The Story about Award Winning Chocolate

Here is how the Beyers story started.  At the age of just 7, Kees Beyers already knew that one day he would own a chocolate factory. He started selling sweet treats to friends and family and at the age of 12 he began his studies at the prestigious Piva School in Antwerp. Kees qualified as a pastry chef at Ter Groene Poorte in Bruges when he was just 17. So deep was his passion that between the ages of 13 and 17, Kees woke up at 4:30am every Saturday and Sunday, to cycle to work part-time for a confectioner in a town near his home.

When he was 18, Kees travelled to South Africa to visit his sister who had immigrated. His intention was to work for a few months, travel around the country and return to Belgium, but this was not to be. Kees fell in love with South Africa as quickly as he fell in love with chocolate.

Within two days of being in South Africa, Kees was employed by Marriot Chain (now Air Chefs), and after three months he decided to make this his permanent home. During his 18 months at Marriot Chain he became aware of the huge lack of quality confectionery in the country and, coming from Belgium where fine chocolate is the norm, he wanted to give South Africans luxury, affordable chocolates they could eat every day. And so, in 1987 at the age of just 20, Kees Beyers Chocolates was founded.

“…he still works closely with his staff members, to ensure that all Beyers Chocolates meet his exact standards of high quality.”

While his dream of owning a chocolate factory has come true, Kees never stops enriching his knowledge in the art of chocolate and confectionery making. He is now a Master Chocolatier, through L’école de Chocolat, and he still works closely with his staff members, to ensure that all Beyers Chocolates meet his exact standards of high quality. Just like Kees, Beyers Chocolates are the perfect combination of Belgian traditions and South African inspiration.

Beyers Chocolates is a family business, with a passion for making high-quality confectionery. The majority of our products are hand-crafted, and chocolate fillings are made from scratch using traditional Belgian methods.

Beyers Chocolates was founded in 1987 by Kees Beyers, a Belgian born confectioner.

At Beyers Chocolates we manufacture our own range of confectionery, including local favourites like Sweetie Pie, Amarula, and Dream Bear.

We have an extensive range of sub brands and private label products that are supplied to airlines and the hospitality industry. Our chocolates are also stocked by some of the country’s leading retailers – with the longest relationship being over 25 years. This means that many South Africans have been consuming Beyers Chocolates for decades without even realising it.

Today, we are the largest independent manufacturer of boxed chocolates in the country, supplying local and international markets with quality, hand-crafted, proudly local products.

All chocolates and biscuits manufactured by Beyers Chocolates comply with the following:

• NAFNAC recipes (No Artificial Flavours or Colours)
• No HVO fats
• No GM ingredients (Genetically Modified)
• All ingredients are free of any chemical treatments
• No animal bi-products are used in our fats and oil
• Products are suitable for vegetarians
• Halaal certified* where applicable.
• Minimum 35% cocoa content in our milk chocolate

Website: https://www.beyerschocolates.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeyersChocolates

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyerschoc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ_fqCYJPwDvrm2zkTmGnzA

Beyers Chocolates won 3 Categories in the 2019 – 2021 Best of Ekurhuleni Readers’ Choice Awards.

Best Local Factory Shop,

Best Local Chocolatier and

Best Chocolate