Cluizel: Chocolate Excellence & Innovation from France

Since its founding in 1948, Manufacture Cluizel has been at the forefront of the bean-to-bar movement. The 3rd generation family-owned French chocolate company started small but now has operations around the world and delights customers with high quality chocolate bars and a wide variety of confections.

History

The story of Manufacture Cluizel Paris begins with Marc and Marcelle Cluizel, a visionary couple who relocated to Damville (recently renamed Mesnils-sur-Iton), Normandy, after Marcelle inherited a property in the then 500-people village. A pastry chef by trade, Marc quickly realized that the small population couldn’t sustain a pastry shop, so he and his wife started crafting chocolate bonbons in their home kitchen instead, selling them to friends in Paris and the surrounding area. The couple quickly outgrew their space and opened a factory in the tiny village. Manufacture Cluizel was born.

Guitare Candy Slicer photo credit Manufacture Cluizel

From these early days, the company made a name for itself for its commitment to quality and innovation. “At the beginning, my grandparents were working with couverture chocolate, but my grandfather was a visionary and always wanted to make chocolate from scratch,” explains Catherine Cluizel, the granddaughter of founder Marc Cluizel now in charge of the 6 Cluizel retail locations across Paris, France, as well as the suburbs.

As the company expanded, Manufacture Cluizel honed its expertise as a chocolate-maker, chocolatier, and candy-maker. The product portfolio is a direct reflection of the skills available in-house.

Products

Single Estate Dark Chocolate Minis photo credit Cluizel

With a cacao percentage in the 70-75% cacao range, the single estate dark chocolate bars will appeal to most connoisseurs. Labeled "grands crus," a nod to the world of French fine wine, the bars carry the name of the estate where the cacao originates. Los Ancones (Dominican Republic), Mangaro (Madagascar), and Mokaya (Mexico) are a few of the names you’ll recognize on the colorful wrappers.

Some of the more popular, sweeter items include cacao hazelnut spreads, chocolate energy bars, single estate milk chocolate, as well as inclusion bars, such as caramelized hazelnut and fig milk chocolate.

A classic gifting item, the bonbon boxes feature a series of mix of dark and milk ganache, as well as praliné, the caramelized hazelnut and almond paste commonly used in French sweets. To illustrate the company's meticulous approach to quality, Jacques Dahan, general manager of Cluizel USA, likes referring to the process behind that famous praliné. “When I joined the company, [Marc’s son and then CEO] Michel Cluizel explained that the company only buys ripe hazelnuts, which are more expensive but also have more fat and taste better. We use large, calibrated hazelnuts, which helps ensure every single nut is evenly roasted. We then cool them at room temperature instead of using a cooling tunnel.” The result is a rich paste, without any off or bitter note. The Praliné Spread is a delicious product that you can eat with a spoon.

Sourcing & Innovations

A cornerstone of Cluizel’s philosophy is their direct relationship with cacao farmers. The company coined the term cacaofévier® to reflect their unique role in the chocolate-making process. Named after his grandfather, current CEO Marc Cluizel explains the importance of getting involved at origin. Says Marc, “Fermentation is the most important contributor to flavor development in chocolate. And while farmers of course consume cacao beans, they do it in a different way than us [French people]. The fermentation protocol must this be adapted to Western taste, so we work closely with farmers to help develop specific aromatic notes.”

On the topic of fair-trade sourcing, Marc Cluizel is emphatic: “We don’t have written contracts in place with farmers. Real fair trade is a relationship between two people where everyone is free to start and stop as they wish, and we pay to up to four times [the commodity price] for some of cacao beans.”

As Manufacture Cluizel grew, the company continued to push the boundaries of innovation, like omitting soy lecithin in their couverture chocolate. Lecithin, a commonly used emulsifier, is often used as a cheaper alternative to cocoa butter.

In 1989, the company was the first to introduce a 99% chocolate bar. At the time, no other company had dared to make this bold move and it took another decade for a mass-produced company to follow suit.

In 2002, the company opened a chocolate museum in their Normandy manufacture. Known as the Chocolatrium, the space welcomes visitors 5 days a week. During the 90-minute tour, visitors learn about the chocolate-making process, while appreciating Cluizel’s focus on quality. This initiative was successful, so when Manufacture Cluizel moved their US headquarters to West Berlin, New Jersey in 2007, they made the Chocolatrium an integral part of their plans. Today, visitors from the Philadelphia area regularly book tours with Jacques Dahan to learn the history of cacao and the chocolate-making process.

In 2021, Cluizel updated their single origin formulations and packaging, incorporating QR codes that lead to immersive sensory experiences about the origins of their chocolate. When scanned, the code leads to “Les Sens du Cho c olat” website. Visitors are invited to a narrated chocolate tasting after learning about the landscape of each cacao estate.

Looking Forward

Manufacture Cluizel remains a family-owned business. As new challenges arise, such as rising cacao prices, Marc feels grounded in the history of the company. Says Marc, “It’s a lot of pressure to inherit a family business, but my grandfather passed on the values of the company, and I’ve always been respectful of them. Our history allows us to continue evolving while staying true to our original values.”