Ghraoui Chocolate

Ghraoui Chocolate is a historic confectionery brand associated with Damascus, Syria, and currently headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. The business traces its origins to 1805, when the Ghraoui family, described as an old trading family, established a commercial enterprise in Damascus. Its early history was connected not only with sweets but also with Syria’s emerging food-processing economy. During the twentieth century, members of the Ghraoui family partnered with Syria’s first industrial-scale fruit and vegetable canning company, creating a venture whose products reached customers in Europe and the United States. The company’s most important transformation came in 1931, when it introduced chocolate to the Middle East. To develop a high-quality confectionery range, the business hired a French chocolatier. This marked a shift from the family’s broader trading and food-processing activities toward a luxury confectionery identity. During the 1930s and 1940s, the brand was reportedly recognized as a Purveyor to Her Majesty, the Queen of England. Its products were also stocked by prominent luxury food retailers, including Fauchon and Hédiard in Paris and Fortnum & Mason and Harrods in London. These placements helped establish Ghraoui as a premium Damascene food brand with an international clientele. Ghraoui’s heritage has been reinforced through awards and trade-fair recognition. The company received a silver medal diploma at the 1921 Beirut fair, an honorary diploma in 1931, a gold medal at the 1939 Paris fair, and an honorary diploma in New York in the same year. In 2005, its Orangettes received a Prix d’honneur at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris. These distinctions form part of the brand’s quality narrative and connect its current identity with its pre-war commercial history. The Syrian civil war forced the company to shut down. Ghraoui subsequently relaunched in Budapest in 2017, making Hungary the brand’s present headquarters and operational base. The Budapest relaunch preserved the connection to the Ghraoui name and its Damascene heritage while giving the business a new location from which to serve customers. The brand’s visual identity is notably coordinated around orange: factory machinery, packaging, bags, and delivery vans use the color as a recurring marker. Ghraoui’s current retail footprint includes boutiques in Budapest, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Damascus. The listed Gulf locations include Villaggio Mall, Place Vendome Mall, and Landmark Mall in Doha, as well as Dubai Mall in Dubai. The company’s public identity remains centered on premium chocolate and confectionery rather than mass-market snack products. Its historical positioning combines Levantine origin, European confectionery technique, luxury retail distribution, and continuity through relocation. Publicly available reference material does not establish the company’s current ownership structure, executive leadership, revenue, listing status, or detailed product portfolio beyond chocolate confectionery and the recognized Orangettes product.

Ghraoui Chocolate originated in Damascus in 1805 as an enterprise of the Ghraoui family, an established trading family. The company’s early commercial activity extended beyond chocolate. During the twentieth century, the family joined with Syria’s first industrial-scale fruit and vegetable canning company. That venture became an international commercial success, with products reaching markets in Europe and the United States. The business entered chocolate in 1931, a date associated with its claim to have introduced chocolate to the Middle East. A French chocolatier was engaged to develop high-quality sweets, bringing European confectionery expertise into the company’s Damascene operation. This period established the brand’s later premium orientation. In the 1930s and 1940s, Ghraoui was described as a Purveyor to Her Majesty, the Queen of England, and its products appeared in prestigious food retailers including Fauchon and Hédiard in Paris and Fortnum & Mason and Harrods in London. The brand also accumulated recognition at international exhibitions. Its recorded distinctions include a silver medal diploma at the Beirut fair in 1921, an honorary diploma in 1931, a gold medal at the Paris fair in 1939, and an honorary diploma in New York in 1939. In 2005, the company’s Orangettes earned a Prix d’honneur at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris. These awards are important to the brand’s heritage narrative because they connect its modern chocolate identity with a longer history of food production and international presentation. The Syrian civil war caused the company to shut down. Ghraoui later re-established operations in Budapest, relaunching there in 2017. The move made Budapest the company’s current headquarters and allowed the brand to continue operating while maintaining its association with Damascus. The relocation is a central turning point: Ghraoui is now a Hungary-based chocolatier with Syrian origins rather than a business operating solely from its historic home city. The brand’s visual system uses orange prominently. Reference material notes that both factory machinery and consumer-facing materials, including packaging, bags, and delivery vans, use the color. This creates continuity across production, retail, and delivery touchpoints. The company’s listed boutique presence spans Budapest, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Damascus, with three named Doha locations—Villaggio Mall, Place Vendome Mall, and Landmark Mall—and a Dubai Mall location. Public reference material does not provide enough information to document the current executive team, ownership, financial performance, manufacturing scale, or a complete catalog of products. The best-supported description is therefore of a premium heritage chocolatier whose identity combines Damascene origin, French-influenced confectionery, historical luxury distribution, and post-war relocation to Budapest.

1. 2017Budapest relaunch

   Following a shutdown caused by the Syrian civil war, Ghraoui resumes operations from Budapest, Hungary.

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2. 1939Paris and New York exhibition recognition

   Ghraoui receives a gold medal at the Paris fair and an honorary diploma in New York.

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3. 1931Chocolate introduced to the Middle East

   Ghraoui enters chocolate production and is credited in reference material with introducing chocolate to the Middle East. A French chocolatier is hired to create premium sweets.

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4. 1931Honorary diploma at a trade fair

   The company receives a Diplôme d'Honneur during the period in which its chocolate business is being established.

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5. 1921Silver medal diploma at the Beirut fair

   The company receives a Diplôme de Médaille d'Argent at the Beirut fair.

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6. 1805Ghraoui family establishes the business in Damascus

   The Ghraoui family establishes a trading enterprise in Damascus, providing the historical foundation for the later chocolate brand.

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Premium heritage chocolate and confectionery rooted in Damascus, shaped by French confectionery expertise, and relaunched from Budapest for an international luxury-food clientele.

• Chocolate confectioneryChocolate1931

  Ghraoui’s core offering is premium chocolate and related confectionery. The brand’s chocolate identity developed after its 1931 expansion into the category, when it engaged a French chocolatier to create high-quality sweets. Public reference material supports the product category but does not provide a complete current assortment or detailed specifications for individual chocolate formats.

• OrangettesChocolate confectionery

  Orangettes are a named Ghraoui confectionery offering associated with the brand’s modern award record. The product received a Prix d’honneur at the 2005 Salon du Chocolat in Paris. Available reference material does not specify the current recipe, packaging, or distribution details.

• 2017Relocation and relaunch in BudapestStrategy

  The Syrian civil war forced the company to shut down its operations in Syria.

  What changed. Ghraoui re-established the business in Budapest, Hungary, which became its current headquarters.

  Aftermath. The brand resumed operations with a Budapest base while continuing to present itself as a Damascene chocolatier. Public sources do not disclose the financial cost or subsequent sales impact of the relocation.

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• 2017Ghraoui Chocolate relaunches from Budapest after Syrian civil war shutdown

  After being forced to close during the Syrian civil war, Ghraoui Chocolate resumed operations from Budapest, Hungary. The relaunch retained the brand’s Damascene identity while establishing Budapest as its new headquarters.

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• 2005Ghraoui Orangettes receive Salon du Chocolat recognition

  Ghraoui’s Orangettes received a Prix d’honneur at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris, adding a modern confectionery award to the brand’s historical record of fair and trade-exhibition honors.

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1. Ghraoui Chocolate
2. Ghraoui Chocolate official website