Maya La Chocolaterie

About Maya Chocolate Factory

Maya La Chocolaterie, a trademark of The Living Concepts Company, is an artisan chocolate brand with a deep-rooted Arab heritage and over a decade of expertise crafting premium products of international standards. A woman’s love for chocolate and her journey in search of exquisite tastes was the inspiration behind the Maya story. Proud of its Arab heritage, Maya was born with a clear mission in mind – to create worldly chocolates that transcend palates, speak a common language and touch every heart. Since then, Maya has evolved into an artisan chocolate brand operating out of its home base in Bahrain, with GCC-wide franchises and over 10 years’ expertise and passion crafting premium products of international standards.

We launched our unique chocolate bar concept in 2007 in Bahrain, and have replicated the same concept across the GCC through strategic franchises and best-in-class partnerships. Our boutique outlets offer the pure delicacy and passion of exceptional chocolate products; from the moment you enter any Maya outlet you are whisked away by the scent of pure chocolate emitting from the huge churning drums in the corner. Maya is more than just a dessert destination; it is a dessert sanctuary for chocolate lovers worldwide.

From the outset, the aspiration for Maya was to take the brand across borders on a global journey, sharing its delicacies with chocolate lovers the world-over. Franchising has been an integral part of the Maya business plan, setting in motion a progressive growth strategy that has been steered by a visionary team of chocolate connoisseurs committed to best in class partnerships, and a solid franchise support framework in place. To-date, Maya boasts 7 franchise outlets in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia under the Maya Café umbrella; a unique chocolate bar concept designed to provide a dessert sanctuary experience for all to enjoy. With plans already underway for new branches across the Middle East and internationally, Maya perseveres with its expansion journey on the backbone of product excellence.

Our artisan products have been fashioned from the finest ingredients carefully sourced from the most specialised vendors in Europe, to reflect the award winning quality that has become synonymous with the brand. Today, over 90 daring flavors are signature to Maya all inspired by alluring blends of the finest Belgian cocoa and Arabian spices. Each chocolate mold, praline or truffle is a combination of the finest cocoas, nuts, and flavours that promise to leave a lasting memory and tantalise the senses. All of Maya’s products are freshly produced in Bahrain making Maya the first premium Bahraini chocolate brand to appear in the global spotlight.

In addition to the extensive variety of retail chocolate products that vary from artisan pralines, bars, enrobed nuts, thins, marshmallow chocolates and lollipops, Maya has created a new fun range called ChocoB’s.

The ChocoB’s are unique characters designed exclusively for Maya; the idea came about by placing two chocolate truffles on top of each other and giving them a facial expression. Initially there were three main characters - Choco Mo, Choco Dee and Choco Bebe (representing milk, dark and white chocolate). This concept saw huge success and the range of characters continued to evolve and grow; now there are over 15 lovable ChocoB’s characters in milk, dark and white chocolate – each with their own story, personality and interests. The ChocoB’s range includes plush toys, ceramics, chocolate bars, lollipops and truffles available at all Maya outlets.

Market Potential

Product excellence remains a top priority for Maya with most of the ingredients sourced from specialist vendors in Europe to ensure the highest level of quality is maintained, and to create the unique blends and tastes that Maya has become known for. The raw chocolate is produced in Europe to Maya’s specifications by one of the world’s top three suppliers and all of Maya’s chocolates are nutritionally analysed and attested by, a global European leader in analytical testing services, recognised for its expert and accurate product testing and analysis.

To ensure consistency in quality and taste, Maya produces all its chocolates locally out of its state-of-the-art facility in Bahrain and then exports them fresh to all its franchisees in the Middle East as well as to clients worldwide. GCC countries are amongst the world’s highest in terms of chocolate consumption on a per capita basis. Driven by population growth as well as expansion into new markets, product innovation and rising disposable income levels leading to greater purchasing power of premium products. Furthermore, the GCC and MENA regions are witnessing a strong growth in franchising activities approaching 30% annually.

Due to the sensitive nature of chocolate, Maya’s production facility adheres to stringent hygiene protocols within a temperature and humidity controlled environment, that is regulated by the globally- recognised HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) which sets international standards in safety, hygiene and quality. Maya’s 300-metre purpose-built premises have been designed according to global specifications that provide the ideal conditions for chocolate production and safekeeping.

Advanced chocolate machinery and equipment is housed in the chocolate factory and with this equipment, Maya’s production capacity can reach 2 tonnes per day; to-date, the maximum production recorded has been 25 tonnes annually during a time when multiple franchise outlets were operational in Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Jordan. However, it is worth noting that based on the existing capabilities, the factory has the potential to produce over 730 tonnes annually if exploited to its full capacity.

In terms of customisation, Maya customises handmade chocolates to suit client preferences using edible transfer sheets specially ordered from France. These chocolates can also be wrapped in custom-printed paper or placed in special boxes that are enfolded with tailored ‘sleeves’ featuring unique designs. Yet another option is to procure proprietary molds for clients that are exclusive to their needs.

Maya also functions as a white label supplier to other brands creating chocolates exclusively for third party distribution, which are different to Maya’s range of products.

For packaging options, Maya provides elegant chocolate boxes in two different styles and in various sizes that can accommodate a minimum of 4 pieces of chocolate, going up to 16 and 32. Large corporations order in bulk quantity for exclusive events and celebrations. Special occasions such as weddings also place a fair amount of bulk chocolate order with customised wrappings or chocolate installations for hall decor.

Maya’s client portfolio comprises reputed local and international names including, but not limited to, Bahrain International Circuit (Formula 1), Jewellery Arabia, Burberry, National Bank of Bahrain, CitiBank, Credimax, Batelco, Supreme Council for Women, Al Zain Jewellers and Dev Ji, and also produces customised giveaways for destination weddings in Europe and beyond.

Marketing Strategy

Maya is a high-end brand that offers quality products and experience and is positioned as affordable luxury for all. All aspects related to the brand and products reflect this philosophy and there is no compromise on quality of products or the brand’s image.

Marketing works in tandem on multiple channels to ensure the following: reinforcing brand presence, promoting visibility and trial, strengthening brand loyalty with a strong push to expand the repeat clientele. The focus is to establish and maintain position as choice of high-end dessert destination that is also a ‘sanctuary’ for visitors to escape to the wonderful world of Maya. Maya has a social media strength of 54k + followers on Instagram with regular updates and engagement on Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. This figure while impressive can be further amplified and increased with campaigns and periodic boosts to keep the content relevant and fresh.

Along with the above marketing objectives, Maya is constantly working on product innovation to stay current and fresh in today’s competitive market. Quality and signature product line with high-end quality and brand presence are key elements to define its equity across the board.

While the Kingdom of Bahrain is home to the concept as well as the flagship outlet, Maya’s vision to expand across the world – therefore, not only local but media presence across the region and as well as international media is of supreme importance.

In order to realize the above objectives and strategy, Maya is working in partnership with TRACCS, a PR and Communications agency to rollout various communications and marketing plans.