Chelsea Champions League winner stuns fans by revealing surprise new business
Salomon Kalou tasted sweet success at Chelsea, winning the Champions League, Premier League, the League Cup and four FA Cups and now the former forward is venturing into the chocolate business.
The Ivorian scored 60 goals in his six seasons at Stamford Bridge during the trophy-laden Roman Abramovich era, finishing his career in west London on a high by lifting the European Cup after the Blues' 2012 triumph over Bayern Munich at the German club's home stadium.
And rather than pursue a career on punditry or coaching — like his former team-mates Frank Lampard and John Terry — Kalou is looking to make a splash in the confectionery market.
The brand is called Oume, named after his birthplace, with Kalou keen to emphasise the importance of his homeland in the chocolate world. The Ivory Coast produces 45 per cent of the world's cocoa, chocolate's key ingredient.
'My uncle had a cocoa farm and I grew up around the farm and between school and at the weekend we would be helping him,' Kalou told The Telegraph.
'Growing up, I don't remember eating chocolate and didn't know what it was. It's expensive. It's more of a privilege, for people who can afford to buy it because it is expensive.
'People don't know what they make in their farms is for chocolate. But we have a big percentage of the production. We also have great footballers.
'To make a comparison between the two, a product can come out of Ivory Coast and go global. A footballer can be born in Oume and come to Chelsea and win the Champions League, can be global.'
Kalou is keen to promote Oume as a luxury brand, branching his cocoa out into other products and hopes to one day see his chocolate in some of the UK's most prestigious shops.
'One day I'd like to see Oume in Waitrose, Selfridges, or Harrods. That would be a proud moment.
'It is a tough market with the price of cocoa increasing due to extreme weather and under-investment.'
Kalou, who also enjoyed spells at Lille, Hertha Berlin and Feyenoord, won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 and is only behind Didier Drogba (63) with 24 goals for his country.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Harrogate sign Maidenhead striker McCoulsky
Harrogate Town have signed Maidenhead United striker Shawn McCoulsky on a two-year 28-year-old scored 15 goals in 44 league appearances last season as the Magpies suffered relegation from the National League."I spoke to the manager about the direction the club is going in and the project here and it was definitely a no-brainer," he told the club website., external"Everyone I spoke to had nothing but good things to say about the club and that made my decision a lot easier."
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I'LL SHOW YOU! New Rangers boss Russell Martin says he's been proving critics wrong throughout his career
Russell Martin has vowed to win over his critics after being unveiled as Rangers ' new head coach. The 39-year-old was paraded at Ibrox yesterday after signing a three-year deal to spearhead the revolution under the club's new American owners. The former Scotland and Norwich City defender, who had a brief loan stint at Rangers in 2018, has previously managed MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton. But his appointment has been met with some disapproval and anger among the fanbase, with many supporters questioning his credentials for the job. Asked if he is confident he can silence the critics, Martin replied: 'Yeah, I have to be. I think I have a lot to prove. I have done it my whole career. 'My whole career has been based on proving people wrong, really. At every level, I got questioned. 'I got to the Premier League as a player. I wasn't convinced that I could do it, but I managed to establish myself there for a little while. 'I ended up playing four or five seasons there, played international football, which I'm incredibly proud of. 'So, it's the same again as a manager, I have to prove people wrong at every opportunity.' Out of work since leaving Southampton last December, Martin was described as the standout candidate by Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart in what became a lengthy recruitment process. The club had also held talks with Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti, but it was Martin's vision, experience, and style of play that elevated him above the other contenders. 'There's always some names in football management that are always a bit more exciting than others, of course,' said Martin, when asked about his rivals for the job. 'I feel after five-and-a-half-years of being a manager, being a coach, being a leader in an environment, I love doing it. 'I'm going to be all in here with my energy, and my love for it, and passion, and hopefully that will reflect on the pitch and people will see that, and at some point they'll enjoy it. 'And hopefully, like I said, hopefully they just want to win, and if our team is winning, I'm sure they'll be happy. 'I don't think I've been the number one choice [among fans] at any club I've been at. But by the time we've left every club I've been at, I felt a real connection with the supporters. 'I am excited to be here and I want to build a Rangers team who the fans can identify with and are excited to watch.' The former centre-back, who won 29 caps between 2011 and 2017, revealed that he had knocked back a few jobs since leaving Southampton six months ago. He had been strongly linked with a move to Leicester City but made it clear to the Rangers hierarchy right from the outset that he wanted the job at Ibrox. Asked what success will look like moving forward, he explained: 'I think it's to win trophies. 'It's to build a culture at the training ground here that we are proud of, and that people can feel when they come into the building, and that the ownership want to feel when they come into the building. 'An environment of hard work, of honesty, of openness inside and outside of the building and to see a team that doesn't look different every week, that is always trying to improve and develop in our own way. 'Rather than focusing on the opposition too much or what other people are doing, we're going to do it our way and we're all going to be fully on the same page. 'I think the alignment and what I've felt over the last few weeks in the process is the most important part for me. The 39-year-old familiarises himself with the home dugout as he is introduced at Ibrox 'I think we're all on the same journey. We want to be successful and, ultimately at Rangers, that means to win trophies. 'We have to improve the team on the pitch, improve the environment on the pitch as much as we possibly can. Because there are already some brilliant people at the football club. 'Some of them I know and worked with here and I've spoken to over the last couple of days who I'm really excited to work with again, to see and link up with again. 'So to keep building on that and to bring our own twist on it and to win. I always want my teams to be aggressive, with and without the ball, and to be dominant.' The Rangers squad are currently on holiday and are not due back for pre-season until June 23. Martin will work alongside new sporting director Kevin Thelwell over the coming weeks to formulate plans around recruitment. It was also confirmed yesterday that Matt Gill, one of his long-time lieutenants, will come in as assistant manager, while Rhys Owen will join as a fitness and performance coach.
Leader Live
27 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Millie Bright has knee surgery day after withdrawing from Euros contention
The Chelsea defender announced on Wednesday that she would not be available for the Lionesses in Switzerland, saying she was 'not able to give 100 per cent mentally or physically'. Bright posted a picture on Instagram on Thursday showing her left knee bandaged accompanied by the caption: 'Successful op. Road to recovery begins.' An update on Millie Bright. — (C)helsea FC Women 🏆🏆🏆 (@ChelseaFCW) June 5, 2025 The 31-year-old was the latest big name to rule herself out of Sarina Wiegman's squad, with Mary Earps and Fran Kirby both surprisingly calling time on their international careers. A statement on read: 'Chelsea can confirm defender Millie Bright has today undergone minor knee surgery. Millie will begin a period of rehabilitation with the support of the club's medical department.' Bright, who played a key role in the Lionesses' 2022 European triumph, made her England debut back in 2016 and has 88 caps to her name. Wiegman named the squad she will take to Switzerland to defend that title on Thursday, with England due to play their first match against France on July 5.
