The Story Behind Chocolatier

At Country Culture, we love including products in our hampers that have a story behind them. One of those makers is Chocolatier Australia — a family-owned business creating beautiful European-style chocolates in Melbourne.

Today we’re sharing the story of the Grisold family and how their passion for chocolate grew into one of Australia’s most loved premium chocolate brands.

Where it all started 

The Chocolatier story began in 1985, when David and John Grisold opened a small chocolate store in an old suburban post office in Diamond Creek, Victoria. It was a small start to what would soon become a much-loved Australian chocolate business. 

Together the two brothers identified a gap in the Australian market — producing European-style pralines and hand-moulded chocolates using fine Belgian couverture chocolate.

With equal parts passion and curiosity, the brothers began learning everything they could about chocolate making. In those early days, they were producing just a few kilos a day — roughly 1,000 handmade chocolates each week.

David would personally deliver the fresh chocolates, while John managed production and retail sales from their small shopfront.

Growing a Family Chocolate Business

Word quickly spread about the quality of their chocolates. Before long, 5-star hotels, airlines, restaurants and caterers began ordering their handmade creations.

As demand grew, so did the family involvement.

Their sister Joanne joined the team, and in 1991 their brother Mark came on board as Director and Head of Manufacturing. Joanne’s husband Bruce also became involved in the day-to-day running of the business.

The company moved to Ivanhoe in 1987, and as their reputation for premium chocolate continued to grow, the family eventually expanded again — opening a purpose-built factory and warehouse in Heidelberg West in 2005, just a few kilometres from their original Ivanhoe premises.

Still Family-Owned Today

Even though Chocolatier Australia has grown significantly over the past few decades, the core philosophy has remained the same.

The Grisold family continue to focus on:

• Ethically sourced cocoa
• High-quality ingredients
• Traditional European chocolate-making techniques
• State-of-the-art equipment

Today the company is still family-owned and run, with John and Mark leading the business and several of the next generation involved across different areas of the company.

And the chocolates? Still handcrafted with the same care and passion that started it all.

Why We Love Including Chocolatier in Our Hampers

At Country Culture, we’re passionate about supporting Australian makers who care deeply about what they produce — and Chocolatier is a perfect example of that.

Their beautifully crafted chocolates feature in many of our hampers because they are:

• premium
• consistently delicious
• beautifully presented
• and made by a family business that truly cares about quality.

Whether it's classic chocolate assortments or indulgent pralines, Chocolatier products add a little moment of joy to any gift box.

Explore our hampers and see where these delicious chocolates appear throughout the collection.

Because good chocolate always deserves to be shared.