Choco-Story Brussels
A privately owned Brussels museum devoted to the history, production, culture, and tasting of cocoa and chocolate.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Choco-Story Brussels is a privately owned museum in central Brussels dedicated to cocoa and chocolate. The institution combines historical interpretation with demonstrations and visitor participation, presenting chocolate as both a food product and an important element of Belgian cultural and commercial identity. Its displays address cocoa and chocolate products, while practical programming gives visitors the opportunity to observe chocolate-making demonstrations, taste chocolate, and take part in workshops focused on making chocolate bars and lollipops. The museum was established in July 1998 under the initiative of Gabrielle Draps. Draps came from the third generation of a Belgian chocolate-making family and was married to Joseph “Jo” Draps, the founder of Godiva Chocolatier. The museum therefore emerged from a family and industry context closely connected with Belgium’s longstanding artisan and premium-chocolate traditions, although Choco-Story Brussels is a museum rather than a Godiva retail or manufacturing operation. The institution originally operated under the name Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate, with French and Dutch names corresponding to the same concept. Its first premises were in the historic De Valck building at 9–11 Rue de la Tête d’Or, just off Brussels’ Grand-Place. The building dated from 1697, and the museum initially occupied three exhibition floors. This location placed the attraction within one of the city’s principal historic and tourism districts. Management passed to Gabrielle Draps’ daughter, Peggy van Lierde, in 2007. A later family association reshaped the museum’s identity: in May 2014, the Van Lierde-Draps family joined with the Van Belle family, which already owned Choco-Story Bruges, the Bruges chocolate museum. Following that association, the Brussels institution adopted the Choco-Story Brussels name, linking it to a broader museum identity while retaining its focus on chocolate history and visitor experiences. In 2019, the museum moved to a new site at 41 Rue de l’Étuve, near the Manneken Pis statue. The new building provided approximately 1,800 square metres of exhibition space, substantially expanding the available visitor environment compared with the earlier three-floor presentation. The relocation also placed the attraction in another heavily visited central-Brussels area. Choco-Story Brussels’ public offer is centered on museum interpretation rather than the sale of a conventional branded product range. Its principal experiences are exhibitions, demonstrations, tastings, and bookable chocolate-making workshops. In 2021, the Van Belle family applied for permission to convert the former Rue de la Tête d’Or premises into a museum of French fries, indicating a possible continuing use of the former site within the family’s broader museum and food-culture activities. The available reference material does not establish whether that conversion was completed. Choco-Story Brussels remains best understood as a specialist cultural attraction that uses Belgium’s chocolate heritage, hands-on activities, and central location to serve local and international visitors.
History
Choco-Story Brussels began in July 1998 as the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate, a Brussels institution created on the initiative of Gabrielle Draps. Draps represented the third generation of a Belgian chocolate-making family and was married to Joseph “Jo” Draps, the founder of Godiva Chocolatier. The museum’s origins were therefore connected to a family tradition of Belgian chocolate craftsmanship, while its public role was educational and cultural: it interpreted cocoa and chocolate and offered demonstrations and tastings to visitors. The original museum occupied the De Valck building at 9–11 Rue de la Tête d’Or, or Guldenhoofdstraat, close to the Grand-Place. The building dated from 1697 and provided three exhibition floors. At this stage the institution used the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate identity, with French and Dutch names reflecting Brussels’ multilingual environment. Its programming combined displays about cocoa and chocolate with practical visitor experiences. Guests could watch demonstrations, taste chocolate, and book workshops in which they made chocolate bars and lollipops. In 2007, management was taken over by Gabrielle Draps’ daughter, Peggy van Lierde. This marked a generational transition in the stewardship of the museum. The next major change came in May 2014, when the Van Lierde-Draps family became associated with the Van Belle family. The Van Belle family already owned Choco-Story Bruges, another museum devoted to chocolate. The Brussels museum was subsequently renamed Choco-Story Brussels, giving it a shared identity with the Bruges attraction and making its relationship to the wider Choco-Story family more visible. The museum later undertook a major relocation. In 2019 it left the Rue de la Tête d’Or premises and moved to 41 Rue de l’Étuve, near Manneken Pis. The new site offered approximately 1,800 square metres of exhibition space. The move retained the institution’s central-tourism orientation while providing a larger setting for its exhibitions and visitor activities. Its offer continued to focus on chocolate history, cocoa and chocolate interpretation, demonstrations, tastings, and hands-on workshops rather than on a conventional retail product portfolio. In 2021, the Van Belle family applied for permission to transform the former museum building on Rue de la Tête d’Or into a French-fries museum. The available reference material records the application but does not establish whether the proposed conversion was approved or completed. Choco-Story Brussels is consequently characterized by a history of family stewardship, institutional renaming, and relocation within central Brussels. Its brand identity rests on the combination of chocolate heritage, Belgian tourism, live demonstration, and participatory learning.
- 2021
Proposal for reuse of the former building
[1]The Van Belle family applied for permission to convert the former Rue de la Tête d’Or premises into a French-fries museum.
- 2019
Relocation to Rue de l’Étuve
[1]The museum moved to 41 Rue de l’Étuve near Manneken Pis and gained approximately 1,800 square metres of exhibition space.
- 2014
Adoption of the Choco-Story Brussels identity
[1]Following an association between the Van Lierde-Draps and Van Belle families, the museum was renamed Choco-Story Brussels.
- 2007
Management passes to Peggy van Lierde
[1]Gabrielle Draps’ daughter, Peggy van Lierde, took over management of the museum.
- 1998
Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate founded
[1]Gabrielle Draps initiated the creation of the Brussels museum, originally established as the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate.
Products and positioning
A specialist cultural and visitor attraction presenting Belgian and international cocoa-and-chocolate heritage through exhibitions, demonstrations, tastings, and participatory workshops.
Museum exhibition · 1998
Chocolate and cocoa exhibitions
The museum’s core offering is an interpretive exhibition devoted to cocoa and chocolate. It presents chocolate as a food, a craft, and part of Belgian cultural heritage. The available reference material identifies the museum as a dedicated chocolate and cocoa institution but does not provide a detailed catalogue of individual galleries or objects.
Visitor experience · 1998
Chocolate demonstrations and tastings
Choco-Story Brussels supplements its exhibitions with live demonstrations and tastings. These activities give visitors a sensory and practical component in addition to historical interpretation, allowing them to see chocolate-making processes and sample chocolate products.
Workshop
Chocolate-making workshops
Visitors can book workshops in which they make chocolate bars and lollipops. The workshops position the museum as an interactive attraction and provide a direct introduction to chocolate preparation rather than merely presenting finished products.
Brand decisions
2021
Application to convert the former premisesOtherBackground
After the museum’s relocation, the Van Belle family considered a new food-culture use for the former Rue de la Tête d’Or building.
Action taken
The family applied for permission to convert the former premises into a French-fries museum.
Aftermath
The available reference records the application but does not state whether permission was granted or the project was completed.
2019
Relocation to a larger exhibition facilityOtherBackground
The original museum operated in the historic De Valck building near the Grand-Place.
Action taken
Choco-Story Brussels moved to 41 Rue de l’Étuve near Manneken Pis, where it occupied approximately 1,800 square metres of exhibition space.
Aftermath
The museum continued operating as a central Brussels chocolate attraction from a larger new site.
2014
Rebrand as Choco-Story BrusselsStrategyBackground
The Van Lierde-Draps family became associated with the Van Belle family, which already owned Choco-Story Bruges.
Action taken
The Brussels Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate adopted the Choco-Story Brussels name and joined a shared museum identity.
Aftermath
The rebrand linked the Brussels attraction more clearly with the Choco-Story museum presence in Bruges.
Recent events
- 2021
Application submitted for a possible French-fries museum at the former site[1]
Other
The Van Belle family applied for permission to convert the former Rue de la Tête d’Or premises into a museum of French fries. The available reference does not confirm the outcome of the application.
- 2019
Choco-Story Brussels moves to a larger central-Brussels site[1]
Other
The museum relocated from the historic De Valck building near the Grand-Place to a building at 41 Rue de l’Étuve near Manneken Pis, with approximately 1,800 square metres of exhibition space.
- 2014
Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate adopts the Choco-Story Brussels name[1]
Other
The Brussels museum was renamed Choco-Story Brussels after the Van Lierde-Draps family became associated with the Van Belle family, owner of Choco-Story Bruges.
Sources2 sources
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