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As the company grew thanks to increasing demand, Guy and Liliane moved their production from their home to a dedicated factory in 1985. We are still operating there to this day, although the factory has expanded since then.
“ By the 1990s, Guy and Liliane were no longer at the helm of Guylian, as their daughter inherited the company following Guy’ s passing. Married to an Englishman in the duty-free whiskey business, she introduced Guylian’ s boxed chocolate seashells to the duty-free market, replacing whiskey with these indulgent treats. This bold move proved wildly successful, prompting the company to begin exporting its iconic chocolate seashells to over 100 countries in the 1990s. To this day, Guylian remains the undisputed leader in the seashell chocolate market, with no direct competitors, only private labels. Beyond its signature seashells, the brand has diversified its offerings with products like the seahorse-shaped, twistwrapped Temptations, as well as other products that are not as reminiscent of the classic seashells,” he opens.
Artisanal approach
With such an internationally recognized brand and product, diversification requires careful consideration. Nonetheless, Guylian has successfully released many other delicious products through the years, all while staying true to its roots. Paul explains what makes the company’ s seashell-shaped chocolate so unique, and how Guylian approaches diversification.“ The foundation of our business has always been, and still is, our boxed chocolate seashells. Over the years, we have diversified within the seashell category by launching a dark chocolate variant with a rich dark hazelnut praline filling coated with 64