Mmm, chocolate distribution rights

A Geelong entrepreneur will have to be quick on his feet when three tonnes of fine Belgian chocolates arrive at his doorstep in less than two weeks.
Belfine Chocolates director Stephane Vander Bruggen, 30, has won Australasian distribution rights for major Belgian manufacturer Baptista Finest.
With his first shipment about to pass through Port Phillip Heads, Stephane is frantically finalising plans to distribute to retailers throughout Victoria.
The former professional triathlete from Brussels has lived in Geelong for three years and has great confidence in the local market’s appetite for his wares.
“The average Australian eats nearly six kilograms of chocolate a year,” he says.
“The only countries where people eat more chocolate are Switzerland and Belgium.”
Stephane says the major problem for chocolate importers to Australia is blooming – a white film that forms on the surface of the product after freezing or exposure to air.
But by keeping the product in a sealed and temperature-controlled environment at 15 degrees Celsius from factory to retailer, Belfine Chocolates will be able to keep the product fresh for its six-to-12-month shelf life.
Stephane will only have three to four months to unload his entire three-tonne shipment.
Geelong retailers Espresso 210, Mr Deli and soon-to-open Geelong West Chocolate Room have already confirmed orders.