When I first arrived in Bulgaria, one of the first things I noticed was how much Bulgarians love chocolate. They love to give it, they love to receive it and they love to eat it.
Boxes of chocolates are presented on birthdays, name days and conference meeting days. It is shared to celebrate the birth of a new baby, the arrival of a new neighbour, the purchase of a new house, a new car or even a new haircut. Chestito! Congratulations! (Here, have some chocolate.)
Whatever the event or occasion, nothing in Bulgaria is worth celebrating unless it is with chocolate, and there is no better person to discuss this with than Cyril Cressey, owner and manager of Jeff de Bruges fine chocolate shop in Mall of Sofia.
Born and raised in France, Cyril first arrived in Bulgaria more than 10 years ago as part of his compulsory French military duty. He was posted for an initial term of two years, and, during that time, he learnt the language, made some good friends, did some travelling and fell in love with Bulgaria and its people. At the completion of his military duty, he decided to stay in Bulgaria for an extended period, taking a job at an advertising agency. He liked the lifestyle, and he liked his job, but he was undecided as to whether he should stay or go back to his homeland. Shortly after choosing the stay option, Cyril then met and fell in love with Ralitsa, a Bulgarian beauty who he has since married.
A lifelong dream for them both was to one day open their own business, so they both decided to research the market. He said it was difficult at first because he wasn’t an expat, but he wasn’t a local either. Many ideas came, but none really felt right at the time. I asked Cryil what made them make the choice to sell chocolates for a living. “In the end, it was simple really. Everyone in Bulgaria loves chocolate but we found that it was mass produced and often of very poor quality. Boxes could be on store shelves for months, being affected by temperature changes, collecting dust or they may have even been damaged going from the warehouse to the shelf, so people never really knew what they were going to get. I knew from experience that Belgium chocolates were fantastic, so we thought we would approach the Belgium companies and see if they had any businesses on offer,” he told The Sofia Echo.
Fortunately for them, and now us, Jeff de Bruges accepted their approach,and the first Bulgarian store was opened in Mall of Sofia last year, the addition of the Mall of Varna is expected in March/April next year and a further four stores by late 2008.
Going from a small business owner and manager of one store to owner of many stores is a very big step to take, especially in such a short space of time, but Cyril believes that he and Ralitsa are ready to take on the challenge. “We have had great support from the company and we received intense training. The Bulgarian public and the expat community have welcomed our business in Sofia and we know that by employing more people and training them in the art of customer service we will succeed. The most important thing for us is that we get to know our customers, and, over time, they become like friends. We know who has got married, who has had a baby, who likes nougat or caramel, who prefers dark chocolate – it’s this attention to detail that has helped us to create a path forward, to expand and grow, and it’s fun at the same time meeting so many different people.”
Speaking of differences, everyone has their own personal favourite when it comes to chocolate. Some prefer milk, other prefer dark and some will only eat white chocolate.
The majority of Bulgarian customers who walk into Cyrils store prefer milk chocolate, but at this time of year sales of pistachio cream-filled chocolate and candied chestnuts (marrons glaces) are the most popular. But there are many different types of chocolate available from this chocolate heaven, 60 of the regular types for starters, not to mention the seasonal chocolates – walnut-flavoured in the autumn, the seafood-shaped and pear-filled ones in the summer, the Christmas stock of praline with coriander and cinnamon, chocolate mousse with nuts and nougat, milk chocolate wrapped around a cookies and nuts flavouring. The list goes on and on.
Aside from the large range of chocolates available, Jeff de Bruges prides itself on customer service. “It can be quite a daunting experience walking into the shop for the first time,” says Cyril with a smile. “You are faced with so much colour, so many choices and sometimes our customers do not know where to begin. This is where we can help them.”
A tasting tray is placed in front of me and I am asked what type of chocolate I prefer. After selecting a dark leaf, I am told that it is one of their better sellers, usually in a gift box.
Cyril continues: “We always ask the customer if they are buying for themselves or for a friend, a colleague or a special occasion. Once we have that starting point, we can point them in the right direction and offer a number of suggestions. For example, if they need something special for a colleague, we may recommend our wrapped boxed chocolates. They come in a variety of sizes and weights, starting from 100 grams and can be filled with any combination of flavours up to 1.5 kilograms. Other people may need a token chocolate gift included with a vase or candle holders like our Christmas stock at the moment, and some might want one of our large gift baskets, Christmas lollipops or truffle assortments. We make individual boxes and baskets to order, so there is no question that the customer is getting absolute fresh quality. All we ask is that for bulk basket orders we have 24 hours notice.”
Looking around the store, I am surprised to find that there is more to this shop than just chocolate. The lollies at the front of the store account for 15 per cent of their business. Classed as impulse purchases I can see why people buy them. Brightly coloured and plenty to choose from, why wouldn’t you stop for a quick nibble? Then, once you are enticed into this magical world of chocolate you also discover fruit jellies and cherries, specialties, nougats and caramels. It is hoped that the new Mall of Varna store will also sell specialty ice creams in the summer months – yum!
Jeff de Bruges (tel: 988 17 30) is located in Mall of Sofia and is open seven days a week from 10am until 10pm. The week before Christmas will see them working from 10am until midnight. Cash and credit cards welcome.
