History

1934

Alfred Geltmeyer, born in Vrasene in 1934, was fond of sweets and chocolates from childhood. Son of a hardworking family of bakers, Alfred used to help out regularly in the family’s bakery.


1956

In 1956, he decided to follow his heart and opened a small confectionery wholesale business. At first, he only supplied local stores, but soon Hamlet supplied various customers all over Belgium: from small local stores, bakeries and candy shops to larger retailers. It didn’t take long before the Dutch market was conquered too.


1985

In 1985 Alfred’s 3 children Marcia, Wim and Tom joined the family business. Driven by the same passion for sweets, and under their father’s wings, they decided to build a production site for Belgian chocolates. Pralinart was born! Soon, Hamlet’s portfolio was expanded to include chocolate truffles and chocolate thins.


2005

In 2005, a brand new packaging & production site was built, specialising in figurines with hazelnut filling (praline). A&A is a real eye catcher along the E17 motorway between Antwerp and Ghent.


2014

Hamlet follows global trends closely. Our team works on new, innovative products and packaging on a daily basis. This is how we came to develop the Hamlet decorated chocolate hollows in 2014. These are now produced at the facility by the E17 motorway.


2017

In 2017, the third generation entered the family-owned company, driven by the same passion as their grandfather. 


2019

Pralin’Art II is being built, a 4th state-of-the-art production facility for Belgian chocolate.


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