent of Godiva’s total raw cocoa beans come from African countries, including Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. The company acquires fresh cocoa beans at a low price from these countries.
How much does Godiva chocolate cost?
Godiva is one of the most popular chocolate manufacturers in the market. Besides being delicious, there are some other reasons behind its popularity. And one of them is its pricing.
In the general case, in the USA, a bar of chocolate costs around six to seven dollars. However, Godiva is a cheaper option. You can buy this brand’s chocolate bar for less than 5.5 dollars.
Moreover, on the Godiva website, you will find the chocolate gift boxes prices. The rate depends on how many pieces of chocolate the chocolate box has. Generally, a 36-piece Godiva chocolate box costs 54 dollars, which is cheaper than most brands.
Where can I buy Godiva chocolate?
The supply chain of Godiva Chocolatier is massive. This company distributes its chocolate in more than 80 countries. It has more than 600 shops worldwide. Some of the countries where Godiva exports chocolate, including
- The USA
- Canada
- South American countries
- The UK
- European countries
- The Middle Eastern countries
- East Asian countries
- South Asian countries
Besides these countries, you will find Godiva chocolate in almost every state in the USA. Moreover, some retailers sell this brand’s chocolate on online platforms, such as
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Target
- Barnes & Noble
- Macy’s
Does Hershey own Godiva?
The answer is no. Hershey does not own Godiva. Even though both are famous chocolate companies, there is no connection between these two.
Hershey is an American multi-racial company. Like Godiva, it is also one of the largest chocolate manufacturers worldwide. However, unlike Godiva, it has other product line up besides chocolate, including
- Milkshakes
- Cookies
- Cakes
- Other Baked Products
What country owns Godiva chocolate?
Godiva Chocolatier Company’s nationality is Belgian. However, its parent companies are not from that country. One of the parent companies, Yildiz Holding, is Turkish by nationality.
On the other hand, in 2019, MBK Partners bought shares of Godiva. It is also a non-Belgian company. Its origin is South Korea. In other words, Turkish and South Korean companies are the owners of this chocolate company.
Is Godiva ethically sourced?
Sorry to inform you that Godiva chocolate is not made ethically. According to Green America, Godiva’s 70 percent cocoa beans come from third-world countries, such as Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
The company does not pay the farmers of those countries on a proper scale. In addition, their payment is below one dollar per day. This wage amount breaks the labor law, but the chocolate company has nothing to say about such bad ethics.
Sources
- https://www.godiva.com/careersGodivaHistory/careersGodivaHistory.html – Govida Chocolatier History (Godiva)
- https://english.yildizholding.com.tr/our-products/food/godiva/ – Godiva Chocolatier Owner (Yildiz Holding)
- https://www.greenamerica.org/godiva-end-child-labor# – Godiva Using Child Labor For Cocoa Farming (Green America)