A prestigious UK chocolate maker has announced it is going into administration after 40 years in business. Marasu’s Petit Fours was founded in 1986 by patissiers Rolf Kern and Gabi Kohler, who wanted to make premium chocolates for London’s top establishments.
The London-based business was acquired by the Prestat Group in 2006 and has since supplied Prestat, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges, and Harrods. It is London’s largest producer of premium chocolates with an annual production of over 300 ton from its 25,000 sq ft facilities in Park Royal. Marasu’s appointed administrators on February 6, and it was announced today (February 17). The reason for its collapse is not yet known; however, it follows Prestat’s going into administration. The luxury chocolatier, founded in 1902, shut its historic Piccadilly shop in central London last week, following mounting financial pressure from poor sales and soaring cocoa prices.
In recent years, the chocolate industry has struggled with global cocoa prices surging to record highs in 2024 and cocoa crops being hit by disease and extreme weather, including flooding and droughts, in key producing countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which together account for about 60% of the world’s production.
The company also reportedly faced difficulties after attempting to expand its market using premium cocoa varieties such as Criollo, leaving it vulnerable to cheaper competitors.
The closure comes as part of a prepack administration deal that will see the brand taken over by chocolate maker L’Artisan du Chocolat, which is owned by Polus Capital Management.
The agreement was reached before administrators were formally appointed and involves the sale of Prestat for a nominal sum to L’Artisan du Chocolat. Under the deal, Prestat is expected to continue as an online-only brand.
Prestat held two Royal Warrants and counted the Royal Family, including Princess Diana, among some of its most famous customers. In 2003, The Economist magazine even named it as one of the top three chocolate shops in the world.
The Piccadilly shop inspired Roald Dahl, who referenced Prestat’s truffles in his novel My Uncle Oswald. The store, which was one of the few to continue making its own chocolates, is also said to have inspired the fantastical sweet shop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.