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Pralus colors

Some loyal customers of the Maison Pralus

François Pralus

The cocoa adventurer

«As an intern at Bernachon, I had the idea of making my own chocolate from beans». Born in the late seventies, François Pralus' passion for cocoa has remained with him ever since. Today, he is an outstanding chocolate-master, one of the few in France to make his own chocolate.

François Pralus uses the dried beans of the best cocoa that he receives from around the world, especially from South America, Africa and the Indian ocean. From these exceptional beans, he creates about twenty bars at 75%, three blends, a 100% pure criollo from Madagascar and a milk chocolate at 45%. «I make everything myself», says François Pralus, «instead of buying from dedicated suppliers.»

His passion led him to create his own cocoa plantation in Madagascar. 17 hectares of the criollo type, which he planted himself, with the first beans being harvested in 2012.
François Pralus reveals a secret to get a precise idea of the cocoa's flavors :
«I prepare cocoa with water, a kind of herbal tea that I slightly sweeten and let settle. Then I can get a clear idea of the flavors before I start making it.»

françois pralus crunching in chocolate
Chronology

The Pralus family history at a glance

1940

1948

Auguste and Noëlie Pralus open their first patisserie in Roanne

1950

1955

Auguste Pralus is the Meilleur Ouvrier de France in patisserie.

1955

Auguste Pralus invents the Praluline

1970

1975 - 1976

François Pralus joins his father as an apprentice

1977 - 1979

François Pralus works as an apprentice at Bernachon

1979

François Pralus joins the Lenôtre company

1980

1988

François Pralus takes over the family business

2000

2000

Opening of the chocolate factory

2001

First exhibition at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris

2003

Launch of the Tropical Pyramid

2004

Creation of the Plantation in Madagascar

2005

Launch of the Infernal Bar

2007

Opening of the first shop in Paris' 4th district

2010

2012 - 2017

Opening of shops in Paris 7th, Lyon 2nd, Lyon 4th districts, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Lyon Saint-Jean, Saint-Etienne, Dijon, Clermont-Ferrand.

2017

Creation of a permaculture garden in Roanne.

2018 - 2020

Five new stores open in Sète, Paris' 2nd district, Tassin-la-Demi-Lune, Lyon 8th district and Montbrison.

2020

Noëlie Pralus celebrates her 101st birthday

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