From small-scale chocolate making to commercial manufacturing
I’m Pieter de Villiers, former owner and CEO of De Villiers Chocolate. This is the business from which the recipes and food safety documentation offered here originate. De Villiers Chocolate began as a small chocolate-making project in 2008–2009.
By 2010, the first commercial products were being prepared for retail.
The business grew into formal retail, moved into dedicated production facilities and expanded its product offering across chocolate, confectionery and frozen desserts.
As retail requirements increased, De Villiers also developed its food-safety and quality systems.
In 2016, the company moved into a dedicated manufacturing facility.
In 2017, the operation achieved FSSC 22000 certification.
The business went on to supply major national retail, operate dedicated branded chocolate counters inside a major retailer and manufacture at multi-tonne monthly volumes.
New products were part of how the business adapted.
Over the years De Villiers developed:
- dark chocolate
- milk and white chocolate
- truffles and fillings
- confectionery
- ice cream and sorbet
- vegan nut-butter chocolate
- no-added-sugar chocolate
- no-added-sugar nut-butter chocolate
Some extended the existing range.
Others were developed in response to changing markets and the need for new growth.
After COVID disrupted important retail channels, the no-added-sugar and nut-butter products became part of the company’s pivot and were among its stronger online sellers.
The business eventually closed.
Severe load-shedding affected production and costs.
A factory fire in November 2022 stopped full production for approximately three weeks.
The business restarted, but continued electricity disruption was followed by sharply higher cocoa costs and a weakening currency.
In 2023, De Villiers Chocolate ceased trading.
The development work remained.
The business left behind:
- commercial formulations
- production methods
- nutritional information
- confectionery recipes
- ice-cream recipes
- food-safety procedures
- HACCP documentation
- quality and traceability systems
Selected recipes and food safety documentation from that business are now available through olddv.com. If a collection could be useful to your business, request its product information and sample documents so I can review your enquiry and provide relevant details.
See the original De Villiers Chocolate brand
De Villiers Chocolate Instagram · De Villiers Chocolate Facebook
Historical customer response
Customer comments about the original De Villiers business and products.
“Probably more than 12000 miles away, and I still don't know if I'll ever get to visit. But DV Artisan still the best. Love to visit one day. On a trip from Texas to New Hampshire, I made sure to pack a bar.”
— Jerry Eldred, Facebook
“@redingerangela this is the good stuff I was telling you about. @dvchocolate is my absolute favorite 😍”
— @melissa_peter01, Instagram