Today I am showcasing the Spanish success story that is Amatller. Famous both in the wholesale chocolate industry and outside of it, the quality products and beautiful, nostalgic packaging are unmistakable. The company prides itself on helping consumers enjoy its delicate treats with all of their senses. Let’s explore this centuries-old brand with a passion for chocolate and storytelling together.
Spanish Success
Amatller began life as a bijou artisan confectionery shop in the magical city of Barcelona. From 1797 to the present day, quality and artistic originality have been the brand’s watchwords. Thanks to the innovation of Antoni Amatller Ráfols, a newly built modern factory in 1878 helped the brand become the top chocolate producer in Spain by 1900. Today, the company sources the finest ingredients from around the world and brings them to its factory, still located in Barcelona, to be carefully crafted into delicious treats. The Spanish brand is one of the oldest in Europe and has managed to retain a unique sense of identity in spite of its international success and passing out of the Amatller family.
Visual History
Antoni Amatller Ráfols, the owner of Amatller in the nineteenth century, heavily influenced the visual branding with his own passion for photography and art. Ráfols realised early on that his quality products needed quality packaging and marketing to reach out to the consumer. He used beautiful posters that were created by famous artists to charm customers and signal the luxurious nature of the brand. In the nineteenth century, the Amatller family were generous patrons of art and culture, and only chose artists that reflected their values and standards. From lavish 3D cardboard dioramas to stunningly illustrated calendars, Amatller kept the confectionery world on its toes, wondering what they would do next.
Nowadays, Amatller evokes a sweet nostalgia in all wholesale chocolate experts’ hearts by using some of the vintage designs that first featured on the brand’s packaging in the 1800s. It is the iconic art nouveau style that distinguishes the brand’s tins, boxes and wrappers from the crowd. Not only does this make the products stand out, but it also shows a lovely respect for the brand’s history and the innovation of its past leaders.
Stand-Out Star
If I had to pick one stand-out item from the range, it would be the Presentation Tin of Milk & Dark Chocolate Leaves. Simple and stylish, this large tin contains several smaller tins, each of which is decorated with a beautiful design that was inspired by vintage promotional material. The tins contain bite-sized portions of indulgent chocolate leaves that were made with cocoa beans from Ghana. The leaves are either a creamy 32% milk, where butter notes are complemented with a touch of vanilla, or a more intense 70% dark cocoa, which is accompanied by a pleasant, bitter taste. This is a sophisticated example of the quality of Amatller’s products, a traditional product that’s very much at home in the modern world of wholesale chocolate.
Angelina Moufftard works for hf Chocolates, established wholesale chocolate suppliers with decades of experience supplying sweets and high-end chocolates to retailers across the UK. Working with the most dedicated suppliers from France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, the USA and the UK, hf Chocolates' great tasting and beautifully packaged products add panache to any sweet display.