OUR STORY
a family business that has been around for 75 years
Delrey's Story
The shiny display case contains all kinds of colorful treats: from beautiful cakes, for big and small sweet tooths, to a wide range of cookies, frivolous macaroons and delicious pralines.
They do not appear out of nowhere, because behind the shop lies a maze of corridors, rooms and floors. There, behind closed doors, it buzzes with activity.
Welcome to our magical world
Thanks to our organic growth over the years, there is a lot of work going on in different corners and spread over three floors. Everyone has their post, because delicacies require a tight organization.
On the ground floor, it smells deliciously of cookies. No wonder, because we bake them fresh every day and finish them à la minute, because each cookie variety may only be in the shop for two days. 'Fresh' is not an empty word for us.
Far away from the flower, because flower can float through the air and end up in the chocolate and start a fermentation, on the first floor the chocolate flows through the soaking machine. Ready to be molded into unique praline shapes. And in the basement, chocolate and biscuits come together to create breathtaking cakes.
1940s
Women in power
In the 1940s, a notorious businessman, now known only as the mysterious Mr Faustin , destroys his seven praline and waffle shops in and around Antwerp through misconduct. His clever and creative wife Adèle Raymaekers was of course not born yesterday and had made her preparations. She shows her good-for-nothing husband the back door and lets the head of the studio, Omer Plaetevoet, enter through the large gate. More specifically, the praline shop at Appelmansstraat 5 , where Adèle always stood behind the sales counter with great love.
1953
Royal name
Adèle has a good business instinct and an eye for marketing. She first renamed the praline shop Maison Ray in 1949 , after her own name. To give the shop the necessary allure, she went a step further. Maison Ray became DelReY in 1953 , as if the shop belonged to the king himself. Thanks to her earlier training as a hat designer, Adèle knows better than anyone how important aesthetics are. Praline shop DelReY soon excels with its beautiful packaging.
1965
New owners
7 years later, in 1960, Arnout Marchand starts working as a chocolatier at DelReY. He doesn't stay long because he wants to perfect his chocolate knowledge in Switzerland . However, the Antwerp shop is close to his heart and when he hears in 1965 that the business is up for sale, he and his wife Rita Carette don't hesitate for a second. At that time, the business had 16 employees.
1974
Purchasing desire
In 1974, the couple sees their chance to buy both the building at Appelmansstraat 5 and the one at Vestingstraat 2. This also allows them to finally do a major renovation . A year later, Bernard Proot , a baker-patissier, arrives, who helps Arnout in the studio during the winter months. In the summer, Bernard returns to his hometown of Ostend to enjoy the high season at various bakeries and pastry shops on the coast.