About the Founder and Founding Story

Sadek Ahmad Ghraoui was born in Damascus, Syria, to a family of reputable traders who founded a trading house in Medhat Basha Souq in 1805.^[8] The business, which dealt in commodities such as tea, coffee, sugar, and fruits, was passed down through generations until it reached the fourth generation with Sadek Ghraoui.^[9]

As a young businessman, Sadek was acquainted with influential figures, including future Syrian leaders. In 1930, he co-founded Compagnie Nationale des Conserves, the country’s first fruit and vegetable canning company, employing over 1,000 people.^[10] In 1931, during a business trip to France, Sadek developed a passion for chocolate, visiting various factories.^[11] Determined to introduce chocolate making in Syria and sell it in the Middle East, he brought back samples from Paris to test on Syrians who were unaccustomed to it.^[12] Chocolate was relatively unfamiliar in the Arab world until World War I, when the Germans may have first brought it to the area while working with the Ottomans.^[13] At first, Damascenes were used to Arabic sweets made with local ingredients and did not favor chocolate. To make Ghraoui chocolate more appealing, it was sold in luxury wooden boxes imported from Austria, containing other practical items, such as small silver scissors, letter openers, or envelopes.^[14] In the early 1930s, Sadek established a modern factory in Damascus, where chocolate milk filled with almonds or hazelnuts was manufactured, marking the inception of the Ghraoui Chocolate business.^[15] Damascenes quickly embraced the new delicacy, making quality chocolate a common gift in the Levant region. To meet rising demand, Sadek hired a French chocolate expert, Mr. Ogisse, who would spend 12 years in Damascus training local confectioners to produce high-quality chocolate.^[16]

Growth Phase 

By the 1940s, Ghraoui chocolate products became highly successful. After independence in 1946, the Syrian Republic enjoyed an open economy and relative stability.^[17] In the following years, the Ghraoui business prospered, with its products sold at prestigious stores like Fauchon and Hediard in Paris, and Selfridges, Harrods, and Fortnum & Mason in London.^[18]

The business faced significant losses in the 1960s due to political developments.^[19] After issuing the Syrian-Egyptian proclamation in 1958 of the countries’ merger into the United Arab Republic, President Gamal Abdel Nasser initiated a wave of nationalization in 1961.^[20] The state seized control of import-export companies, including Ghraoui’s factories. In September 1961, a coup led by Syrian army officers re-established Syria as an independent state.^[21] In 1963, Sadek sought to revive the family business, founding Ghraoui and Co. (Syrian Company for Chocolate & Biscuits) with a modern factory. However, in 1965, under President Amin al-Hafiz and the Baath Party, this factory was nationalized in turn, and the Syrian government assumed full control of its operations.^[22] The greatest setback occurred when Sadek Ghraoui passed away in 1969, largely halting the family business for years.^[23]

In the 1990s, Bassam Ghraoui (b. 1954), son of Sadek, decided to revive the family legacy.^[24] After completing his university studies, Bassam took over the last remaining family shop and, in 1996, founded Ghraoui Chocolate Company Ltd., opening a factory with modern technology on the outskirts of Damascus.^[25]

The business thrived, and in 2005, Ghraoui Chocolates received the prestigious Prix d’honneur at Europe’s premier chocolate fair, the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.^[26] However, the onset of the civil war in 2012 led to the shutdown of the Damascus factory.^[27] Bassam and his wife, Rania Ismail, left Syria in 2012 and settled in Paris.^[28] The two had met after Rania, a journalist, was assigned to interview the man who made the chocolate-covered biscuits that she loved as a schoolgirl.^[29]

In 2015, the couple moved to Budapest and soon opened their flagship store on Andrassy Avenue, with plans for a large-scale factory, with 540 workers.^[30] Budapest has remained the company’s headquarters ever since.^[31] In the following years, three more Ghraoui boutiques opened in Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.^[32] In May 2018, Bassam passed away in Hungary after a battle with cancer at the age of 63.^[33]

Today

Ghraoui Chocolate is now led by Rania as CEO, with Mohamed Midani, Bassam’s nephew, serving as chief operating officer.^[34] The Budapest-based factory employs 65 people, and the business currently operates boutiques there and in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Damascus.^[35]