Chocolate in the various forms had been a great fixture of the European diet since it was first imported by Spain from Mexico in the sixteenth century. Consumed at first in liquid form, by the late seventeenth century chocolate was a popular flavouring for the cakes and the pastry, and soon Switzerland and Belgium had become the world centres of the chocolate candy making.
So when Joseph Drapes founded his chocolate company in Brussels in the year 1926, he was not exactly breaking any new ground. True, Drapes had been perfected a method of making his rich "boutique" chocolates smoother than the competition's, and he also understood the major importance of the fancy packaging to a luxury brand's success. But it fell to Drape’s son, who took over the business a few years later, to come up with the key to building a worldwide chocolate empire, and to do it he drew on one of Europe's most enduring folk tales.
According to legend, Lord Leofric of Coventry in the eleventh century, England was never so happy as when he was levying a new and onerous tax on his subjects. Leofric raids on the pocketbooks of the populace drew loud protest, but he remained unmoved. Finally, even his wife, Lady Godiva, felt compelled to intercede on the people's behalf, and in order to change his mind she offered Leofric an intriguing deal. She would ride through the streets of the Coventry, wearing nothing but her long hair, if Leofric would cut the taxes. Convinced she was bluffing, Leofric agreed. But true to her word, Lady Godiva then disrobed, hopped on her horse, and trotted through town. Leofric, impressed by her chutzpah, then kept his side of the deal and slashed taxes.
What Lord Leofric apparently did not know, however, was that Lady Godiva had particularly announced her ride in advance and requested that the villagers stay inside with their shutters closed for the duration of her excursion. Given a choice between seeing the lord's wife naked and the lower taxes, they naturally chose the tax cut and thus Lady Godiva's dignity remained unsullied.
While Godiva chocolate is noticeably absent from the story of Lady Godiva's ride, Draps recognized that the legend was known throughout Europe and North America, and the fact that the name Godiva conjured up both the wealth and nudity was unlikely to hurt sales, to put it mildly. So Joseph Draps, Jr., launched Godiva Chocolatiers and began marketing the luxury handmade chocolates across Europe and, eventually, in the United States. Today the distinctive Godiva gold ballotin, or treasure chest, is among the most widely recognized symbols of luxury in the entire world.
For further details about godiva and godiva chocolate please visit the website.
So when Joseph Drapes founded his chocolate company in Brussels in the year 1926, he was not exactly breaking any new ground. True, Drapes had been perfected a method of making his rich "boutique" chocolates smoother than the competition's, and he also understood the major importance of the fancy packaging to a luxury brand's success. But it fell to Drape’s son, who took over the business a few years later, to come up with the key to building a worldwide chocolate empire, and to do it he drew on one of Europe's most enduring folk tales.
According to legend, Lord Leofric of Coventry in the eleventh century, England was never so happy as when he was levying a new and onerous tax on his subjects. Leofric raids on the pocketbooks of the populace drew loud protest, but he remained unmoved. Finally, even his wife, Lady Godiva, felt compelled to intercede on the people's behalf, and in order to change his mind she offered Leofric an intriguing deal. She would ride through the streets of the Coventry, wearing nothing but her long hair, if Leofric would cut the taxes. Convinced she was bluffing, Leofric agreed. But true to her word, Lady Godiva then disrobed, hopped on her horse, and trotted through town. Leofric, impressed by her chutzpah, then kept his side of the deal and slashed taxes.
What Lord Leofric apparently did not know, however, was that Lady Godiva had particularly announced her ride in advance and requested that the villagers stay inside with their shutters closed for the duration of her excursion. Given a choice between seeing the lord's wife naked and the lower taxes, they naturally chose the tax cut and thus Lady Godiva's dignity remained unsullied.
While Godiva chocolate is noticeably absent from the story of Lady Godiva's ride, Draps recognized that the legend was known throughout Europe and North America, and the fact that the name Godiva conjured up both the wealth and nudity was unlikely to hurt sales, to put it mildly. So Joseph Draps, Jr., launched Godiva Chocolatiers and began marketing the luxury handmade chocolates across Europe and, eventually, in the United States. Today the distinctive Godiva gold ballotin, or treasure chest, is among the most widely recognized symbols of luxury in the entire world.
For further details about godiva and godiva chocolate please visit the website.
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