What's the difference between Cococo, Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut™, and Callebaut?
At Cococo Chocolatiers, we love chocolate! We are expert confectioners, At Cococo Chocolatiers, we are passionate about chocolate — we are expert confectioners, manufacturers and retailers of award-winning artisanal chocolates. We also operate under the trade name Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut™ in Canada. Many of our customers are confused about our brand and brands related to it. We hope this article clears up the confusion.
What’s the difference between Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut™ and Cococo?
There is no meaningful difference in terms of the brand you buy in Canada. Cococo owns the Canadian rights of the trademark for Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut™ with permission from the global trademark holder. Under that name, we hand-craft the iconic chocolates in the copper box that many families know and love, and we also create new flavours and innovations that continue to win awards.
We know our chocolates are part of many family traditions spanning generations, and our customers rely on us to consistently deliver the same high quality and attention to detail year after year.
What happened to Bernard Callebaut Chocolate?
In 2010, the company called Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut Partnership led by Bernard Callebaut and his wife went into receivership, owing millions of dollars to creditors (many of which were small local businesses). The company and the trademark was eventually acquired by a group of investors called Cococo Chocolatiers. The original Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut Partnership went into receivership in 2010 after ATB Financial claimed Bernard Callebaut owed them close to $4 million dollars.
Rumour has it that Bernard was tricked by someone or his business was stolen. Is this true?
No, absolutely not. The bankruptcy was completely the result of Bernard's own actions while he was in full control of his original business. Receivership is a highly regulated process and it is not possible to coerce the system to benefit one party over another. After considering multiple bidders, Receiver Deloitte & Touche (now Deloitte) recommended the company’s assets be sold to Cococo who then bought the business, including all of the business debt of the secured creditors. Cococo also paid the money owed to the creditors – many local small businesses and suppliers who were in danger of failing — that Bernard Callebaut’s bankrupt business owed them. Cococo also invited Bernard to continue working with the company, but he declined the invitation. He had a different plan.
During the receivership, before the company was sold to Cococo, Bernard Callebaut secretly took bulk chocolate, manufacturing equipment, chocolate moulds, computers, and office equipment from the bankrupt business. This was illegal. After theft was discovered, and after the company was sold to Cococo, Bernard Callebaut was fined in 2011 by Justice Barbara Romaine $150,000 for contempt of court. Bernard used this stolen chocolate, moulds, and equipment to start a new business, Papa Chocolat, which was then later cease-traded by the Alberta Securities Commission because the directors, including Bernard Callebaut himself, violated Alberta Securities laws. In 2015 Bernard Callebaut declared personal bankruptcy.
What’s the difference between Callebaut, Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut, and Bernard Callebaut?
There is a lot of brand confusion.
Callebaut is a Belgian chocolate brand, owned by the Barry Callebaut Group, and it is the world’s largest manufacturer of bulk chocolate. It was founded in 1911 by Octaaf Callebaut in Belgium. In 1996, Callebaut merged with French chocolate maker Cacao Barry to form the Barry Callebaut group. Barry Callebaut is not a person, it is a business. Callebaut makes a huge range of different-quality chocolate, from consumer-grade (like the bulk chocolate found in some grocery stores) to fine couverture. Their chocolate is marked with the Callebaut logo.
The Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut Partnership was founded by Bernard Callebaut, a member of the Callebaut family of Belgium who immigrated to Canada in 1982 to start his own chocolate company. In 2010, this company went into receivership after ATB Financial claimed Bernard Callebaut owed them close to $4 million dollars.
Bernard Callebaut, the man, is a charismatic and well-known Calgary chocolatier who has gone through multiple business troubles and bankruptcies over the last 40 years. Bernard Callebaut is no longer affiliated with Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut™ or Cococo.
So who is Cococo?
Our legal name is The Cocoa Confectionery Company Ltd., but you’ll see us in the market as Cococo or Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut™ in Canada. We license the trademark from Callebaut for use in Canada. Although we use the name “Callebaut”, we are not otherwise associated with the Belgian parent company.
Our business is not centred around a single personality. Instead, we are a women-run team of talented confectioners. We focus on creating delicious, award-winning treats using our own sustainably-sourced, fair-trade couverture chocolate. Our chocolatiers craft more than 80 different recipes in our factory kitchen, many by hand, using real cream and butter, no artificial preservatives, and our own proprietary couverture chocolate. To date, we’ve won 24 International Chocolate Awards.
What does the word Cococo mean?
The prefix “Co” implies togetherness and refers to Cococo’s three core values. They are: Cocoa, Community and Confections. This is reflected in our brand essence: “Chocolate Together.”
- Cocoa: together in sourcing.
- Community: together in partnership.
- Confections: together in creation.
Our logo icon — some see it as a flower, some as a paw print – is in fact a stylized cross-section of a cocoa pod.
Why are cocoa sourcing and sustainability important?
As part of our brand purpose, Cococo is committed to ethical cocoa sourcing. That is why our proprietary couverture chocolate is made using fully traceable, third-party Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa AND cocoa butter Many brands may highlight “sustainable cocoa,” but neglect the cocoa butter – a critical component.
Cococo strives for environmental and social responsibility throughout the supply chain, supporting communities in West Africa and beyond. We are also members of the World Cocoa Foundation and original signatories of the Cocoa & Forest Initiative (CFI) to help prevent deforestation in cocoa-growing regions.
Cococo is also an active member of the World Cocoa Foundation and an original signatory of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) to help prevent deforestation in cocoa-growing regions.
We believe chocolate is a food that demands collaboration: between consumers, industry, farmers, buyers, and sellers. That’s “Chocolate Together.” That’s Cococo.