Chocolaterie Pierre

What Chocolaterie Pierre does

Chocolaterie Pierre is a family-owned artisanal chocolate maker founded in 1994 in Hillegom, Netherlands, and currently operated by the third generation of the van Soest family. The company produces handmade bonbons and truffles (a 50+ SKU assortment), chocolate bars and tablets (including personalized printed tablets), gift packages, and a proprietary dark chocolate blend called Pierre Noir, alongside an 18-flavor artisanal scoop ice cream line introduced in 2004 and a proprietary coffee blend (Café Pierre Noir) added in 2025. Production is conducted in an open in-store kitchen visible to customers — a format the company highlights as an early differentiator dating to its founding. The company also sells Callebaut chocolate callets and hot chocolate products for home baking.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer omnichannel model through two physical retail locations — the Hillegom headquarters at Hoofdstraat 138 and a Haarlem branch at Kleine Houtstraat 1 — plus a Netherlands-wide e-commerce webshop with same-day shipping for orders placed before 13:00 on business days and free shipping over €45. Revenue streams include in-store retail sales, online webshop transactions, scoop ice cream service, experiential offerings (chocolate workshops, children's workshops, High Tea and High Choc experiences, on-location mobile ice cream bar), and customized corporate gifts (relatiegeschenken) and wedding bonbons (trouwbonbons with custom photos and names). Unit pricing spans bonbon boxes at €14.50–€36.95, tablets at €7.25–€8.75, and gift packages at €17.95–€72.95, with no subscription model.

The customer base is distributed across four named segments — individual consumers (primary, for personal consumption, gifting, and seasonal occasions), corporate/business clients (corporate gifting and client appreciation), wedding clients (personalized favors and bridal-party gifts), and celebration/occasion buyers (birthdays, anniversaries, graduations). The company is privately held by the van Soest family with no external institutional investors and no disclosed funding rounds; it is registered at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK 62882). Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, no app or public API exists, and payment processing relies on iDEAL, PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, and invoice options, with MyParcel (PostNL) handling fulfillment.

Name

Chocolaterie Pierre

Legal name

Chocolaterie Pierre

Website

https://chocolateriepierre.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chocolaterie Pierre is a third-generation family-owned artisanal chocolate maker in the Netherlands, producing handmade bonbons, tablets, ice cream, and gift packages via two retail stores in Hillegom and Haarlem plus a national webshop, serving individual consumers, corporate clients, and wedding buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Confectionery

NAICS

Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate (311352), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Chocolate & Confectionery Patisseries (Bonbons, Truffles, Macarons) (THAFAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chocolate & Confectionery Shops (THAFAGAD), Dessert Cafes (Coffee + Desserts) (THAFADAH)

Keywords

• Artisanal chocolate making
• Handmade bonbons and truffles
• Gourmet gift packaging
• Artisanal scoop ice cream
• Chocolate workshop experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillegom

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Physical retail sales of artisanal chocolates, bonbons, truffles, and related products from two retail locations in Haarlem and Hillegom.
2. E-commerce/Webshop: Online sales of chocolates and gifts with home delivery across the Netherlands, with free shipping for orders over €45.
3. Ice Cream Sales: Artisanal scoop ice cream offered in 18 different flavors, available at retail locations.
4. Experiential Services: Revenue from chocolate workshops, children's workshops, High Tea, High Choc experiences, and on-location ice cream bar services.
5. Custom/Personalized Products: Sales of personalized chocolate tablets with custom text and images, wedding chocolates, and corporate gifts (relatiegeschenken).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chocolaterie Pierre is a family-owned artisanal chocolate maker that hand-produces bonbons, truffles, chocolate bars, and personalized chocolate tablets in an open production space visible to customers at its two retail locations in Hillegom and Haarlem, Netherlands. The company also produces 18 flavors of artisanal scoop ice cream, runs a nationwide e-commerce webshop for gift and consumer orders, and operates experiential offerings including chocolate workshops, children's workshops, High Tea/High Choc experiences, and a mobile ice cream bar for events.

Product overview

Chocolaterie Pierre is a family-owned Belgian-style artisanal chocolate shop founded in 1994 in Hillegom, Netherlands, now operating two retail locations in Haarlem and Hillegom plus a comprehensive webshop. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on handcrafted artisanal chocolates including bonbons, truffles, chocolate bars/tablets (with custom printing), and seasonal specialty items. The offering extends to curated gift packages for occasions (Valentine's, Mother's Day, Father's Day, weddings, anniversaries), an in-house artisanal scooped ice cream line (18 flavors), proprietary Pierre Noir chocolate blend and Café Pierre Noir coffee, chocolate-making and children's workshops, mobile ice cream bar services, and High Tea experiences with chocolate fondue. The webshop enables nationwide delivery of the full product range, while physical stores provide the complete in-store experience including ice cream service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pierre Noir: House blend of pure dark chocolate created by the company; also used for chocolate bars and bonbons.
• Café Pierre Noir

Products and services

• Bonbons en Truffels Handmade artisanal bonbons and truffles in numerous flavors (Pierre, Delicious, Florentine, Tulp, Mokkakuipje, Champagne truffel, Whiskey truffel, and many more), crafted by in-house chocolatiers and sold individually or in curated boxes. Targeted at consumers and gift buyers seeking premium Belgian-style artisanal chocolate.
• Chocolade Dessert-pakket Complete do-it-yourself chocolate dessert kit including all ingredients for a luxury chocolate dessert for approximately four persons (consumer adds milk). Targeted at home entertaining consumers.
• Luxe Box Bonbons (9, 16, or 25 pieces)
• Dubai Pistache-reep
• Chocolademousse
• Suikervrije Chocolade
• Repen en Tabletten
• Tabletten met Opdruk
• Cadeaupakketten
• Cadeaubon
• Chocolade Druppels (Callets)
• Hot Chocolate (callets for warm chocolate milk)
• Ambachtelijk Schepijs Artisanal scoop ice cream offered in 18 different flavors, available in-store at both Haarlem and Hillegom locations. Targeted at in-store retail consumers and visitors.
• IJsbar op Locatie (Mobile Ice Cream Bar)
• Chocolade Workshop
• Kinderworkshop (Children's Workshop)
• High Tea & High Choc
• High Tea Pakket (DIY)
• Trouwbonbons (Bruidswerken)
• Relatiegeschenken (Business Gifts)
• Café Pierre Noir Coffee Blend Proprietary in-house coffee blend created to complement the company's chocolate offerings, served in both retail locations and available for retail purchase. Targeted at consumers and visitors.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PaswerkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Paswerk, a social workplace organization. Mentioned in company news as a partnership/seminar arrangement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Neuhaus: Belgian premium chocolatier with company-owned boutiques selling Belgian pralines, truffles and seasonal gift assortments. Direct competitor on gourmet gift-box assortments and occasion-based chocolate gifting in the Benelux market.
• Pierre Marcolini: Belgian artisan chocolatier operating boutique shops selling bean-to-bar chocolates, bonbons, macarons and seasonal gift boxes. Closely comparable on artisanal craftsmanship, signature house blends, and boutique-shop retail format.
• Leonidas: Belgian chocolate shop chain selling handmade bonbons, truffles, pralines and seasonal assortments through owned boutiques and franchise stores. Closely comparable product mix (boxed bonbons, tablets, gift packages) and similar premium artisanal positioning to Chocolaterie Pierre.
• Maison Boissier: French premium chocolatier and patissier with boutique retail selling artisanal bonbons, pralines and seasonal French confections. Direct peer on gift-box assortments, signature house recipes and high-end occasion positioning.
• Hotel Chocolat: UK-headquartered premium chocolate retailer operating owned stores plus a substantial direct-to-consumer e-commerce and subscription business for chocolates, hampers and personalized gifts. Highly comparable omni-channel (store + webshop + corporate gifting) strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Droste: Dutch heritage chocolate and confectionery brand producing chocolate pastilles, bars, cocoa and seasonal specialties. Overlaps on chocolate confectionery and Benelux gifting occasions but operates at a mass-brand rather than boutique-artisanal tier.
• Godiva Chocolatier: Global premium Belgian-origin chocolate brand with boutiques worldwide selling boxed chocolates, truffles and seasonal gifts. Overlaps on the premium gift-box and corporate-gifting segments but at materially larger global scale than Pierre.
• Lindt & Sprüngli: Swiss premium chocolate manufacturer and retailer (Lindt, Ghirardelli, Caffarel) with a wide portfolio across bars, pralines and seasonal gift boxes. Adjacent rather than direct overlap on the luxury gift-chocolate occasion segment.

Regional players

• Patisserie Holtkamp: Amsterdam-based Dutch patisserie with a long heritage (since 1886) operating a flagship patisserie shop producing artisanal pastries, cakes and chocolates. Regional Dutch peer with overlapping artisanal confectionery positioning and similar in-shop production theatre.
• Tony's Chocolonely: Dutch-based 'slave-free' chocolate brand with mission-driven positioning, bars and seasonal assortments distributed through supermarkets and own retail. Regional Dutch peer operating in a different price tier (mass-market ethical vs. Pierre's boutique premium).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pierrehillegom
• Facebookfacebook.com/chocolateriepierre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chocolaterie-pierre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chocolaterie Pierre