Godiva Chocolatier is a manufacturer of premium chocolates and related products. Godiva, founded in Belgium in 1926, was purchased by Turkish Yıldız Holding, owner of the Ülker Group, on Nov 20th, 2007.[1][2][3][4] Godiva owns and operates more than 450 retail boutiques and shops in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia and is available via over 10,000 speciality retailers.[5]
In addition to chocolates, Godiva also sells truffles, coffee, cocoa, biscuits, dipped fruits and sweets, chocolate liqueur, Shakes, wedding and party favors and other items arranged in gift baskets. Godiva's signature package is the Gold Ballotin (French for "small, elegant box of chocolates"). Godiva also produces seasonal and limited-edition chocolates with special packaging for all major holidays. Godiva also has license agreements for the production of ice cream, cheesecake, coffee pods and liqueur that comes in several chocolate-related flavors.
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Godiva was founded in 1926 in Brussels, Belgium, by Joseph Draps who opened his first boutique in the Grand Place in Brussels under its present name, in honour of the legend of Lady Godiva.[6] The first Godiva shop outside Belgium was opened in Paris on the fashionable Rue St. Honoré in 1958. In 1966, the company's products reached the United States, where they were sold at luxury strip malls. The following year, it was purchased by the Campbell Soup Company. In 1972, the first Godiva boutique in North America was opened on New York's Fifth Avenue.[7]
By 2007 Godiva had annual sales of approximately $500 million. In August of that year, Campbell Soup Company announced it was "exploring strategic alternatives, including possible divestiture, for its Godiva Chocolatier business"; the company said the "premium chocolate business does not fit with Campbell's strategic focus on simple meals".[8]
On December 20, 2007, Campbell announced that it entered into an agreement to sell Godiva to Istanbul, Turkey, based Yıldız Holding, which owns Ülker group, the largest consumer goods manufacturer in the Turkish food industry.[1][9] The acquisition was completed on March 18, 2008, for $850 million.[10]
Godiva continues to operate and own more than 450 shops worldwide. The company issues six seasonal mail order catalogs a year in the USA and also accepts online and telephone orders for their products. Godiva chocolate are also sold in local malls and mini shops.