A family story above all
Maison Mercier is the story of four generations of delicacies, beliefs and love for Berry! It all began in 1912: Marcel Mercier, a professional baker and pastry chef, created Maison Mercier in Baugy. It was Pierre, his son, who gave a great impetus to the house in 1958. He was at the origin of Croquets du Berry and goat's cheese crisps...
Today at the head of the house, Daniel, he fell into it very young! Around 7 years old, he started to help his parents on the creations. But this job was not for him at the base, and his father did not want such a difficult job for his children. So, Daniel first studied and created his business far from the world of pastry and chocolate. The chocolate precisely, he quickly caught up with it and a training in the matter was imposed on him. It was on the death of Jacques Bongrand, a local figure in chocolate and his “chocolate guru” as he calls him, that he became fully involved in this niche at the age of 28.
And that's how chocolate finally won Maison Mercier with an unlimited imagination at the end of the 80s. Julien, Daniel's son, is about to take over for a 4th generation of Merciers who want to delight the sweets lovers.
A committed chocolatier
Daniel is above all a passionate, a true chocolate artist, a lover of good products, above all with convictions. Since 2014, his childhood dream has come true: he becomes the owner of his own cocoa plantations in Mexico, in Vanuatu.
The idea is not simply to control the production chain but to develop chocolate production throughout the world. By creating a new “Engaged Chocolate Makers” label, Daniel is launching the challenge of enabling these countries to obtain a decent purchase price, to install good practices and to produce quality cocoa while preserving the environment. Initiator and president of this new label, he hopes to give new impetus and the desire to involve as many chocolatiers as possible in the process, but also to raise public awareness of these issues.
Personal and inspired creations
The best way to get to know Daniel is probably to taste his creations. Each chocolate he imagines has a story, a piece of his life or his family.
The best example is surely the chocolate camembert which was created “in a hurry” one evening when his wife asked him to bring back the dessert for a dinner with friends. Or again, this chocolate chess game as he sees his son put the game pieces in his mouth. Women in a hurry, these chocolate bars revealing the moods and days of the women in his life… There are also the Palets de Jacques Coeur in a nod to the city of Bourges dear to his heart. Examples abound...
… And tasting Mercier chocolates also means discovering the story of a man with a big heart, who melts like “chocolate” in the sun in front of his little moments in life and his province that he loves so much.
BONUS
If we had to describe your chocolate?
“A chocolate that has meaning, character. Made with respect for the terroirs and endemic varieties. A chocolate that has a soul and a conviction but also tells moments of my life. »
The most emblematic and the new?
“The most emblematic: chocolate Camembert, Palets de Jacques Coeur and macaroons: 15 recurring flavors + 3 seasonal ones every 3 years. Soon, a range will be on sale around pastry…”
Find the creations of Maison Mercier
The Aromas of Old Bourges
11 Place Gordaine - 18000 BOURGES
+02 48 24 64 25 XNUMX
aromeduvieuxbourges.fr
Ou
Daniel Mercier
11 Montifault Road
18800 BAUGY
+02 48 26 16 57 XNUMX
daniel-mercier.com
