In 1997, after extensive training in pastry and chocolate-making, Edouard began working in the patisserie owned by Iginio Massari and it was while employed here that he decided to enter an important competition. After just two months of preparation, he won the Sigep d’Oro and from then on began a series of successful consultancy sessions in Arezzo, Bergamo, Trieste, Mantua, Florence and Naples.
After seven years in Italy, he returned to his home country Belgium where he and his wife founded ‘Le Chocolat d’Edouard’. His natural talent for pastry and chocolate making and his charisma have ensured that he is still very much in demand for consultancy in Italy.
In 2003, he organised the ‘Fête du chocolat’ event in Florenville, which still attracts illustrious experts from the sector and members of the public today. He has developed a very flexible and multicultural approach thanks to working all over the world as a consultant and his natural open-mindedness and creativity have ensured the success of his technical and marketing publications. He is recognised as a great innovator, both for himself and others.
What added value do you offer as a consultant?
The role of a consultant is to create success for other people, so first and foremost a consultant needs to be able to understand the client’s knowledge, clarify that for them, study the location and identity of the shop and understand the client’s habits and the economic context they are working in. Only then can you create a successful product. In this sense, it is very useful to use consultants who have travelled extensively and know how to switch playing fields: from getting a niche target right to creating a product that satisfies the demands of the mass public.
What are the main problems you encounter?
When something doesn’t work, everybody has a million excuses why and when something does work, nobody can explain it (Eddy Van Belle – Puratos). But if there is a problem, there is a solution. The critical factor might be the quality of the product, the organisation of production, communication, the product format or its presentation. An artisan’s own worst enemy is themselves, as they tend to defend their own product without being open to discussion if something doesn’t work. It is important to be able to assess the situation from a detached perspective.
What are the advantages of owning a patisserie?
As a consultant, I have a ‘holistic’ approach towards the client: I don’t just advise on recipes and methods, but also marketing, management and human resources. It is important to keep staff motivated when managing a business and make each figure feel important in order to improve the performance of the business itself. Every component of the team has to be responsible for a certain area and have a certain amount of freedom, which they are then accountable for. But all the staff have to work together and at the same level.
Do you help clients to follow their own passions or the market?
I help them find the place where the two meet. I continue to follow my clients as they grow, from the start-up to supervision. My task is to be inventive and achieve another step forward every day. In this sense, it is a role that requires great commitment and responsibility, which is justification for the price.