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DeBrand Chocolate Shop Opens in Kuwait It was nearly three years ago when chocolate lover, Rawan Al-Shaya was given a DeBrand Milk Chocolate Truffle in her homeland of Kuwait. Having sampled products from many of the world’s high end chocolatiers, she thought she had already tasted the best of the best. But this DeBrand Truffle caught her by surprise and forced her to sit down as she indulged in this new found delight. Rawan saw the name DeBrand but knew nothing about the company or where she could get more of their gourmet chocolates. In 2011, Rawan's husband Mr. Rashed Al-Shaya, of the prominent Kuwaiti Al-Shaya family, was spending time in the United States. He told his wife that in celebration of the birth of their second child, he would bring a luxury chocolate business to Kuwait. Rawan then reminded Rashed of how much she enjoyed that DeBrand truffle from months ago. Continued on next page…

From left to right: Tim Beere, Shaya Al-Shaya, Rashed Al-Shaya, Ahmad Al-Shaya, Cathy Brand-Beere

Rashed Al-Shaya and Cathy Brand-Beere. Notice the L-shaped store with “DeBrand” in Arabic on the left and in English on the right.

Continued from first page… Rashed Al-Shaya then visited DeBrand and met with owners Cathy Brand-Beere and Tim Beere and negotiated a license agreement. In the two years that followed, Al-Shaya built the DeBrand name in Kuwait as they sought the perfect location for their flagship store. They were especially successful in utilizing social media, acquiring over 40,000 Instagram followers before the retail store even opened. To further assist in training the store’s staff in delivering the “DeBrand” experience, two employees from Fort Wayne will spend a total of six weeks living and working in Kuwait City. On April 7th, 2013, Al-Shaya held a lavish grand opening of their first DeBrand Chocolate Shop in the prestigious Avenues Mall in Kuwait joining other premium, high end retailers such as Tiffany, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Armani and many others. A large crowd of guests, including many members of the Kuwaiti press, enjoyed chocolates and specialty drinks which will be offered on the shop’s decadent menu along with desserts, dates, coffee and tea. To witness this prestigious event, owners Cathy and Tim traveled to Kuwait with their 17 year-old daughter, Audree. “We were able to spend two wonderful weeks in Kuwait and Dubai where we were treated fabulously by Rashed, his family, and his staff. We are excited about the grand opening and the enthusiasm they have for our chocolates abroad. We look forward to growing DeBrand both domestically and internationally.” Following the successful launch of their premier DeBrand Chocolate Shop, Al-Shaya is now planning to open more DeBrand locations throughout the Middle East, including Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

DeBrand Kuwait Executive Managers & staff including two Fort Wayne DeBrand employees staying in Kuwait for 6 weeks of initial training (fourth from right: Josh Wickersham, third from right: Bekah Cullen).

Some photos provided by local Kuwaiti blogger. Read her full story here: http://www.danderma.co/?p=25864