Former World Chocolate Master winner to open chocolate shop in Barcelona

Lluc Crusellas, named the world's best chocolatier at the 2022 World Chocolate Masters, will open a new chocolate shop in Barcelona on November 5, expanding his Eukarya brand beyond its home in Vic, central Catalonia

The shop will be at 16, Carrer del Pi, in the Gothic Quarter, in the space that once housed Fargas, an iconic Barcelona chocolate shop with a history stretching back nearly 200 years. 

Crusellas's new venture will keep the famous Fargas name alongside his own.

"We opened our shop two years ago in Vic and now it's time to arrive in Barcelona," Crusellas told Catalan News. "In the city center…near the best street of the best chocolate shops in Barcelona."

After winning the World Chocolate Masters, Crusellas saw Eukarya as an opportunity to "grow inside the chocolate industry" and build a "beautiful project." The opening of the Barcelona shop, Crusellas explained, signifies the completion of that project.

"We can close the circle of our project," he said, adding that he is happy to be in "the capital" of Catalonia and for people to "enjoy and appreciate" his product in the city.

The new space will retain iconic products, such as xocolata a la pedra (traditional stone-ground chocolate), while also adding suïssos (hot chocolate topped with whipped cream) and hot chocolate to go.

A historic chocolate shop 

Fargas is an institution whose ties to chocolate trace all the way back to 1827. Crusellas explained that the previous owners wanted to "step aside" and were looking for someone to carry on that legacy. 

"For me, it’s a way of giving back to the world of chocolate, which has given me so much up to this point," he said.

The opportunity arose last spring through a mutual contact of the Fargas owners. Crusellas explains that Eukarya had long been considering an expansion into Barcelona, ​​though they were uncertain about the ideal location or neighborhood.

The chocolatier describes the area as the "quintessential chocolate neighborhood" and emphasizes that they hope to add their own contribution to the area. 

The project aims to preserve the essence of Fargas by highlighting its historic furnishings and the original stone mill, which will continue to be used to produce chocolate, while integrating the shop's traditional offerings with Eukarya’s own products. 

The history of chocolate-making associated with Fargas dates back to 1827, when the first record of a master chocolatier appears in Plaça de la Cucurulla. In 1887, Josep Fargas took charge of the business and gave it his name. 

Crusellas admits that taking on a legacy spanning nearly two centuries commands "great respect," though it also fills him with excitement.

The Master Chocolatier

Crusellas, originally from Osona, central Catalonia, trained at Espai Sucre and the Hofmann School, and currently serves as the head of the pastry department at El Carme, a pastry shop in Vic. 

He explains that Eukarya’s growth has been "very rapid" and that "a lot has happened" in just three years. For this reason, he views the opening in Barcelona as an opportunity to bring his products to the city.

Winning the World Chocolate Masters in 2022 and gaining admission to Relais Desserts this year has provided him with motivation, but also "added pressure." 

For now, he has no plans to open more shops, though he hasn't ruled it out entirely, "The priority is to get properly established and then to proceed with good judgment," he said.