Headquarters Funen, Denmark Website www.chantbou.com Founded 2005 | Products Cookies Founder Per Chantbou | |
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The Chantbou Company is a Danish company founded in 2005 by Per Chantbou and his family and based on the idyllic island of Funen, an island famous for its former resident Hans Christian Andersen. The company specialized in production of the authentic Danish butter cookies.
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Mission statement
The Chantbou Company aims at producing and selling the Danish butter cookies with the authentic buttery savor basing its production principles on the traditional Danish baking practice. The company also takes an active part in the promotion and popularization of Danish cultural heritage beyond the borders of the Danish Monarchy by accompanying their products with texts offering the account of the most interesting facts about the Kingdom of Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales and national landmarks.
Products and brands
The Chantbou Company is specialized in the production of the authentic Danish butter cookies. The company runs two brands, Marie Royale and Chant Royale, both of which made on the Danish recipes and baked without the use of artificial coloring or preservatives. Marie Royale offers a set of five assorted butter cookies, the vanilla ring, coconut, the Finnish bread, the country style and pretzel cookies, made following the authentic recipe and baked in a traditional manner. Because the company strives to preserve the authentic taste, they refer to this brand as “The Originals”. Chant Royale is a luxury brand that keeps the same, authentic taste of the original Danish butter cookies and delivers them into a royal-like, luxuriously designed package.
Both brands have won several blind tests.
Production
The Chantbou Company bases its production on the traditional Danish baking practices. The company is committed to high food safety and sustainability and has its cookies baked in accordance with the world’s leading food certifications. The products are made without the use of artificial coloring and preservatives. The company uses wheat flour and butter, sugar, dextrose, glucose, fructose, syrup, salt, natural vanilla and raising agent as ingredients in their products. The products are delivered in three tin sizes: 340g, 454g, and 908g.
Design
The design of the logos draws inspiration from the Renaissance. The Renaissance elements and the logos are printed in gold nuances against the damask blue background. The tin box cover include the image of typical, picturesque, Funen house framed by the gold Renaissance wreath and printed on the damask blue background.
Competition
The Danish butter cookies are a merchandise produced worldwide, so the ChantBou Company does not lack its competitors. The largest competitor on the market is Kelsen Cookies and their Royal Dansk tins. However, over the recent years, a new brand from Malaysia, Danisa, has taken some market share from Kelsen. Another rival company is Jackobsen Bakery, based in Denmark and famous for its brands such is Disney and Beautiful Denmark.
The Promotion of the Danish Tradition, Culture and Heritage
In 2014, the company has produced the movie Denmark, a short movie that tells the story about the culture and tradition behind the company’s flagship products, Danish Butter Cookies. It portrays the image of the Denmark of 1800s, the Golden Age of Danish culture and history. Set in the idyllic Danish farmlands, the film opens with the sculpture of Hans Christian Andersen. The following scenes draw connections between this great author and the Danish farmlands and natural world from which he drew his inspiration. The images of ducklings, a beautiful swan openly allude to the famous fairytale “The Ugly Duckling”. This 3-minute-long video focuses on the farm life of the 19th century Denmark presented through the process of making Danish butter cookies. There are scenes showing people milking cows and harvesting wheat with their bare hands, and women churning butter and Kneading dough for the cookies. The images also portray the old windmills and the process of grinding the wheat and corn. The picturesque scenes and the romantic atmosphere vividly revive the 1800s. The movie was shot at different locations:
The Concept and the Danish Tradition
The concept of the company has roots in the 18th century Danish tradition and culture, Danish Golden Age. The poetic inspiration came from the works of the prominent Danes of the century such as Hans Christian Andersen, Soren Kierkegaard and August Bournonville. The company’s baking practice is based on the baking practices found in the 18th century kitchen. Around this time, the first wood-burning stoves were installed in Danish homes. They had ovens, so Danish women came up with the recipe for butter cookies. At the time, it was believed that butter cookies can help with fertility and can bring success.
Environmental initiatives
The Chantbou Company is a green-oriented enterprise actively taking part in the preservation and protection of Danish farming resources and farmlands.