Puccini Bomboni

Adventurous chocolate flavours from Puccini Bomboni

TEXT: STIAN SANGVIG | PHOTOS © PUCCINI BOMBONI

Beautifully situated on the Staalstraat in Amsterdam’s historical city centre, the first of Puccini Bomboni’s two chocolate boutiques can be found. “The name comes from the composer Puccini, whose works were frequently performed at the nearby opera house,” the company’s operations director Ivor Brinkman explains. The first dessert shop was opened in 1988 before they gradually moved into fine chocolates. A second shop can be found on Amsterdam’s Singel. “We are the world’s only Netherlands-based top ten chocolatier,” Brinkman continues.

Puccini’s vision for chocolate seems clear: “Each Puccini chocolate should be a unique experience. Pure of taste. When you eat chocolate, you should taste chocolate.”Puccini’s vision for chocolate seems clear: “Each Puccini chocolate should be a unique experience. Pure of taste. When you eat chocolate, you should taste chocolate.” Only the best ingredients are good enough for Puccini Bomboni’s experienced chocolatiers to put their vision into practice. In addition to chocolate from the finest cocoa, cream forms the foundation. Whilst their attitude to chocolate may be justifiably conservative to ensure quality, they are not shy of experimenting with adventurous flavours like pepper, lemongrass and nutmeg. “We are keen to create products nobody has thought of, and entirely according to in-house developed recipes,” adds chief chocolatier Sabine van Weldam.

Whilst their retail outlets are in Amsterdam only, Puccini Bomboni’s reputation is expanding well beyond both the city’s and the country’s limits. “Our next step is to make our chocolate accessible to everyone by selling it online,” Brinkman explains.

A range of luxury gift boxes was recently launched, too. International expansion may also find its way onto the agenda. “However, we will only expand if we can preserve the highest level of quality,” Brinkman concludes.

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