yater

The story of the man behind some of the world’s biggest chocolate empires.

Chocolate Covered Money is for anyone who eats chocolate, has shopped for chocolate as a gift, or has wondered what really goes on at the chocolate store ＂in a mall near you.＂ Chocolate is a big business, and makes a lot of money. This book ＂pulls the curtain back＂ for a behind-the-scenes look at the people who own chocolate companies, how they make chocolate, and their celebrity friends.

This book reveals business methods used to enable three of the world’s leading super-premium luxury Belgian chocolate brands--Godiva, Leonidas, and KC Chocolatier--to compete against one another, how each achieves marketing dominance in certain markets, and what it really takes to build a worldwide chain of retail stores.

Brad Yater shares his business expertise, having served as country manager for the US at all three of these brands, beginning with Godiva, during a career lasting thirty years. Read the fascinating story of how this happened to him.

Brad is the only American in history to have managed all three of Belgium’s largest gourmet chocolate retail brands. He was among the first to coin the term ＂lifestyle＂ brand by understanding the emotional relationship between consumers and the products they buy. At Godiva, Brad set out to build a brand, not just sell chocolate, resulting in a ＄1 billion valuation. With Leonidas, Brad transformed the industry by introducing the chocolate café, adding a full coffee menu to the stores. As his ＂third act,＂ Brad launched KC Chocolatier, a sustainable, vertically integrated manufacturer dedicated to giving back to the cocoa-producing regions. The thru line to this successful career has been a focus on retail marketing of promotional campaigns, seasonal packaging, and new product development. Brad’s forte is having the ability to put his finger on the pulse of what has commercial appeal. The author holds an MBA from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and resides in Beverly Hills.