The delicious Syrian chocolate flavors uprising in the country known by the name of Ghraoui Chocolate was once a dream. Syria had always faced atrocities of war with poor economic conditions. The old tradition of introducing new chocolate variants splendid with unique taste touched millions of hearts in Syria.
The Ghraoui Chocolates, a dream of the Ghraoui family, and they stepped into the market in 1805. Since its inception in Damascus, it continued to attract people by offering some gold and silver ornaments with the box of chocolates. In 1931, the company shared its first set of flavors with the middle eastern countries and became famous. They also managed to win many awards by the Queen of England.
What happened in the year 1960?
In 1960, with the beginning of the time of darkness in Syrian economic conditions, Ghraoui Chocolates disappeared from the market twice. Amid the problematic situations, older chocolate tycoons managed to start their business and stepped the ladder of success in 2005 by winning the ‘Prix d’honneur’ award in Paris.
This determination was about to fall with the Syrian Civil war. The biggest and worst nightmare that turned into reality was the closure of the Syrian Chocolate Factory. Mr. Gharoui, known by the name of Bassam S. Ghraoui, flew to Paris with his wife Rania and decided not to return to their home country. With the invasion of the Syrian civil war, the 200 years old Syrian Chocolate factory stopped its operations.
The real motivation
Motivation gathered after facing crises resulted in the advent of a boutique in Budapest, Hungary. Mr. Ghraoui always had an idea of making Syrian Chocolates again without vanishing the name of it. The luxurious boutique started working with 65 employees, embarking with some old skilled fellows from Syria. The unique ingredients of cocoa from the Dominican Republic with the essence of fruits and minimum sugar level formed pure and mouth-watering chocolates.
Rania always believed in some creativity that can result in a fantastic product. The creativity of Bruno Moinard inspired Mr. Gharaoui. The work was related to the Cartier boutique with designs for catching the eye of every person. He called up Bruni Moinard to set up a store with some designs of traditional houses and landmarks involving the old heritage and culture of Damascus.
Conclusion
There is always a struggle before entering the doors of success. The Ghraoui family is planning to open a new store in February in Dubai, followed by Paris. The hope of opening a store again in Syria is still an ambition, and the Ghraoui family believes in determination and success, which will hopefully turn into a big reality one day.
