Project Seahorse & Guylian Belgian Chocolates celebrate 20 years of partnership and success in marine conservation around the world

Lisbon, Portugal

At a ceremony in Lisbon during the Belgian Royal State Visit to Portugal, and in presence of his Majesty King Filip of Belgium, Project Seahorse and Guylian Belgian Chocolates celebrate 20 years of partnership and success in marine conservation around the world.

Hippocampus pontohi, Sulawesi, Lembeh Strait. Photo by Filip Staes/Guylian Seahorses of the World.

Project Seahorse is an international ocean conservation group dedicated to securing a world where marine ecosystems are healthy and well-managed, using seahorses as flagship species to generate action. “Project Seahorse successes have made a real difference to marine species and habitats around the world, winning many awards in the process.” says Prof. Amanda Vincent, Director and co-founder of Project Seahorse and Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries in Canada.

Guylian is one of the top Belgian Boxed Chocolate Brands and distinguishes itself by creating Belgian Chocolates in the shape of seashells and seahorses. As a way of giving back to both its customers and to the environment, Guylian has been the major sustaining sponsor of Project Seahorse since 1999 and has donated over 1.75 million Euros to support the work of Project Seahorse.

In addition to this financial contribution, Guylian helps to raise awareness around the world through targeted outreach activities, such as Seahorses of the World Photography & Video Competitions, exhibitions and school education programs. Guylian uses conservation messages on millions of boxes of its Belgian Chocolates sold worldwide every year, as well as on its website and social media channels.

Guylian’s long term commitment to sustainability

As well as partnering with Project Seahorse in its mission to save seahorses and our ocean, Guylian is also making progress in its use of sustainable ingredients. Guylian aims to become the leading palm oil-free Belgian Chocolates Brand by 2019 and to use 100% sustainable cocoa in all of its recipes by 2025. “Our R&D and Marketing teams have identified the key trends in the premium chocolate industry, and as such are working hard to offer consumers more premium, more indulgent, more sustainable and healthier chocolate products.” says Mieke Callebaut, Managing Director of Chocolaterie Guylian.

The use of palm oil, traditionally a commonly-used ingredient in chocolate fillings, has been challenged due to environmental, social and health concerns. “Guylian has never used palm oil in our Sea Shell Chocolates which are made from 100% pure cocoa butter and filled with our in-house made Original Hazelnut Praliné. We have now taken the decision to remove palm oil from all our other fillings”.

Guylian’s Master Chocolatiers have created new recipes for our Belgian Truffles and Assorted boxes using sustainable shea butter and sunflower oil, which creates a better taste and a smoother texture while being healthier and more sustainable. “The new La Trufflina recipe, for example, contains 32% less saturated fat and 16% less sugar. This change comes with a significant cost increase but we believe this is the right step forward for the Guylian Brand”.

With an increasing consumers suffering from allergies to ingredients such as soy, Guylian has also made the decision to replace soy lecithin with sunflower lecithin in its recipes.

Furthermore, Guylian will gradually increase the use of sustainable cocoa in all recipes. “Our vision is to use 100% sustainable cocoa by 2025” says Mieke Callebaut.

About Project Seahorse and Prof. Amanda Vincent

Project Seahorse is an international ocean conservation group dedicated to securing a world where marine ecosystems are healthy and well-managed, using seahorses as flagship species to generate action.

Founded in 1996 by Prof. Amanda Vincent and Dr. Heather Koldewey, we have received many international awards and honors, including the Rolex Award for Enterprise, Whitley Award in Animal Conservation, and the Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation.

Prof. Amanda Vincent is Director and co-founder of Project Seahorse. She is also a Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries in Canada and a global leader in marine management and policy issues. She has made a lifelong contribution to all aspects of the study of fish biology and/or fisheries science, with a focus on conservation, training and public understanding of our ocean and its needs.

About Chocolaterie Guylian

Guylian is one of the top Belgian Boxed Chocolate Brands. Guylian has a team of 250 employees and produces a wide range of Belgian Chocolates in a state-of-the-art facility in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. It continues to respect its traditional chocolate-making heritage whilst also remaining at the forefront of innovation. Recent innovations include the launch of Guylian Master’s Selection, a luxury range of premium mini pralines with surprising flavors and an investment of 6.8 million Euros on a new production unit in Sint-Niklaas. Guylian exports to more than 120 countries and is available in 75% of Travel Retail shops globally. It is the number one best-selling Sea Shell Chocolate Brand in the world and the number one best-selling Belgian Boxed Chocolate Brand in Travel Retail.

Guylian is one of the first Boxed Chocolates Brands that entered the Portuguese market in the nineties and is widely available with a broad range of Guylian products.

Around the world, Guylian is synonymous with high quality Belgian Chocolates. A unique blend of West-African cocoa beans forms the basis of its premium Belgian Chocolate, made with 100% pure cocoa butter. The Sea Shell Chocolates are Guylian’s flagship product. Their in-house roasted Hazelnut Praliné filling is still produced according to the unique recipe in the traditional manner, in copper kettles following the original recipe of the founders. The secret method of roasting and caramelising hazelnuts gives Guylian Chocolates their signature taste.

Learn more about the partnership here: projectseahorse.org/guylian

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Mieke Callebaut, Managing Director

Chocolaterie Guylian NV
Europark Oost 1
9100 Sint Niklaas – Belgium
www.guylian.com
Phone: +32 (03) 760 97 00
mieke.callebaut@guylian.be