[PORTRAITS]
2025-03-11
Maison Voisin: chocolate excellence from Lyon
Travelling the world in search of exceptional tropical products, Léon Voisin opened his first boutique in 1897, driven by the desire to introduce his exotic finds to the people of Lyon. This desire has remained engraved in the DNA of the eponymous Maison, which even today makes the best cocoa and coffee terroirs accessible.
In the 1920s, chocolate didn't yet exist in the form we know it today, but it was the process discovered by wise craftsmen that led to the tempering of cocoa powder for transformation. At the dawn of this revolution in taste, Voisin immediately positioned itself by opening one of the first chocolate factories in France, specializing in the artisan manufacture of chocolate. Today, this exponent of fine French artisan chocolate-making boasts a brigade of 50 chocolatiers, each driven by a rare savoir-faire.
Maison Voisin is a family business run by third-generation Alain Boucaud Maitre and fourth-generation Romain and Franck Boucaud Maitre. A house of excellence, mastering the entire manufacturing process from sourcing to in-store sales, the Voisin teams are committed to preserving the skills and know-how inherent in their profession. Voisin has been awarded the EPV label, a mark of excellence in craftsmanship, and today stands alongside some of the greatest names in French luxury. As well as perfecting the raw materials, Managing Director Romain Boucaud-Maître believes that their role as a player in the world of haute chocolaterie is also to preserve the terroirs.
Mava Ottamge in Madagascar, Porcelana and Chuao in Venezuela, El Vado in Mexico, Amazonas in Peru... These are the origins of the raw materials brought to Lyon to be processed in the 4,000 m2 workshop in Vaise, sourced from around the world by particularly knowledgeable experts. The taste quality of the finished products is largely due to the particularities of these rare botanical species. However, these territories are constantly under threat in the interests of higher yields (and massive deforestation in the process). Voisin therefore makes it a point of honor to preserve this cocoa, supporting small producers and their families to maintain these sustainable sectors.
As a member of the Cacao Forest Foundation, Voisin is also involved in botanical training for producers, helping them to optimize their yields by obtaining better-quality cocoa. This system of support is mutually beneficial, enabling a fair price to be maintained, while boosting the capacity and desire to produce exceptional raw materials.
A single coffee bean can contain up to a thousand aromas, but it's the roaster who has the key role in making an excellent coffee. This meticulous process enables the company's brigade to work these finely selected raw materials, once imported into the Lyonnais workshop, to produce the manufactured products we distribute. The in-store teams, meanwhile, are trained to accurately and meticulously convey the flavors that make up the coffee they create. In addition to mastering the entire process, from sourcing to sales, it is the love of the craft and the desire to pass on the knowledge that have made the Maison so successful.
The Lyon workshop has recently been adorned with a new space, conceived as a real living space, designed to welcome customers and seminars, combining tasting workshops and discovery of the manufacture. A wonderful opportunity to let yourself be (trans)transported to this Mecca of cocoa and coffee, for an event or an enchanted interlude.
Read the article in our magazine Only BARNES n°9
Maison Voisin is a family business run by third-generation Alain Boucaud Maitre and fourth-generation Romain and Franck Boucaud Maitre. A house of excellence, mastering the entire manufacturing process from sourcing to in-store sales, the Voisin teams are committed to preserving the skills and know-how inherent in their profession. Voisin has been awarded the EPV label, a mark of excellence in craftsmanship, and today stands alongside some of the greatest names in French luxury. As well as perfecting the raw materials, Managing Director Romain Boucaud-Maître believes that their role as a player in the world of haute chocolaterie is also to preserve the terroirs.
Mava Ottamge in Madagascar, Porcelana and Chuao in Venezuela, El Vado in Mexico, Amazonas in Peru... These are the origins of the raw materials brought to Lyon to be processed in the 4,000 m2 workshop in Vaise, sourced from around the world by particularly knowledgeable experts. The taste quality of the finished products is largely due to the particularities of these rare botanical species. However, these territories are constantly under threat in the interests of higher yields (and massive deforestation in the process). Voisin therefore makes it a point of honor to preserve this cocoa, supporting small producers and their families to maintain these sustainable sectors.
As a member of the Cacao Forest Foundation, Voisin is also involved in botanical training for producers, helping them to optimize their yields by obtaining better-quality cocoa. This system of support is mutually beneficial, enabling a fair price to be maintained, while boosting the capacity and desire to produce exceptional raw materials.
A single coffee bean can contain up to a thousand aromas, but it's the roaster who has the key role in making an excellent coffee. This meticulous process enables the company's brigade to work these finely selected raw materials, once imported into the Lyonnais workshop, to produce the manufactured products we distribute. The in-store teams, meanwhile, are trained to accurately and meticulously convey the flavors that make up the coffee they create. In addition to mastering the entire process, from sourcing to sales, it is the love of the craft and the desire to pass on the knowledge that have made the Maison so successful.
The Lyon workshop has recently been adorned with a new space, conceived as a real living space, designed to welcome customers and seminars, combining tasting workshops and discovery of the manufacture. A wonderful opportunity to let yourself be (trans)transported to this Mecca of cocoa and coffee, for an event or an enchanted interlude.
Read the article in our magazine Only BARNES n°9
