Puccini Bomboni

Established: 1987
Home: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Chief Chocolatier: Sabine van Weldam
Shops: Amsterdam and Utrecht
Known for: Large handmade bonbons and adventurous flavour combinations
Visit Puccini Bomboni

An Amsterdam Chocolate House Built Around Flavour

In 1987, Ans van Soelen and her daughter Sabine van Weldam opened a dessert shop on Staalstraat in Amsterdam. Cakes and coffee shared the counter with just five distinctive bonbons, but chocolate soon became the heart of the business.

Those early creations developed into Puccini Bomboni, a Dutch chocolate house known for unusually large handmade bonbons, adventurous flavour combinations and a philosophy that places the flavour of chocolate at the centre of every creation.

Today, Sabine van Weldam continues that philosophy as Puccini’s Chief Chocolatier.

The Puccini Bonbon

Puccini’s signature bonbons are deliberately different from conventional bite-sized chocolates. They are large, richly flavoured and individually designed, creating something closer to a small chocolate dessert than a traditional confection.

The company describes each shape and detail as part of the overall tasting experience. Its flavour combinations range from familiar ingredients such as amaretto to more unexpected pairings involving anise, pepper, poppy seeds, tea and thyme.

That willingness to experiment has become one of Puccini’s defining characteristics.

Fresh Ingredients, Short Shelf Life

Freshness also shapes the way the chocolates are made.

Puccini uses fresh cream and no artificial preservatives in its bonbons. As a result, they have a deliberately limited shelf life. The company recommends keeping them in a cool, odour-free environment rather than treating them as chocolates designed for months of storage.

Its recipes also take an unusual approach to fillings. Puccini says it replaces the butter and additional sugar often used in bonbon recipes with pure cream, allowing the chocolate and flavour ingredients to remain prominent.

From Classic to Unexpected Flavours

The company’s assortment reflects a balance between traditional chocolate making and experimentation.

Alongside its signature bonbons, Puccini produces chocolate selections, gift boxes and an Origin Collection featuring cacao from distinctive growing regions. Current origin chocolates include cacao associated with Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Madagascar, Ghana and Peru.

The emphasis, however, remains on flavour rather than elaborate decoration. Each bonbon is designed to deliver a combination of chocolate, texture and filling that unfolds as it is eaten.

A Dutch Chocolate Destination

Puccini Bomboni has remained relatively intimate despite its international reputation. It currently operates three shops — two in Amsterdam and one in Utrecht.

That small footprint is part of its character. Rather than developing into a large international retail chain, Puccini has remained closely associated with the Dutch cities where its chocolates are made and sold.

For visitors to Amsterdam, its shops have also become destinations for travellers interested in contemporary European chocolate culture.

Nearly four decades after those first five bonbons appeared on Staalstraat, Puccini’s identity remains remarkably focused: fresh chocolate, distinctive flavours and bonbons designed to be savoured rather than simply eaten.age keeper: keep the article and indexed URL, but don’t include Puccini in the rebuilt International Chocolate Makers directory. It belongs with the chocolatiers.