Francoise Labrique Walusis ’99 left her native Belgium 20 years ago to further her education at Wittenberg University. At that time, she never could have imagined life as an entrepreneur in the Miami Valley.
However, that is where she finds herself today. With her husband and brother-in-law, Walusis opened Madame Delluc Artisan Chocolatier shop in Dayton in December 2015. The shop is quickly earning praise across the country.
In an article “Where to Find the Best Chocolate in the World,” Conde Nast Traveler writer Edna Ishayik names the Mary Chocolatier, founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1919, as one of the world’s nine best. Madame Delluc Artisan Chocolatier is the first and only location in the United States selling Mary Chocolatier products.
“Over many years, my husband and I daydreamed together about eventually owning our own business,” Walusis said. “Countless hours were spent brainstorming ideas of what we could do, writing business plans and researching ideas, and we always came back to Belgian chocolate. I grew up with Belgian chocolate and missed it when I came to the U.S. Conversations over ‘what if?’ eventually turned into ‘why not?’”
This is not the first media shout-out that Madame Delluc has received. The shop was mentioned favorably in a column published earlier this year in goop, an online newsletter/web magazine launched by actress Gwyneth Paltrow. “My husband and I stumbled on Mary chocolate in Belgium and have been obsessed ever since,” goop senior editor Kate Wolfson wrote. “There’s one tiny shop in Ohio that sells them in the U.S., and that’s it.”
Walusis said her time spent at Wittenberg as a history major played an important role in developing personal and professional skills required to operate a successful business.
“My countless hours of developing researching, writing, and public speaking skills at Wittenberg resulted in a business plan, which led to the partnership that we have created with Mary Chocolatier in Brussels,” Walusis said.
As an international student, she said it was the trademark Wittenberg personal touch that swayed her to spend four years in Springfield.
“The deciding factor was a phone call from Ken Benne in admission,” she said. “I was impressed that the director of admission took the time to make an international phone call to answer any questions I had. As an 18-year-old who was planning to come to the U.S. alone, it was important for me to feel that I was going somewhere that I would not just be another nameless face in a sea of thousands of students. Wittenberg truly lived up to that expectation.”
Wittenberg is known for those personal touches, that’s why The Princeton Review ranked the university fourth in the nation for “Most Accessible Professors” in the 2014 edition of its annual college guide, a statistic that Walusis can attest to firsthand.
“My favorite part about my Wittenberg experience was the relationships I fostered with my professors,” she said. “They were never too busy to take a few moments after class to continue discussions, work with me on a paper, or create an independent study course so I could learn more about what interested me. There are several professors that I am still in touch with after all these years. They are the ones who made my experience at Wittenberg amazing.”
She leaves Wittenberg students with some advice in order to capitalize on their experience.
“Don't be afraid to sit in the front row and ask questions,” she said. “Take advantage of the amazing education you are receiving. Take classes in subjects that aren't in your field of study and learn a little about everything so that you can talk to people from all walks of life. You never know when you will need to pull information about a 16th-century Japanese poet from your memory!
“Keep an open mind about your future. Your degree may not directly lead you to a career in that field, but the skills you learn from your education at Wittenberg will serve you well.”
