Ghraoui: A 19th-Century Damascus Chocolate House Reborn in Budapest

Ghraoui, one of the world's oldest luxury chocolate houses, traces its origins to Damascus in 1805. The family business initially traded sugar, coffee, tea, and fruit. In 1931, Sadek Ghraoui, fourth-generation head, visited France and was inspired to introduce luxury chocolates to the Middle East. To appeal to local tastes accustomed to Arabic sweets, he included silver scissors and golden letter openers in the boxes. By the 1930s–40s, Ghraoui chocolates were sold at London's Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges, and Harrods, and in Paris at Fauchon and Hediard. The Syrian civil war forced the closure of a modern factory near Damascus in 2012, but the brand was reborn in Hungary in 2017, with a flagship store on Budapest's Andrássy Avenue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Ghraoui chocolates blend Middle Eastern ingredients like orange blossom, rose, apricot, and pistachio with European techniques. Products are available in Budapest, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Beirut, Amman, and London's Harrods.