A chocoholic's dream
Butlers Chocolates was born in Dublin's Lad Lane in 1932. The company was established by a pioneering lady called Marion Butler, who named her luxury chocolate creations Chez Nous Chocolates. Marion founded the company in the heart of a stylish Georgian Dublin, making her delectable goods by hand. Marion continued to make her chocolates until 1959, when the company was bought by Seamus Sorensen from Cork. The company is still owned and run by the Sorensen family.
The chocolatier's first retail store was opened in the Grafton Arcade in 1960. The brand was renamed Butlers Irish Chocolates in 1984, in memory of Marion Butler.
The Butlers Chocolate Café concept has now been successfully franchised in several locations around the world.
The first franchise opened in New Zealand in 2007; there are now five Butlers Chocolate Cafés there. Pakistan is also home to five Butlers Chocolate Cafés.
Habib Gheewala, who had gone to Ireland in the 60's with just 100 dollars in his pocket and then turned himself into a strong businessperson, has decided to bring the franchise to Bangladesh. Running the franchise here will be his daughter Mehreen Gheewala, who thinks Bangladesh is a brilliant place for business.
“It's firstly a country where people really like to eat! Opening up a chocolatier can kick off well based just on that. But apart from that, I think Bangladeshis are so helpful. They try to lend a helping hand in whatever they can. There were so many times I would panic and someone or the other would come to me to and just say, 'Don't worry, I'll take care of it,” says Mehreen.
The Gheewalas' reason for bringing this luxury chocolate brand here is not only because it is the first of its kind in the region, but also because the brand itself keeps all the promises that it makes. The chocolates they serve, milk, dark and white, have everyone's favourite texture; smooth and silky. They melt in your mouth with the perfect balance of creamy and sweet, and they are made with utmost precision and care.
“Butlers chocolates have their own factory in Ireland. The raw materials are all imported from Belgium, and the chocolate, made and tempered in the factory in Ireland. Every franchise will have the chocolates imported, in temperature controlled containers; all the way from there so that we can all serve the true quality that the Butlers chocolates have to offer.”
Along with luxury chocolates, Butlers Chocolate Café will offer their signature hot chocolate along with other hot and cold beverages. Food is also on the menu, with sandwiches and paninis making up the list. Their flagship outlet, 175 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan 2, is open to the public from December 6, 2015. Mark your calendars, because everything is about to get very, very chocolatey!
Photo courtesy: Butler's Chocolate Cafe
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