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As Valentine’s Day nears, we all love to hear
love stories that changed the world. Several have changed the course of history and become legends
in their own right – Antony & Cleopatra, Queen Victoria & Prince Albert, Marie & Pierre Curie. Few have changed the course of a business or industry in a positive manner. But gourmet chocolates in Italy were changed forever in this love story.
 In 1907, Giovanni Buitoni was seemingly on the top of the world. He was the young heir to Perugina, a burgeoning Italian gourmet chocolate company. He lived in the beatific enclave of Perugia, an ancient town nestled in the hills of Umbria that was known for its quaint charm.
And yet he never felt more blessed than when he met Luisa Spagnoli.
Their love was something that had to remain secret, though. The reason, you ask? Luisa Spagnoli was a confectioner herself. As she had been trained just as Giovanni in creating amazingly indulgent gourmet chocolates, they were concerned that people might think she was marrying him for his company and not for love. Instead, Luisa began working with Giovanni to grow Perugina into a confectionary to be renowned throughout Italy.
Their love, of course, didn’t remain a secret forever. As people worked with the couple on a daily basis, they realized that their passion for each other and gourmet chocolate was truly empowering. The Perugina company became known for its passion in everyday life, and that passion was said to be infused into the chocolates themselves.
In 1922, Luisa stumbled upon a gourmet chocolate that would become the centerpiece of the Perugina collection. Legend has it that she and Giovanni had a lover’s quarrel. She went back into the chocolate shop, furious with him, and threw a ball of hazelnut chocolate down on her worktable. Giovanni swept in and begged her forgiveness for his obvious fault in the argument. She magnanimously forgave him, and he kissed her before he walked away.
As the legend goes, she looked at the ball of chocolate and realized that it looked like something akin to a kiss with its bottom flattened and top still rounded. She wrapped the piece of chocolate in a small love note, and gave it to Giovanni. She told him that she was giving him “baci,” Italian for kisses. He loved the concept, and they began to produce Baci chocolates for all to enjoy.
Perugina’s fortunes changed in 1939. Giovanni and Luisa decided to
expand their company overseas, particularly into the burgeoning market in America. In order to create a buzz, they took Perugina’s to the World’s Fair in New York. Americans loved these gourmet chocolates and started demanding that all the finest confectionary retailers carry the Perugina Baci line.
Nestle purchased Perugina in 1985, adding it as a jewel in their line of fine European gourmet chocolates. Since then, the scrumptious Perugina Baci chocolates have continued to be enjoyed the world over. And lovers everywhere will enjoy the fruits of Giovanni & Luisa’s love story this Valentine’s Day.
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