"It
all started when a husband and wife team, Jean-Philippe and
Valérie, realized that the Internet provided them an
opportunity to share their love and passion for supreme quality,
hand-made French chocolates with the world. In their travels they
discovered that most people had never experienced the singularly
scrumptious chocolates that are the exclusive domain of smaller, less
known artisanal craftsmen. They resolved to seek out the preeminent
regional French chocolatiers and make their chocolate masterworks
available over the Internet. With this mission, zChocolat.com was
born in April, 2000."
"zChocolat
searches out the best, lesser known, hand-made chocolate makers and
assembles a select grouping based on their complimentary regional
specialties. The couple moved to the Provence region of France from
their home in New Hope, Pennsylvania and began their business from
their home in Aix-en-Provence. They spent every spare moment
traveling throughout France seeking out the very best local artisanal
chocolatiers. Once a master artisan was found, the brokers faced
their most daunting challenge -- convincing them to offer their
beloved creations online, through zChocolat, their newly created firm."
"The
chocolates sold on zChocolat are not available anywhere else in
France save that artisan’s shop (let alone the rest of the
world). Each piece is handmade, all ingredients are outstandingly
fresh, with many key ingredients originating from each
chocolatier’s immediate region. The fat and sugar content in
French chocolate is relatively low, the cocoa content very
high—imbuing them with rich, enticing flavors and splendid
textures. Many regional ingredients such as selected ripe nuts, honey
and lavender are so rare they are not even available in other parts
of France."
"Jean-Philippe
and Valérie’s rigorous and passionate pursuit of their
vision has been recognized and acknowledged frequently from the very start."
"Further
distinguishing zChocolat’s superb chocolate gifts from the rest
of the crowd, are its beautiful, unique and varied packaging and
customization options unmatched in the market. From its exquisitely
decorated mahogany boxes (Signature Series) to its grand line of
themed gift baskets, zChocolat offers gifts for every occasion."
"Today
zChocolat.com is headquartered in Aix-en-Provence, keeps its
logistics center in Forcalquier, France and maintains its US based
offices in Ojai, CA."
"Their
sweet beginning became even sweeter -- Valerie and Jean-Philippe
were blessed with the arrival of their twins, Lea and Jeremy."
