Chocolat Jacques is a Belgian firm which was founded in 1896 by Antoine Jacques. It is situated in Eupen, to the east of Liège.
Contents
The factory invented and launched an original chocolate bar, obtaining a patent for it in 1936. This chocolate bar is composed of six different pieces that can be broken off and it is still the most well-known product of the brand. It is made of chocolate milk with one of seven tastes: mocha and rum, banana, three fruits, praline 100, crispy praline, biscuit 100, and nuts. The last piece is black chocolate filled with melting cappuccino biscuits.
Chromo pictures and albums
During much of the 20th century, the wrappers of chocolate "Jacques" contained collectible cards that could be collected in the albums published by the factory. At first they were just drawings, but afterwards there were even photos. The themes of the albums were various, for example about transport (trains or cars), the Belgian royal family, Belgian Congo, or Belgian geography.
There are still many collectors of these old Jacques cards and albums today.
Guided tours of the factory
Opened in October 1993, the chocolate museum can be visited all year long from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. A booking is needed for the groups and if you want a guide tour. There you can see many video animations or old objects such as chocolate tins, packages and albums with their chromo pictures.
Visitors can walk on a footbridge in the production space and see the pastry cooks working without bothering them. At the end of the tour, chocolate produced in the Jacques chocolate factory can be sampled and bought.