Welcome to this tiny, unique, basement boutique full of handmade chocolates. All the chocolates are made on the premisses by chocolatier and pastry chef, Gunhild Persson. She is the 6. person to own the shop since it opened in November 1930. The recipes are from both ancient and modern times. Quite a few chocolate recipes originates back to before 1930 - from a chocolatier working for the Russian zar.
Are you looking for a rare and exclusive gift to bring back home? Or are you wanting to taste why the Danes statistically are among the happiest nation on the planet? Or have you a passion for edible, handmade souvenirs that are beyond any chocolate you've ever tasted? Then you've got to make Alida Marstrand Chocolate a visit. We are located on BREDGADE 14, very close to the royal palace, Nyhavn and all the other famous sights of Copenhagen.
Psssst... we get orders from the Royal Palace, because the Queen and the Royal family loves our chocolates and marzipan.
A True and Sweet Fairy Tale
Long time ago, in November 1930 to be exact, a young woman named Alida Marstrand became the proud owner of a chocolate shop. She lived happily ever after but as true in many other fairy tales, she had to overcome some obstacles first. I'll name them in short so not to bore you.
First she got married. Then she and her husband had five children, and these occasions were definitely happy ones. All was well until one day - all of a sudden her husband got sick and died. That was a sad story but it does not end here.
Alida Marstrand was an independent and self-determined woman for her time. She grieved her loss, looked at her hungry children and grabbed her late husbands wallet. She was walking the cobblestone streets of Copenhagen in despair when she got a sign from above. It hurt, when she banged her head on the for sale sign but instead of cultivating a headache she counted her coins and soon thereafter she became the proud owner of a tiny basement shop located a stone’s throw from Amalienborg, the royal palace.
And that was just the beginning. Luckily Alida’s mother had, in her youth, been a housekeeper in St Petersburg where a pastry chef working for the Russian czar had taught her how to make delicious desserts and chocolates. Best of all, her mother had handed over those recipes to Alida.
In her tiny basement shop Alida soon prepared, produced and sold the most exquisite chocolate pieces ever seen. People came from near and far to admire and buy those tasty treats. Yes, even the queen got off her throne to enjoy these handmade goodies.
Over the years, Alida worked hard, fought a world war, survived several economical crises, and taught her chocolate skills to her family. When she got too old to work, she passed on the shop and the recipes to her daughter, Tove Marstrand. Tove put a lot of elbow grease and perseverance into the tiny basement shop and became her mother’s successor. The rest is history, as they say. Gerda Vogel, Tove’s sister in law, took over the business when Tove retired, and owner number six, pastry chef and chocolatier, Gunhild Persson, is now the proud owner of the tiny basement shop where generation of patron customers visits and this true fairy tale will continues for many years to come.
alida marstrand, håndlavet, chokolade, bredgade, københavn k