We are a young company with a long past, and a small team with a big heart. This is the story of how it all began…

Did you know that The Belgian Chocolate Makers was founded during one of the most complicated periods in recent history, at the height of the coronavirus crisis and Belgium’s first lockdown?

Gudrun, an industrial group from Flanders directed by their investment fund Down 2 Earth Capital, took advantage of the Covid pandemic to close down the Zaabar chocolaterie and relocate their production lines to Poland. The entire Zaabar team learned of the bankruptcy through a single phone call from the appointed administrator on 30/03/2020.

Abandoned by Gudrun and their financial advisors, the staff then decided to take their destiny into their own hands. Driven by the determination of Elisabetta Passafaro and Stéphane Perrin, they decided to revive the spirit of Zaabar by creating their own chocolate business: a small company rooted in ethics and locality, crafting chocolate exclusively from sustainable and traceable cacao.

"The pandemic amplified an already challenging moment for me, making the need for self-expression more essential than ever. Lockdown disrupted my routine but also gave me the space to reflect on my long-term goals. That’s when I decided to turn a dream into reality and launch my own chocolate brand."

Elisabetta Passafaro is our chef chocolatier. At just 26 years old, she has already launched three chocolate stores, a huge 170m2 training centre, two chocolate laboratories, and a bean-to-bar factory in the heart of Brussels. She created her own registered brand, The Belgian Chocolate Makers®, and even developed a signature selection of pure origin cacao bars sourced from Congo and the Philippines. Today, she is beginning to expand her vision beyond Belgium.

A graduate of the Accademia Maestri Cioccolatieri Italiani, Elisabetta was awarded Master 2018 with an impressive score of 94/100. During her training, she embarked on a life-changing journey through Brazil, immersing herself in the world of cocoa. She met and learned from growers and producers, lived in the jungle, shared meals with Amazonian communities, and took part in chocolate tastings with South American researchers. It was during this experience that she discovered chocolate was not only her craft but her calling—so much so that she had a large cocoa pod tattooed on her shoulder as a lifelong reminder of her passion.

Today, our team counts 16 passionate collaborators who share the same dedication. Together, in 2024, we proudly achieved a turnover of €1,300,000, proof that hard work, authenticity, and passion truly pay off.

Back in Europe after her first trip in the Brazilian cacao palantation, Elisabetta was eager to deepen her knowledge of Belgian chocolate. Through an Erasmus+ internship program, she arrived in Belgium in mid-2018. Already experienced in chocolate making, she joined the Zaabar chocolaterie as an intern. But fate had other plans: just days before Belgium’s first lockdown, Zaabar was declared bankrupt.

By March 2020, as three and a half billion people around the world were confined, Elisabetta suddenly found herself without a job. Yet she decided to stay in Belgium and turn this setback into a challenge. She decided to launch her own brand to share her true passion for handmade chocolate.

Elisabetta partnered with Patricia and Stéphane, two colleagues she had met at Zaabar. Patricia, a graduate in pastry with experience managing several stores, and Stéphane, with a strong background in international business management, brought complementary strengths to the team. Within just a few days, they secured a building in the heart of Brussels to open their first chocolate shop.

With only their personal savings, and no outside investors, they set up the company in record time. Once the administrative and financial hurdles were overcome, the three co-founders committed to building a sustainable business with a legacy to be proud of. That’s where our promise of 100% handcrafted in Brussels with ethical cacao was born.

From the very outset, the founders of The Belgian Chocolate Makers received the confidence and support of key financial partners, including ING Bank, Grenke and Finance Brussels. This early backing provided the stability and resources required to transform a vision into a tangible entrepreneurial project.

Within only a few weeks, the company was formally established and operations began in Brussels. The founding team, though small in size, quickly demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability. They were confronted with significant operational and financial challenges, compounded by the uncertainty of the global pandemic, yet managed to overcome each obstacle through determination, careful planning, and strong teamwork.

Step by step, what began as an ambitious idea evolved into a fully operational business model built on sustainable growth and ethical practices. Today, our brand stands as a testament to how commitment, strategic partnerships, and the ability to adapt under pressure can turn an entrepreneurial vision into a long-term reality.

The vision became reality on 8th of June 8 2020, with the opening of the first store in the heart of Brussels. From the outset, the founders demonstrated their commitment by securing an initial order of four tons of cocoa, laying the foundations for a sustainable bean-to-bar production model.

Since then, the company has experienced steady growth. In 2023, it achieved a turnover of €1,200,000, and in both 2024 and 2025 this figure was successfully consolidated, confirming both the resilience of the business model and the strong market demand for authentic, ethically crafted Belgian chocolate.