Dominique Persoone

Simon Stevinplein 19 – 8000 Bruges
+32 (0) 50 34 10 90
info@thechocolateline.be
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The Belgian Chocolatier Who Refuses to Play It Safe

Belgium may be celebrated for traditional pralines, but Dominique Persoone has built his career by asking what else chocolate can become.

As the creative force behind The Chocolate Line, Persoone approaches chocolate with the curiosity of a chef and the instincts of an experimenter. His creations can move from familiar combinations such as hazelnut praline and salted caramel to chocolates incorporating freshly cut grass, Japanese sake, chipotle, beetroot or even techniques involving fermentation.

Behind the playfulness, however, is a serious interest in cacao. The Chocolate Line works with origin chocolate from several cacao-growing countries and controls cacao production at its own plantation in Mexico.

Building The Chocolate Line

Persoone and his wife, Fabienne, established The Chocolate Line in Bruges in 1992. Over the following decades, the business evolved from a Belgian chocolate shop into an internationally recognised creative brand.

Its second major location opened in Antwerp’s historic Paleis op de Meir in 2010. The former royal palace provides an appropriately dramatic setting for Persoone’s unconventional chocolate creations. The current Bruges location, opened in 2016, also allows visitors to see the company’s tree-to-bar production process, from roasting and peeling cacao beans to transforming them into chocolate.

In 2023, The Chocolate Line was named Belgium’s best chocolate shop by Gault & Millau, according to the company’s current website.

Turning a Praline into an Experience

Persoone has never treated a chocolate simply as something sweet.

The Chocolate Line describes its goal as making every praline an experience, and the current collection demonstrates just how far that idea can go. A Chill Pill combines apple with a ganache carrying the aroma of freshly cut grass, while Triple Fermented uses Mexican Criollo chocolate and three forms of fermentation. Other current chocolates incorporate Japanese sake, yuzu, matcha, chipotle and unusual savoury elements.

Persoone has also worked beyond the traditional chocolate industry. The Chocolate Line lists collaborations with restaurants including The Fat Duck, Noma and elBulli, as well as fashion names such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Dries Van Noten and Martin Margiela.

From Mexico to Belgium

One of the most important developments in Persoone’s career has been his move closer to cacao itself.

The Chocolate Line established a plantation in Yucatán, Mexico, in 2012. The company says it grows Criollo cacao there and controls the organic growing, fermentation and roasting processes used for its tree-to-bar chocolate.

Persoone also travels to cacao-growing regions in search of beans and inspiration. The company’s current origin range includes chocolate associated with Mexico, Peru, Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica and other origins.

That connection to cacao gives another dimension to a chocolatier sometimes known primarily for his more theatrical creations. Behind the experimentation is an ongoing interest in how geography, fermentation and processing shape chocolate flavour.

The Famous Chocolate Shooter

No Dominique Persoone profile would be complete without the Chocolate Shooter.

Created after Persoone was asked to organise chocolate for a Rolling Stones birthday celebration, the device was conceived as a playful way of experiencing chocolate aroma rather than simply eating another praline. It propels a cacao-based mixture towards the nose, turning flavour and aroma into a deliberately theatrical experience.

The Chocolate Shooter remains part of The Chocolate Line’s current assortment, making an idea that could easily have been a one-time stunt one of Persoone’s most recognisable creations.

A Different Vision of Belgian Chocolate

More than three decades after The Chocolate Line opened, Persoone continues to challenge expectations around Belgian chocolate.

His work moves between classic craftsmanship, unusual ingredients, collaborations, cacao sourcing and experimentation. Some creations are deliberately provocative; others focus closely on the character of cacao itself.

Together, they reveal the philosophy that has defined Dominique Persoone’s career: chocolate does not need to remain within traditional boundaries to respect the craft behind it.