Laurence Koutny Joins Home Chocolat as Chief Commercial Officer

We're excited to share some big news: Laurence Koutny has officially joined Home Chocolat as Chief Commercial Officer, after supporting us as an advisor for the past three years.

A partnership three years in the making

Laurence has been part of the Home Chocolat story since early on, quietly shaping our direction as an advisor while we built the Chocolatier Pro from concept to prototype. Her guidance, rooted in decades of hands-on experience with chocolatiers and culinary professionals, helped us understand what small-batch chocolate makers actually need, both technically, for tempering their chocolate, and in the various use cases for their business, and not just what we assumed they needed.

That kind of insight doesn't come from market research alone. It comes from someone who has spent a career inside the industry.

Who is Laurence Koutny

Based in Brussels, Laurence brings 30+ years of experience in the chocolate industry in marketing and business development. She founded Art of Chocolate, where she trains and consults for chocolatiers and chocolate makers, and previously served as Marketing and PR Director at Godiva. She's a judge at chocolate competitions and co-founder of I Love Belgian Chocolate, an NGO working to have Belgian chocolate recognized as a national cultural asset. Across all of it, she's built deep, lasting connections throughout the global chocolate industry, connections that are already opening doors for Home Chocolat.

From the trade floor to the team

Laurence's fingerprints are already on some of our most important milestones. She helped lead the customer research that shaped the Chocolatier Pro ahead of our Kickstarter launch, sitting down with culinary professionals to pressure-test our assumptions. Last February, she coordinated our exhibition at Chocoa, one of the industry's leading chocolate trade events, helping build our booth and representing Home Chocolat on-site. It was one of the Chocolatier Pro's first hands-on moments in front of the industry, and Laurence made sure it counted.

What's next

Laurence is starting in a fractional capacity, with her role expanding as Home Chocolat grows, particularly as we move into production and scale our commercial efforts. She'll lead our B2B sales and marketing strategy, working with chocolate businesses and retail partners as we bring the Chocolatier Pro to professionals worldwide. She continues to run Art of Chocolate alongside her work with us.

Welcome aboard, Laurence. We couldn't be more excited for what's ahead!