Prestat facts for kids
 |
|
Products by Prestat (2011)
|
|
| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Founder | Antoine Dufour |
| Headquarters | Piccadilly, London, England |
| Products | Chocolates, Truffles, Assortments |
| Owner | Domori S.r.l |
|
Number of employees
|
100 (2019) |
Prestat Ltd is one of London's oldest and most famous chocolate shops. It has a special history, having been given "Royal Warrants" by three members of the British Royal Family: Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and King Charles III. This means they are official suppliers of chocolates to the Royal Household.
Contents
History of Prestat Chocolates
How Prestat Started
Prestat Ltd was started in 1902 by Antoine Dufour. He was a French person who moved to England. His family had actually created the very first chocolate truffle in France in December 1895.
Antoine Dufour brought this new chocolate creation to England. He opened the first Prestat shop in South Molton Street in central London. This is how the chocolate truffle became popular in England.
Naming the Company and Early Shops
Antoine Dufour named his business Prestat after Pierre Prestat. Pierre was his wife's first cousin. Some of the early chocolate boxes even showed the company's name as P. Prestat.
Antoine Dufour opened two more shops. One was at 405 Oxford Street. The other was at 28 St Swithin's Lane in London's financial area.
Changes Over the Years
Antoine Dufour later passed the business to his son, Tony Dufour. Tony ran Prestat until the late 1950s. It was hard to keep the shops open during the Second World War. Because of this, the Oxford Street and St Swithin's Lane stores closed. Tony Dufour eventually sold the business to two brothers, Neville and Maxwell Croft.
Royal Recognition
Prestat received special recognition from the Royal Family. They were given a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975. Later, in 1999, they received another one from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. This showed that the Royal Family trusted and enjoyed Prestat's chocolates.
Modern Prestat
In 2003, The Economist magazine named Prestat as one of the top three chocolate shops in the world. Prestat's main shop today is at 14 Princes Arcade, Piccadilly, in London. In March 2009, Prestat also opened a shop inside the Chocolate Hall at Harrods, a famous department store.
The bright and colorful designs on Prestat's chocolate boxes were created by artist Kitty Arden. In 2000, she even worked with handbag designer Lulu Guinness. Together, they made a special handbag that looked like the Prestat shop.
Today, you can find Prestat chocolates in many top stores. These include Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty & Co., and John Lewis Partnership across the UK. Prestat also sends its chocolates to many other countries. These include Japan, Australia, Singapore, Dubai, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. Since March 15, 2019, Prestat has been owned by an Italian company called Domori. Domori is part of the Illy Group.
Famous People Who Love Prestat
Prestat has always been popular with famous people. In the 1910s, actress Sarah Bernhardt was a customer. Later, in the 1950s, actors like Sir John Gielgud and Dame Peggy Ashcroft enjoyed their chocolates. In the 1990s, Princess Diana was a fan. Today, customers include Stephen Fry, Adrian Lester, and Peter Mandelson.
The famous author Roald Dahl, who wrote Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, even featured Prestat truffles in his novel My Uncle Oswald. In this story, a clever character uses Prestat truffles with a secret ingredient to charm many smart and royal people.
