Diplômé de la fameuse Ecole Hôtelière de Namur, en Belgique, il en obtint le très convoité premier prix de cuisine. Il se spécialisa dans la confection des sauces et devint maître dans l’élaboration de plats à base de poissons.
A great lover of pastry, he took courses with Lenôtre and other renowned Belgian pastry chefs, because for Camille, a good meal can only end with a succulent dessert.
In parallel with his work with Michelin-starred chefs, he undertook with his mother, herself a food consultant, to start making chocolates.
It quickly became a passion and Camille decided to embark on the fabulous adventure of “Chocolate World”.
Having had no contact with other chocolatiers for his training, Camille thus had his own inspiration for the elaboration of filled chocolates, called “pralines” in the Kingdom of Belgium. It is thus as a self-taught person that he will reach the summit of his art.
Apart from the great classics, such as pralines, marzipan, and others, Camille was mainly inspired by his training as a saucier. He thus went off the beaten track and created original recipes, unheard of at the time, which positioned him as a Master chocolatier: the DRUART brand was born.
His taste for travel took him all over the world and each journey inspired him to create new works.
The discovery of China led him to meet the woman who was to become his loyal collaborator, his wife Mixia. With a doctorate in mathematics, she provided the foundations of the company’s structure and, coupled with her husband’s expertise in chocolate, they now form an inseparable team united by love and passion.
From China, he was inspired by the spices used for the famous Peking duck, and his meeting with the Peking chef allowed him to learn the secret of mixing spices and to apply it to the making of his chocolate “les Cinq parfums”. Other creations followed: from Thailand, “coconut milk and curry”, from Brazil, “Bahia”, coconut and rum mousse, from Sri Lanka, “cinnamon”, from France, “Haut Médoc” ganache, chocolate with red wine from Bordeaux, from Japan, “Wasabi” and “Rising Sun”, ganache finely flavoured with Japanese whisky Nikka…
In the magnificent Honnelles valley, his shop, located next to the workshop, offers a whole range of top-of-the-range chocolates, and is often visited by celebrities and all refined amateurs in search of gastronomic perfection. It is this perfection that has allowed the Maison Druart to be a supplier to the Maison Fauchon in Paris for over 20 years.
Druart chocolates have pleased a few presidents, kings and other celebrities, but discretion remains the rule.
Camille Druart and his wife Mixia continue to strive for quality and creativity, the very essence of their craft business. In addition to original and daring creations such as the “Grand Cru” Whisky assortments, the “Mathilde” (natural rose ganache, created for the Belgian queen), the “Druart” (with coriander seed), Camille Druart has recently created other chocolate treasures such as for our famous and talented Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb, a great fan of Druart chocolate: the “very cocoa” ganache flavoured with a hint of cinnamon and the discreet passage of Sri Lankan cloves and the other, a fine mousse with chocolates from Java and Madagascar, subtly spiced up with Cuban rum and Costa Rican coffee.
Today and in the future, La Chocolaterie Druart offers a real journey through the world of flavours and emotions for the pleasure of the finest palates.
Since 1988, when Chocolaterie Druart SA was transformed, exports have multiplied and Druart chocolates have found their way to the USA, Japan, France and England,
quality remains the main objective.
Druart chocolates were ranked among the 10 best chocolate makers in Belgium and best chocolate maker in Japan in the craftsmanship and quality category.
Newspapers and magazines followed us and recognised our product as outstanding, of high quality with a philosophy close to the product and the people.
The quality of Druart chocolates has enabled the company to gain recognition for the accuracy and balance of its ingredients and to establish its reputation as a top-of-the-range chocolate, recognised by fine gourmets and fine tasters.
After the destructive floods of 2018 the Druart chocolate factory is back in shape in a new setting.
We also had the pleasure of welcoming Alexandre Druart fils to our team to share the torch.
Rich in both cultural and practical experience abroad, he has brought new life to the Druart chocolate factory, both in terms of design and in the search for quality.
We have also thought about a stricter ethic, both in the choice of our suppliers and raw materials, in order to run our chocolate factory with respect for the finished products, the environment, the growers and the consumers.
Chocolaterie Druart’s mission is to continue to create and produce quality chocolates and to keep our motto for the future:
“Excellence in the service of Taste”.