Astor Chocolate

ASTOR CHOCOLATE

SUSTAINABLE CHOCOLATIER SWEET ON EVOKING THE SENSES Powered by Inside America

insideAMERICAMAG.com

ASTOR CHOCOLATE

I PROFILE

Family-owned Astor Chocolate is a premier chocolatier renowned for its superior quality confections. As a leading purveyor of Belgian chocolates and gourmet snacks, the company’s approach goes beyond mere taste: by being big on sustainability, innovation and inspiration. Director of Sales & Operations, Nevada, Tori Halfon spoke to Andy Probert.

108 Inside america

A

stor Chocolate has, for many decades, been a respected high-end chocolate manufacturer with deep

ties to the hospitality, F&B, travel retail and corporate sales sectors. While the brand name is synonymous with quality in the

picturesque Carpathian Mountain

industry and with chocolate connoisseurs;

range. Leopold Grunhut began studying

Astor is less recognised by the end-con-

the art of fine chocolate making and

sumer – the holidaymaker, weekend

soon mastered the magic. His confections

getaway vacationer and casual consumer

quickly gained culinary renown, and

– educating the end-user on the brand has

within five years, his small operation grew

been a focus point since the pandemic hit.

to four stores.

The New Jersey, family-owned company

Post World War 2, Leopold’s son Erwin

is a purveyor of many exquisite and fine

set sail for New York and launched Astor

chocolates, but its Moodibars,

Chocolate in 1950. It soon caught the

a unique derivation on the emoji

attention of its first large-scale customer,

themes in gourmet chocolate,

Macy’s, with other well-known department

has caught the imagination

stores following as its excellence in fine

and inspired the company to produce more versions

chocolates grew.

Under the stewardship of Erwin and his

for the public.

children, Astor became the first choco-

Underpinning its delicious

latier to import pure Belgian chocolate

products is a conscien-

to the US, the first to delight international

tious company that is

air travellers and five-star hotel guests

both on trend, adopting

with complimentary confections and one

vegan and gluten-free

of the first to pair premium chocolate

products, and committing

with fine spirits.

to ethical production.

Astor’s legendary kitchens has also

“We are wired to bring

produced the first chocolate liquor cup,

delight and to be sustainable,”

the first turndown chocolate in the US and

said Tori Halfon, Director of Sales & Operations, Nevada.

many other innovative indulgences that have been imitated the world over.

With booming sales, the Grunhut family

European heritage

decided to relocate its operations to a state-

Astor Chocolate began life in 1924 in

of-the-art 120,000sqft factory in Lakewood,

a quaint town in Czechoslovakia, on

New Jersey, 25 years ago. It later expanded

the banks of the Danube River near the

by setting up a warehouse in Las Vegas

Inside america 109

ASTOR CHOCOLATE

I PROFILE

to be closer to

a world-

the hotel sector and

class purveyor

offer West Coast clients easier access to Astor Chocolate’s products.

It further consolidated its reputation,

of fine luxury chocolates. Joining in 2001, Sebastien grew up surrounded by the flavours and fragrances

acquiring Le Belge Chocolatier from Philippe

of his family’s chocolate shop and honed

and Huguette Dumas (yes, that Dumas)

his talents to become a world-renowned

a chocolate company based in Napa,

chef. He has garnered industry recognition,

California, and renowned for its artful blend

being named in the exclusive Top 25 List

of European tradition, fine Belgian chocolate

of Chocolate Makers in the Guide des

and exceptional ingredients.

Croquers de Chocolat.

Chef Sebastien, from Le Mans, France has

In 2016, Mr Erwin Grunhut was among

been an essential addition to the company,

the first recipients of the Specialty Food

helping to catapult Astor Chocolate into

Association’s Hall of Fame, which sought

110 Inside america

to honour individuals whose accomplishments,

“Astor Chocolate is also Rainforest Alliance Certified, which ensures its ingredients come from independently audited growers committed to protecting the forest, preserving the climate and providing fair livelihoods for workers”

impact, contributions, innovations and successes within the speciality food industry deserve praise and recognition.

Astor has transitioned into a full-service company with an in-house design studio, photography studio and product development team. It has worked

design team

closely with private label customers to

can envision and realise

realise their brand direction and image.

bespoke collections customised

“We have worked with many high-profile

to fit every customer’s needs,

customers to create household name

making Astor a true one-stop shop

brands,” added Ms Halfon. “Our in-house

for fine chocolates.”

Inside america 111

ASTOR CHOCOLATE

I PROFILE

With a focus on innovation, Astor continued to forge ahead, breaking ground

recycled water

on a state-of-the-art creative suite with

to heat and cool the

a laser-sharp focus on progressive design.

production facility, its

This is the home to its in-house marketing,

machines and even the

design and product development teams.

chocolate. The system generates

The facility supports various sales channels

250,000 kilowatts of energy annually

with services such as trend sourcing,

to maintain about 50,000sqft of tempera-

packaging design and brand consulting.

ture-controlled space to manufacture and store chocolate.

From dream to green

Astor added solar energy in 2015 and

Astor prides itself on keeping its

this helps to generate additional energy.

manufacturing processes as clean and

The panels create 490kWh of energy and

sustainable as possible, according to

provide energy to the grid for local com-

Ms Halfon: “Our environmental mission

panies. “Our investment in green energy

strives to lessen our carbon footprint,

has allowed us to avoid harmful refriger-

while aggressively pursuing stringent

ants, divest from oil and coal, and save

waste reduction practices.”

tons of water every year,” explained

Its energy system powers the Lakewood

Ms Halfon.

plant with a combination of tri-generation

While its entire facility is Kosher certified,

and solar energy, ensuring 60% of its energy

Astor is also recognised through its Global

comes from green sources. A state-of-the-

Food Safety Initiative under SQF’s Food

art trigeneration system harnesses

Safety Code for Manufacturing and Food

112 Inside america

Quality Code for the confectionary and snack packaging products. The company has also eliminated Styrofoam from its insulated boxes and plans to

While many challenges from the pan-

go completely plastic-free in the next

demic continue to reverberate around

five years.

the industry, such as supply chain issues,

Astor Chocolate is also Rainforest

changes in consumer purchasing habits

Alliance Certified, which ensures its

and a slowdown in international tourism,

ingredients come from independently

the company has pivoted hard to continue

audited growers committed to protecting

driving business growth.

the forest, preserving the climate and

“The business is in a growth pattern

providing fair livelihoods for workers.

but does not want to lose the family spirit

Among its many products, the company

already in place,” Ms Halfon concluded.

has worked hard to create a new and

“This spirit imbues a sense of passion and

separate section of its manufacturing

entrepreneurship to create satisfaction

facility to produce fully vegan and

among our workforce.

gluten-free products.

Ms Halfon outlined how the company’s

“Ultimately, Astor facilitates happiness and meaning. Whether that is a hotel

aims include production of its own choco-

showing appreciation to a valued

late, expansion of its vegan collection to

guest, a friend purchasing a Moodibar for

include plant-based milk chocolate truffle

someone to spread some love, or a hospital

cups, additional sizes and shapes, as well

thanking its team for hard work and

as increasing its certifications to include

keeping morale up with a chocolate bar,

Keto and sugar-free.

the goal is the same: to share smiles.” n Inside america 113