the sweet scrapbook

Not long ago, I happened to come across one of the prettiest boxes of chocolates I have ever seen. They were called Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes. Vobro is a Polish confectionery producer from Brodnica.

They have three designs for the Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes box and it took me a while to decide which I liked best. I eventually picked the one with the tulip. I also saw their Cherry Roses boxes, but the Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes promised Cointreau chocolates so, given that I have a weak spot for orange in chocolate, it was easy for me to decide which one I wanted to try first.

I've been seeing the Halloren Balls (German original: Halloren Kugeln) in a couple of supermarkets for years, but I had only bought one box before the beginning of this month, when, not only did I buy three such boxes, but also two boxes from another Halloren range, Pralines de Maitre Paul: Creme Brulee and Kir Royal. I was not able to find this range (which also includes another variety, called English Toffee, I'm thinking about trying that one as well) on their website. However, looking through their products, I found out that they also make Laroshell (a liqueur filled chocolate range that I've discovered seven years ago) and Bohme (I didn't even know they had dark chocolate coated jellies, I'd wish they sold them here as well). And that they also own Movenpick Chocolates (link, image 1, image 2). I want Movenpick back! I first discovered them seven and a half years ago. But about two years later they were gone. And I haven't seen them since. Also, from their website I've learned that their history goes back to more than 200 years ago (thus being the oldest chocolate factory in Germany), that the Original Halloren Kugeln (the Whipped Cream & Cocoa) is 60 years old and that in 2005, they have produced the largest chocolate cat tongue in the world.

I've been seeing the Halloren Balls (German original: Halloren Kugeln) in a couple of supermarkets for years, but I had only bought one box before the beginning of this month, when, not only did I buy three such boxes, but also two boxes from another Halloren range, Pralines de Maitre Paul: Creme Brulee and Kir Royal. I was not able to find this range (which also includes another variety, called English Toffee, I'm thinking about trying that one as well) on their website. However, looking through their products, I found out that they also make Laroshell (a liqueur filled chocolate range that I've discovered seven years ago) and Bohme (I didn't even know they had dark chocolate coated jellies, I'd wish they sold them here as well). And that they also own Movenpick Chocolates (link, image 1, image 2). I want Movenpick back! I first discovered them seven and a half years ago. But about two years later they were gone. And I haven't seen them since. Also, from their website I've learned that their history goes back to more than 200 years ago (thus being the oldest chocolate factory in Germany), that the Original Halloren Kugeln (the Whipped Cream & Cocoa) is 60 years old and that in 2005, they have produced the largest chocolate cat tongue in the world.

The Kandia name is almost 100 years old. In 1890, a chocolate factory opened in Timisoara. 27 years later, the factory was given the name Kandia (see the old Kandia logo). In 2004, the factory was bought by another Romanian chocolate producer, Excelent from Bucharest (see the old Excelent logo/ the new Kandia Excelent logo). The headquarters of the newly formed company was moved to Bucharest. Shortly after, the factory in Timisoara was closed and Ambasador (the wide and probably best known chocolate range from Kandia was discontinued. I did get to try about twenty Ambasador chocolates before that happened). Kandia-Excelent was then bought by the Julius Meinl Group. But the Kandia name stayed. During the next three years, Kandia-Excelent launched a lot of chocolate bars under the Kandia label. Kandia had a diversified basic range during that time (see another collage). And there were even more bars in the basic range - I distinctly remember there were three biscuit bars, more than one plain dark bar, there was also another filled dark bar, there were fruit cream bars... In addition to that, they also had a premium range called Kandia Moments, a range of small bars, a range of boxed chocolates plus quite a few special editions like the Kandia Ice-Cooling Special Edition (a summer edition which returned for a second summer in slightly different wrappers and which I am now sorry I never tried... because back then, I wouldn't touch white chocolate), the Kandia Yogurt or the Kandia White Chocolate Yoghurt Cream Special Edition.

The Kandia name is almost 100 years old. In 1890, a chocolate factory opened in Timisoara. 27 years later, the factory was given the name Kandia (see the old Kandia logo). In 2004, the factory was bought by another Romanian chocolate producer, Excelent from Bucharest (see the old Excelent logo/ the new Kandia Excelent logo). The headquarters of the newly formed company was moved to Bucharest. Shortly after, the factory in Timisoara was closed and Ambasador (the wide and probably best known chocolate range from Kandia was discontinued. I did get to try about twenty Ambasador chocolates before that happened). Kandia-Excelent was then bought by the Julius Meinl Group. But the Kandia name stayed. During the next three years, Kandia-Excelent launched a lot of chocolate bars under the Kandia label. Kandia had a diversified basic range during that time (see another collage). And there were even more bars in the basic range - I distinctly remember there were three biscuit bars, more than one plain dark bar, there was also another filled dark bar, there were fruit cream bars... In addition to that, they also had a premium range called Kandia Moments, a range of small bars, a range of boxed chocolates plus quite a few special editions like the Kandia Ice-Cooling Special Edition (a summer edition which returned for a second summer in slightly different wrappers and which I am now sorry I never tried... because back then, I wouldn't touch white chocolate), the Kandia Yogurt or the Kandia White Chocolate Yoghurt Cream Special Edition.