Supporting British Industry & Craftsmanship
Prestat has changed hands four times and is now part of a fourth-generation Italian business. It was founded in 1902 by the Frenchman Antoine Dufour, a master chocolatier who created the chocolate truffle.
Since 2019, Prestat has been owned by Domori, a subsidiary of Polo del Gusto-Illy Group. Production is based at west London's Park Royal industrial complex, home to around 43,000 workers across 1700 businesses, many of them food manufacturers it is known as 'London's Kitchen'. It feeds one third of London on a daily basis, according to Park Royal Business Group.
The Prestat team make 100 million chocolates a year - 90 per cent truffles, the rest bars and thins. Around 30% - 40% of the goods are exported, mainly to Italy.
"A heavenly scent on entering this series of production rooms and a busy hive of activity - you have to work quickly with chocolate after all. Whilst there was high-tech machinery involved, a lot of the processes were still done by hand. It was fascinating to visit the Park Royal area - which is home to hundreds of food businesses." Carmel King photographed Prestat in September 2021 for Made in London.
