First Luxury Chocolate from Serbia Enters World Markets
In December 2005, Belgrade chocolate maker Mirjana Kostic formally launched Adoré Chocolat, Serbia's first luxury chocolate brand. A venture that began as a small business is now ready to compete in world markets.
Kostic, a lawyer, left her profession in 2002 to pursue her dream of creating original chocolates. She enrolled at the Belgian Callebaut Institute and studied both the French and Belgian chocolate traditions. Her first business endeavor, Cokolada, did well, but with increased competition from imports, Kostic realized she had to upgrade her product line to survive. She turned to the USAID-funded Serbia Enterprise Development Project (SEDP) for help.
SEDP implementer Booz Allen Hamilton worked with Kostic to develop original products that her competition didn't have. An organic ganache made from local raspberries quickly became the signature product. SEDP then helped Kostic assemble a brand packaging team. Led by renowned Serbian designer Vuk Loncarevic, the branding team advised Kostic on how to present her chocolates to domestic and international customers. An SEDP matching grant
helped Kostic develop an entirely new look and concept for her business, which she renamed Adoré Chocolat.
Adoré Chocolat specializes in enhancing high-quality chocolate with exotic flavors and textures. Ingredients include wild blueberries, organic Willamette raspberries from Serbia, Uzo from Greece, smoked chipotle chili peppers from Mexico, crushed peppercorns, green tea_even potato chips. All chocolates are made by hand from ingredients personally selected by Kostic.
Kostic debuted prototypes for Adoré at New York's Fancy Food Show in July 2005, receiving orders from as far as Japan. At an official product launch in Serbia in December Kostic formally presented Adoré's new look, packaging, and products. The event included a brand packaging workshop attended by over 100 design students.
Since the Adoré brand launch, the company has been running at full capacity, with expanded production shifts to keep up with demand. Kostic is planning a return to the Fancy Food Show in 2006, with a refined business plan and a new export line.
Adoré chocolates are available exclusively at the company's store at the Millennium Center in Belgrade. They will soon be available at Adoré's Web site: www.cokolada.co.yu.
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| With premium ingredients—including organic Serbian raspberries—and a
new, upscale look, Adoré Chocolat tastes sweet success |
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