While your first thought in connection to Israel might not be chocolate, the delicacy plays a more significant role in Israeli society than one might think. According to Omri Pinsky, manager of the Elite Chocolate Plant in Nof HaGalil, the No. 1 item sold in Israel is Elite’s Taami chocolate bar.
Elite has been part of Israel’s landscape since before the State was founded. Although Elite produces other products like coffee, cakes and snacks, chocolate remains its trademark and the focus of this factory.
The first Elite factory was founded in Ramat Gan by Eliyahu Fromenchenko, a Russian Jew who had a candy business in Russia. In 1933, he purchased property in Ramat Gan and established the Elite Chocolate Factory. In the late 1980s, the factory moved up north, and in 2004, Elite merged with the Strauss Group.
Maya Schneider, marketing director at Elite, explained: “Strauss develops its industries in the periphery to make the wilderness bloom and to provide employment in less populated areas—the North, the South, and the Gaza Envelope.”
The plant operates 24/6, closing only for Jewish holidays. Pinsky describes the factory as a microcosm of Israeli society, with its 600 employees representing diverse backgrounds, all working together like a family. Religion and politics are left outside unless it’s to support and celebrate each other’s identity. “It’s like a kibbutz, a community,” he said. When workers fill out their personal information for the company, they are also asked about their favorite chocolate bar.
Pinsky, who loves his job, is like a child in a candy store—literally. His favorite chocolate? Egozi.
Outside the factory, a store sells a sampling of 150 Elite products. While COVID and the war have led to the temporary closure of the visitor’s center, under special circumstances, plant tours are available—with strict hygiene and safety requirements (cap, coat, closed shoes, no jewelry, and sterilized hands).
In the 1970s, a cousin of my mother’s worked at Elite and gave me and some visiting teenage cousins a tour. She handed us chocolates directly off the conveyor belt and had some herself. That wouldn’t pass muster today. Quality control regulations are now held to the highest standards.
The chocolate recipe remains a closely guarded secret, much like the formula for Coca-Cola.
Elite is constantly upgrading both its work environment and its product offerings. New products are introduced regularly, and this year, the company is preparing a special gluten-free line for Passover.
“We all have a soft spot for Elite,” Schneider said. “It’s the most Israeli chocolate—we grew up on it.” On Purim, many children even dress up as Elite chocolate bars.
During the war, chocolate consumption increased. Schneider notes that this was because chocolate is a source of comfort and because people also sent large quantities in care packages to soldiers. When Elite rebranded its Memulada bars (chocolate filled with strawberry cream), the company sent the first batch to soldiers in Gaza.
One particularly touching story is that of Yonadav Levinstein, HY”D, a soldier killed in the first days of the war in Gaza. His kitbag was filled with Ad Chatzot chocolate bars, his favorite treat. To honor his memory, Elite manufactured 500 special Ad Chatzot chocolate bars and sent them to his family. Mourners even brought them to his shiva.
One of Elite’s mottos is “A sweet moment with Elite.” Schneider expands on this, saying, “We are here for all moments—sweet, bitter, and bittersweet. We accompany our consumers throughout their lives, just like a soundtrack.”
Elite continuously works to make its products more accessible, such as the new gluten-free, kosher-for-Passover line. Its production lines feature state-of-the-art robotics, and 80% of Elite’s products carry a Badatz kosher certification.
Schneider concluded: “In every chocolate drawer, there should be something for everyone.”
Pinsky added that Elite’s specialty lies in combining baked goods and chocolate, as seen in the beloved Ad Chatzot bars—chocolate-covered cookies available in white or milk chocolate.
While many brands have come and gone, Elite has remained a staple of Israeli culture for nearly 100 years, continuously adding to the favorites enjoyed by all. Just look for the iconic cow on the chocolate wrapper.
Website: https://www.strauss-group.com/
Rosally Saltsman is a freelance writer, originally from Montreal, who lives in Israel. Come join her!
