Pierre Marcolini, of Italian descent but born and raised in Belgium, founded his eponymous chocolate company in 1995 and is now as ubiquitous a presence, at least in the Belgian capital, as some of the centuries-old chocolatiers like Côte d’Or, Leonidas or Neuhaus. The brand takes prime positions in beautiful heritage buildings across the city, plus pop-up ice cream carts and smaller biscuit shops. The shops themselves are sleek and as pristine as the perfectly tempered pralines that are neatly lined up in the spotless glass counters of the Rue de Minimes boutique in Brussels.
There is a definite air of luxury to the chic, pared back boutiques. I visited the shop to discover the brand and to find out how Pierre is leading the new wave of Belgian chocolatiers. Pierre proudly champions the bean-to-bar movement, meaning everything beyond growing the beans is performed in-house to ensure quality but also ethicality.
It’s sometimes difficult to see beyond PR spiel, especially with the proliferation of ethics-washing and what can only be described as chocolate’s bad reputation, but it seems that Marcolini is personally invested in sustainability and high standards for the people involved in growing the cocoa beans he uses. “We practice fair trade, ensuring a price that respects and rewards the efforts of these cocoa artisans,” says Marcolini. Marcolini has made a name for himself by upholding high standards for chocolate in the face of threats such as sky-rocketing coco.