Juliette Brun established Juliette & Chocolat in 2003 in Montreal with a small storefront and kitchen. It has since grown to six locations and a chocolate lab for production. Brun attended McGill University for economics and finance but pursued her passion for food by starting her own chocolate business. She saw an opportunity in the untapped chocolate market in Quebec. Juliette & Chocolat is now a leading chocolate maker and café, producing premium chocolates and desserts with high-quality ingredients while facing challenges from rising cocoa prices.

1. www.canadianbusinessexecutive.com
Juliette et ChocolatPremium chocolates, desserts and
café in Montreal, Quebec
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Juliette
& Chocolat
J
uliette Brun established Juliette & Chocolat in 2003 in a
small storefront with an even smaller kitchen. The first location
served as a full-service restaurant with a limited savory menu,
specialty chocolates, desserts and cocoa. After more than 10
years in business, Juliette & Chocolat has grown to six locations with
larger menus and handcrafted sweets for customers in and around
Montreal and one chocolate lab for production
Brun, president and owner of Juliette & Chocolat, attended Mc Gill
University and earned a degree in economics and finance. With a
lifelong love of all things culinary, she knew she had always wanted
to work in the food industry. “I always thought I would end up there
when I retired and didn’t have to worry about children or other
commitments,” she explains. “But when I finished school, I had no
major expenses, such as a car or a home. I had time and energy to
start my own business.”
The young entrepreneur set out to find a viable niche in the Quebec
food market. She saw that coffee had already become oversaturated
Premium chocolates, desserts and café in
Montreal, Quebec
Produced by Forrest Lancaster and Written by Jeanee Dudley

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EVOLUTIONOFEXCELLENCE

4. 4 |
A vision that endures
In 1926, Cecil Usher, a young graduate of McGill
University, joined his friend, William Richter, to form
an accounting practice in downtown Montréal.
Over eighty years later, Richter is now the 9th
largest
accounting and consulting firm in Canada.
Our history has not been written by chance. It
is thanks to our team’s enthusiasm, vision and
hard work that we stand strong today. More
than accounting, we are a wide-ranging financial
services firm propelled by the diligence and the
excellence of our 450 partners, specialists, high-
level professionals and administrative staff. This
creates the unique strength that is Richter.
Our multidisciplinary team offers our clients a
tailored, strategic support system to suit ever-
changing market conditions. Our service delivery
model offers a comprehensive and integrated
approach, which is both holistic and specific: we
offer a wide range of services based on expertise,
and a deep understanding of business issues. We
combine our strengths to shape the future.
Guiding our clients throughout their financial lives
is part of our culture. As entrepreneurs ourselves,
we understand the issues entrepreneurial clients
face, and share in their vision for success. We
work alongside clients like Juliette et Chocolat
providing strategic advice and trusted financial
services to help them achieve their business goals.
Richter’s specialists make every effort to place
each organization in the best strategic and financial
position for continuous improvement and growth.
Ultimately every business wants to improve
efficiency, make the most of opportunities and
create value – so do we.
More than an accounting firm, we are a natural
extension of your business.
Let us accompany you to success.
and saw that chocolate was an untapped market. She soon took
off for France to do a residency in chocolate making. Upon her
return, Brun felt prepared to open her first store. Her husband,
Lionel May was an early addition to the company’s staff. May is
Belgian and shares her passion for quality chocolates. He now
serves as the company’s vice president.
Catering to refined tastes
While the popularity of chocolate is nothing new, Brun explains
that awareness and appreciation for dark chocolate has increased
significantly over the last decade. Cocoa prices are on the rise,
making chocolate more of a luxury than ever. In the early years
of operation, Brun and May imported chocolates from Europe.
Now that chocolate has grown as a commodity, it has become
easier to find domestic suppliers.
Now there is more selection available in the market. “We still
import some items, but there is a lot to choose from,” says Brun.
“Chocolate is no longer as much of a specialty item and we are
not dealing as frequently with minimum orders. We can find a
wider range of chocolate more easily on the market, but we are
still selective. We are always striving to stay ahead and trying to
be different and better than competitors.”

5. | 5
In November 2014, Brun and May introduced a new
menu for the café’s six locations. The business is now
offering new pastries and savory items as well as new
waffles. With such a strong passion for her work, Brun
has to reel in the enthusiasm every so often. “You
can’t do all the ideas you come up with,” she laments.
“Sometimes things just add too much complication.
The waffles are now live though and my husband
introduced me to Belgian waffles. It has been a real
journey with a lot of experimenting to get it just right.”
The couple have also introduced a new line of chocolate
bonbons, made in-house. As of December 2014,
Juliette & Chocolat offers three lines of bonbons.
The praline line is comprised of chocolates filled with
hazelnut, almond, pistachio and speculoos filling.
The melting interiors line offers sweets packed with
gooey caramel and fruit crèmes. The last is two-layer
chocolate, with specialty fillings, including dark and
milk chocolates and liqueurs.

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Continued growth
As the business has brought more
production in-house, Brun and May face
new challenges. With the cost of the
company’s main ingredient in a steady
increase, Juliette & Chocolat was forced
to raise prices to cover expenses.
“It is hard to educate consumers and get
people to understand that cocoa prices
move up,” Brun explains. “We make 90
percent of what we sell in-house. These
are high-quality chocolates, made using
high-end ingredients. We run a very
labor-intensive business and our costs
account for our staff and the quality of our
products.”
Still, Brun’s fine chocolates are an
affordable luxury. The market is picking

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back up after a drop in 2008. More people are going out to eat and Juliette &
Chocolate has seen a steady increase in traffic. With a growing in-house product line,
Brun plans to sell the company’s chocolates online and in other boutiques.
Production is on the rise for the business and Brun’s creations are garnering attention
from discerning sweet lovers throughout Canada. Looking ahead at 2015, the Juliette
& Chocolat team will continue to build a sweet business, making specialty European
chocolates for customers in Quebec and beyond. •
CompanY
Established:
2003
President:
Juilette Brun
Employees:
250
www.julietteetchocolat.com
PROFILE

8. JULIETTE ET CHOCOLAT
1060 frechette
Longueuil, QC j4j 1h1
CANADA
WWW.JULIETTEETCHOCOLAT.COM