UK’s Artisan du Chocolat sold a majority stake to former Godiva President, Mohamed Elsarky.
Artisan du Chocolat was founded in 1999 by Anne Weyns. The luxury chocolatier has their workshop in Kent where they hand-craft their chocolates and three retail boutiques in London consisting of Chelsea, Selfridge’s and Borough Market.
The company sources their sustainable cocoa beans, mostly from South America. In addition to selling its chocolates in their boutiques, and around the world online, it also supplies private-label chocolates to fine food retailers in the UK.
Mohamed Elsarky, oversaw the expansion of Belgian chocolate retailer Godiva to almost 800 stores in 35 countries during his time as international president and CEO.
Elsarky took over as chairman at Artisan du Chocolat following the acquisition of a majority stake in the company on 30 October 2020.
He plans to invest in increasing production at the business and developing the online platform, and believes the company has already transformed from a startup to a brand-recognised luxury chocolatier with growth opportunities.
Elsarky said,
Acquiring a brand during a global pandemic was always going to be a challenge, but I was determined to invest in this unique business.
I believe wholeheartedly in Artisan’s potential. Artisan du Chocolat is an absolute gem – it has all the ingredients for a fantastic business recipe: creativity, uncompromising quality and dedication to its craft.
The founder, Anne Weyns believes Elsarky’s leadership as chairman, will help accelerate Artisan’s growth journey and says,
Mohamed not only shares my passion for fine chocolate in spades, but importantly brings an unparalleled global experience in branded and private-label chocolates and the track record of transforming businesses and developing scale, while preserving quality.