This anniversary year brought a strong sense of renewal and industry unity to the Porte de Versailles Paris Expo Centre, with the Salon doing what it does best: bringing together chefs, artisans, chocolatiers, and producers while inviting the general public to join the celebration.
The Salon also expanded its B2B footprint, with the Village B2B welcoming 3,000+ professionals, hosting 30+ exhibitors across 600 m² and offering a full programme of high-level conferences.
A spokesperson for organisers Comexposium told CocoaRadar: “Attendance was good and more international than ever. Although the majority of visitors were French, nearly 8% of total visitors came from other countries … mainly Japan, Belgium and the United States.
Janice Wong, chocolatier talks chocolate.
“We are delighted because the public turned out in large numbers, despite reduced purchasing power and a general increase in food prices, which also affected cocoa, chocolate and pastries. We wanted to re-enchant the visitor experience, and we rose to the challenge.”
The Salon du Chocolat Paris welcomed 12% more exhibitors than last year, bringing the total to 250+, making it the event’s strongest year since 2019. Organisers confirmed that 45% were new exhibitors, “which highlights the appeal of the event.”
As the world’s largest event dedicated to cocoa, chocolate, and pastry, the Salon emphasises its educational and informative mission. “We would like to welcome more producing countries and promote the upstream part of the industry, thus covering the entire sector—a subject consumers are unfamiliar with but curious about, especially professionals!” said the spokesperson.
This Year's Key Figures
- 96,000+ visitors over 5 days
- 300+ events and 200 hours of programming
- 17,000 m² of exhibition space
- 250 exhibitors (45% new)
- 30 countries represented
- 500 speakers
- 11 chocolate costumes created for the anniversary musical
- 43 pastry chefs offering 3,000 tasting portions
- 19 chefs in the new Village des Chefs by Gault & Millau
- 35 awards distributed across competitions
- 3 monumental chocolate sculptures
- 3,000+ professional visitors in the Village B2B
- 240,000 social-media followers
This year’s Salon was notably shaped by the Brazilian Pavilion, a joint initiative by the Bahia and Pará regional governments representing the country’s main cocoa-producing regions. Brazil is aiming to position itself as a global cocoa leader, and a spokesperson for the trade mission noted the importance of attending the Salon to attract new markets.
Beyond South America, there was also a strong contingent of Asian exhibitors. Janice Wong—Singaporean artist, chocolatier, chef, and entrepreneur—returned once again, emphasising that the European market is essential for her brand and that the Salon is an ideal showcase for bean-to-bar makers (see above video).
“To attract the public, we have to reinvent ourselves every year. This year, we had to find the right balance between shopping and festivities,” the spokesperson added. “Plans are already underway for the 2026 Salon.”
Building on the success of this anniversary edition, organisers are inviting gourmets, professionals, and all enthusiasts of cocoa and pastry to join the next chapter of this renowned celebration of chocolate and creativity.
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