“I start my day with a freshly baked warm cookie and a hot cup of latte from Criollo before going to class,” says Rawan, a student at CBA. “It’s a delightful morning treat and a great way to start a day.”

Created by a family of chocoholics, this family business began by an inspiration from chocolate cafés in Bahrain and Harrods, London where the founders — Basma Sabban and Mohammed Mashat — enjoyed some treats. Their obsession with chocolate drove them to invest in a kiosk in Jeddah with support of two more members: Amr Nassar and Abdulrahman Mashat.

“I like to cook and to create new recipes. Basma is a chocolate addict; she introduced me to the various types of chocolate and the ways of savoring them. That is how we turned this passion of ours into a business,” says Mashat.

There are three bestseller types of cocoa beans: Forastero, Trinitario and Criollo. Criollo is the rarest and most expensive kind of the three. Even though the Criollo Chocolate House doesn’t use actual Criollo cocoa beans, its products are nonetheless rich and unique. The company uses top-quality French chocolate that is specially delivered from France and is the main ingredient in all its products.

Criollo Chocolate House offers both traditional and signature products. Traditional items include waffles, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate sandwiches, cupcakes, cappuccinos, espressos and lattes.

“Our menu is being updated since we keep coming up with new delicious products,” said Nassar.

Its signature products aren’t found anywhere else and include: Chocolate fondue “Dipper” (a melted chocolate sauce accompanied with cake cubes), Sweet ‘n’ Skewers (wooden sticks with chocolate covered marshmallow) and “Triollo” (a plastic cup filled with layers of chocolate mousse and OREO crunch).

Criollo also offers unique beverages like Criollo’s chocolate shot (a thick hot chocolate served with the customer’s choice of flavor) and Crio’spresso (a mix of espresso and Criollo’s melted chocolate sauce).

“We decided to open our first branch at a girls’ only college because girls appreciate chocolate and it’s a good environment for building strong base,” explains Sabban.

Criollo’s next step is to establish a drive-through stand where cars can stop by and purchase Criollo products in takeaway bags. The owners also want to open a lounge that serves Criollo sweet products along with a variety of unique dishes on the food menu.