Former Chelsea UCL 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.