Chocolate is a delicious treat loved by many throughout the world. There are numerous chocolate brands on the market, each delivering a distinct blend of ingredients and tastes.
Some chocolate manufacturers stand out for their unique flavor profiles and cutting-edge production methods, while others are household names because of their eye-catching packaging.
Finding the best brand of chocolate might be confusing when there are so many options to choose from. We’ve compiled the 20 best chocolate brands worldwide to make your selection process easier.
These manufacturers are known for producing premium chocolate utilizing novel processing methods and the best possible ingredients.
If you’re a chocoholic or just in the mood for something sweet, we’d suggest you try one of these popular brands.
Read on as we introduce you to some of the world’s finest chocolate brands and discuss what makes them tick.
Top 20 Chocolate Brands Across the Globe
From Europe to North America, there seems to be a never-ending list of top chocolate manufacturers, as seen in the following paragraphs.
1. Lindt & Sprüngli
- Location: Kilchberg, Switzerland.
- Year of establishment: 1845
- Popular products: Chocolate bars, truffles, Classic Milk Chocolate.
Established in 1845, the Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli makes the highest-quality chocolate utilizing only the best ingredients and avant-garde processing methods.
While chocolate bars, truffles, classic milk chocolate, and other chocolate-covered delicacies are just some of the chocolate products they offer, Lindt’s Lindor truffles are especially well-known for their smooth filling and hard chocolate exterior.
The cocoa beans used by Lindt & Sprüngli come from places like Ghana and the Ivory Coast, as well as more traditional suppliers like Ecuador.
A special remark about the company is that it cares deeply about the environment and treats its suppliers with respect. Moreover, it collaborates with cocoa growers worldwide to boost the standard of living in their communities.
As a member of the International Cocoa Initiative and the World Cocoa Foundation, Lindt & Sprüngli is committed to advancing efforts to eliminate child labor and ensure the long-term viability of the cocoa business.
2. Godiva
- Location: Brussels, Belgium
- Year of establishment: 1926
- Popular products: Chocolate bars, truffles, chocolate gift baskets, and chocolate-covered snacks.
Godiva is a Belgian chocolate brand established in 1926. Chocolates from this brand are typically packaged as presents because of their high quality and beautiful packaging.
The company is particularly well known for its chocolate truffles, which are chocolate balls filled with silky cream and encased in a firm chocolate shell.
Godiva’s chocolate comes in an array of sizes and shapes because the company utilizes two distinct manufacturing processes: enrobing and shell molding.
The company also produces Godiva Signature Chocolate Bars — a variety of chocolate bars that use only the highest quality ingredients and are available in a wide range of delicious tastes.
This brand’s chocolate is made with cocoa beans sourced from West Africa, cocoa butter imported from Europe, and various types of milk and cream throughout the world.
3. Ghirardelli
- Location: San Leandro, California, USA.
- Year of establishment: 1852
- Popular products: Chocolate-based truffles, chocolate sauces, wrapped fruits, and coated snacks.
Ghirardelli is an American chocolate brand founded in 1852 by Domenico Ghirardelli. The company’s premium chocolates and chocolate products are famous because of the superior quality of the cocoa beans and other components used in their production.
Ghirardelli has been around for quite some time, and its chocolates have won a slew of honors for their excellence. The company works with farmers in West Africa, South America, and the Caribbean to get cocoa beans farmed sustainably and ethically.
This chocolate brand has created several programs to decrease its energy use and trash output because of its dedication to sustainability and protecting the environment.
Some of the most sought-after products from this brand are their chocolate-based truffles, chocolate sauces, wrapped fruits, and coated snacks like pretzels.
Besides selling chocolate bars and other confections, Ghirardelli also runs a chain of cafes where guests can enjoy various chocolate-themed snacks and drinks.
4. Toblerone
- Location: Bern, Switzerland.
- Year of establishment: 1908
- Popular products: Milk chocolate, Chocolate Minis, dark chocolate, and white chocolate bars.
Toblerone is a famous Swiss chocolate brand whose products come in a triangle shape. The company was founded in 1908 by Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann but is currently owned by the American multinational company Mondelez International.
This company is a beloved chocolate brand available in over a hundred countries. The company gets its cocoa beans from several different regions worldwide, including West Africa, South America, and the Caribbean.
Toblerones start with premium Swiss chocolate and get their signature texture with the addition of crushed almonds and honey. Milk chocolate, Chocolate Minis, dark chocolate, and white chocolate bars are just some of the products available from the brand.
Gift boxes of Toblerone chocolate are frequently given as presents for holidays and other special occasions. The brand is also known for its unique packaging, which features Toblerone’s triangular shape, reminiscent of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps.
5. Ferrero Rocher
- Location: Alba, Italy
- Year of establishment: 1982
- Popular products: Chocolate gift boxes, spreads, and coated nuts.
Michele Ferrero established the Italian chocolate company Ferrero Rocher in 1982. The chocolate brand is well-known worldwide for its signature round, golden-wrapped candies stuffed with a creamy, nutty center. Its chocolates are frequently given as presents and enjoyed on special occasions.
Chocolate gift box spreads and coated nuts are just some chocolate-based products Ferrero Rocher sells. Compared to other chocolates, Ferrero Rocher stands out due to its multi-layered structure and traditional chocolates. They use premium cocoa, hazelnuts, and milk chocolate in their production.
If you’re a fan of chocolate, you can get your hands on Ferrero Rocher in more than 150 countries. The brand’s chocolate-making ingredient, cocoa beans, comes from West Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. The packaging for this product line is equally notable for its creativity and focus on the customer’s needs.
6. Guylian
- Location: Sint-Niklaas, Belgium.
- Year of establishment: 1958
- Popular Products: Chocolate seashells, chocolate bars, truffles, and gift boxes.
Chocolate maker Guylian was established in Belgium in 1958 by Guy Foubert. Guylian’s chocolates are manufactured with the same care and precision that have made the company famous since its founding.
Guylian is most renowned for its chocolate pralines in the shape of seashells filled with a silky hazelnut paste. The company also sells other products like chocolate bars, truffles, and gift boxes.
This chocolate company only uses cocoa beans from farms that practice responsible agriculture and uses only fresh, whole milk from Belgium in their chocolates. Moreover, the company places a premium on sustainability, and its supply chain reflects that priority by reducing its environmental impact.
Guylian chocolate, in the end, is well-known for its high quality and is often regarded as one of the best chocolate brands in the world.
7. Kinder
- Location: Frankfurt, Germany.
- Year of establishment: 1968
- Popular products: Kinder Surprise Eggs, Kinder Chocolate Bars, and Kinder Bueno Bars.
Kinder, a German company, started in Frankfurt in 1968. The Italian firm Ferrero has since developed chocolate and other confectionery products under this name.
The Kinder brand of chocolate is well-known for its unique, creative goods and child-friendly packaging. Kinder Surprise Eggs, Kinder Chocolate Bars, and Kinder Bueno Bars are among the most sought-after confections in the Kinder line.
What’s more, European, South American, African, and Asian suppliers provide the bulk of this company’s ingredients.
Products made by Kinder are well-liked by kids everywhere and may be found in stores all across the globe. In addition, the Kinder brand is dedicated to ethical sourcing and sustainability — it has launched many programs to lessen its environmental footprint and help cocoa growers in this regard.
8. Cadbury
- Location: London, England.
- Year of establishment: 1824
- Popular products: Dairy Milk, Crunchie, and Cadbury Eggs.
Cadbury is a British sweets manufacturer founded by John Cadbury in Birmingham, UK, as far back as 1824. Dairy Milk, Crunchie, and Cadbury Eggs are just a few examples of products you may find among the wide range of Cadbury confections.
Cadbury’s chocolate has a smooth, creamy texture and rich flavor because it’s produced from high-quality cocoa beans and other components. The company is not only well-known for its chocolate but also makes a variety of gum, candies, and snack foods.
Cadbury takes great care to guarantee that all its goods are of the highest quality by employing stringent quality control techniques. T
he company works closely with its suppliers to ensure that all of the cocoa beans and other ingredients it uses are sourced in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner.
Last but not least, Cadbury has a solid dedication to innovation, and the company is always looking for new ways to enhance and diversify its products.
9. Chocolat Frey
- Location: Kilchberg, Switzerland.
- Year of establishment: 1845
- Popular products: Frey Choco Cubes, Frey Choco Leckerli, and Frey Choco Mix.
Frey is a chocolate brand owned by Migros, a Swiss chocolate company. The brand has earned a reputation for manufacturing premium chocolate bars, pralines, and other confections.
The chocolates from this company are renowned for their high quality and deliciousness because they use only the finest ingredients, such as cocoa beans sourced from responsibly farmed plantations.
Furthermore, Frey’s chocolate comes in a wide selection of varieties and wrappings; the company is also continually trying to grow so that it may provide even more options for its customers.
Frey Choco Cubes, Frey Choco Leckerli, and Frey Choco Mix are just a few of this brand’s many delicious and well-loved confections. The brand is also well-known for its dedication to R&D (research and development), innovation, and green business practices.
10. Nestlé
- Location: Vevey, Switzerland.
- Year of establishment: 1866
- Popular products: KitKat, Milkybar, and Smarties.
Nestlé is a multinational corporation founded in 1866 by Henri Nestlé. Nestlé chocolates are renowned for their silky texture, decadent flavor, and other hallmarks, all of which stem from the use of premium cocoa beans and other ingredients.
Nestlé manufactures several popular chocolate brands, including KitKat, Milkybar, and Smarties. Moreover, the company obtains cocoa beans, sugar, milk, and other ingredients for its chocolate products worldwide.
The corporation is always looking for methods to enhance existing products and create ground-breaking new ones to keep up with consumers’ ever-shifting demands and tastes. Owing to their dedication to innovation, Nestlé has been regarded as one of the best chocolate brands in the world.
Notably, the brand has been able to provide a wide variety of high-quality chocolate products that are popular with customers globally and up to acceptable standards.
11. Hershey
- Location: Derry Township, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Year of establishment: 1894
- Popular products: Hershey’s chocolate bars, Kisses, Reese’s Peanut Butter.
Founded in 1894 by Milton S. Hershey, Hershey’s is an iconic American company that produces chocolate and other sweets. The company is headquartered in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, and is one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world.
Hershey’s chocolate bars, Kisses, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Twizzlers are some of Hershey’s most well-known goods. As a result of using only the finest cocoa beans and other ingredients, Hershey’s chocolates have a velvety mouthfeel and a deep, satisfying taste.
Ingredients for Hershey’s products come from all around the world — the company has a dedicated group of sourcing experts who find suppliers whose products consistently fulfill the company’s high-quality criteria.
For example, its chocolate uses cocoa beans, mostly imported from West Africa, though it also imports from South America and the Caribbean.
Overall, successful advertising and branding have made Hershey’s one of the world’s most recognizable and loved chocolate companies.
12. Mars
- Location: McLean, Virginia, USA.
- Year of establishment: 1911
- Popular products: Chocolate bars, sweets, snacks wrapped in chocolate, Snickers, and M&Ms.
For more than a century, Mars has become a worldwide leader in producing a wide variety of snack foods, pet foods, and other edibles. Franklin Clarence Mars started the business in 1911, and has since grown to become one of the world’s most influential and profitable food firms.
Chocolate bars, sweets, snacks wrapped in chocolate, M&Ms, Snickers, and Mars Bars are just a few of Mars’ most well-known products and chocolate confections.
Mars imports numerous commodities from all over the globe, including cocoa beans, sugar, milk, and nuts. Professionals on the company’s sourcing team check that all ingredients are of sufficient quality and sourced sustainably.
13. Teuscher
- Location: Zurich, Switzerland.
- Year of establishment: 1932
- Popular products: Chocolate bars, chocolate-covered nuts, and chocolate figurines.
In 1932, Dolf Teuscher, a Swiss native, started the chocolate empire known today as Teuscher. The company’s chocolates are renowned for their superior quality because they’re created by hand in the Swiss tradition.
These high standards, combined with the company’s global reach, establish the chocolate company as one of the best chocolate brands.
Truffles packed with a champagne-flavored chocolate ganache are what Teuscher is notably known for. The company also makes chocolate bars, chocolate-covered nuts, and chocolate figurines.
Teuscher operates retail sites in numerous cities worldwide, including New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, and Tokyo. What’s more, ingredients for the brand’s products come from all over the world, including Switzerland, Belgium, and Ecuador.
As part of its dedication to sustainability and ethical sourcing, the company only employs the finest natural ingredients in its chocolate bars.
14. Patchi
- Location: Beirut, Lebanon.
- Year of establishment: 1974
- Popular products: Gift boxes, bars, truffles, fruit and nuts wrapped in chocolate, and pastries.
Luxury chocolate maker Patchi was established in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1974. The United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are only some regions where the company has established a significant presence because of the quality of its chocolate goods and the attention to detail shown in its packaging.
The company particularly uses only the finest ingredients in its chocolates and manufactures its products using time-honored methods. Gift boxes, bars, truffles, fruit and nuts wrapped in chocolate, and pastries are only some of the company’s chocolate products.
Patchi is a chocolate company widely acclaimed for its dedication to creativity and recipient of multiple industry accolades for its unique and delicious confections.
The company is also an active participant in the World Cocoa Foundation’s efforts to support farmers in the cocoa industry and ensure their livelihoods into the future.
15. Storck
- Location: Berlin, Germany.
- Year of establishment: 1904
- Popular products: Chewing gum, hard candy, chocolate, and sweets.
Storck is a well-known German candy and chocolate manufacturer. Berlin, Germany, has been home to the company’s headquarters since its founding in 1904 by August Storck.
Storck is recognized for making popular candies, including Schogetten and Riesen toffee and chocolate bars, as well as the original Werther’s caramels, merci, and Toffifee. The company also produces chewing gum, hard candy, chocolate, and sweets.
Storck gets its ingredients, including cocoa beans, milk, sugar, and vanilla, from around the world. The firm is devoted to making candies of the highest quality, utilizing only organic ingredients and eco-friendly manufacturing methods.
The company hopes to set itself apart from competitors by emphasizing quality and sustainability. In addition to its commercial offerings, Storck supports a wide range of community service projects and collaborates with groups working to improve society and the environment.
16. Milka
- Location: Originally Switzerland. Currently produced in Germany, Slovakia, and Croatia.
- Year of establishment: 1901
- Popular products: Chocolate bars, biscuits, wafers, and sweets.
One of the world’s leading candy manufacturers, Mondelez International, owns Milka. The company’s products were first sold in Switzerland in 1901, but the brand’s popularity soon spread throughout Europe.
Milka chocolate is well-known for its premium ingredients and decadent taste. This quality has set it apart from others and established it as one of the best chocolate brands.
Milka chocolate’s unique flavor and smooth texture are widely credited to the usage of Alpine milk obtained from cows grazing in the Swiss Alps.
Milka is known for its chocolate bar, but the company also sells a variety of chocolate-covered snacks like biscuits, wafers, and sweets. Milka doesn’t just sell the same old chocolate year-round; it has limited-edition and seasonal offerings, like Easter Eggs and advent calendars.
17. Barry Callebaut
- Location: Zurich, Switzerland.
- Year of establishment: 1966
- Popular products: Chocolate bars, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter.
One of the world’s foremost manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa goods is the Swiss multinational firm, Barry Callebaut, was founded in 1996. Callebaut, a Belgian chocolate maker, and Cacao Barry, a French chocolate maker, merged to become the corporation.
Chocolate bars, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter are just a few of the many chocolate and cocoa products that Barry Callebaut produces.
Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, and the Dominican Republic are notable areas where Barry Callebaut sources its cocoa beans. The business maintains close relationships with cocoa farmers and cooperatives to guarantee its chocolate is sustainably grown and harvested.
Moreover, the corporation supports the efforts of the World Cocoa Foundation to better the lives of cocoa farmers and to ensure the long-term viability of the cocoa industry.
18. Green & Black’s
- Location: London, England.
- Year of establishment: 1991
- Popular products: Cookies, wafers, candies, chocolate bars, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and caramel.
In 1991, the United Kingdom was home to the birth of a chocolate company called Green & Black’s. This company is well known for using organic cocoa in its chocolate products and its dedication to using only the highest quality ingredients procured responsibly.
For example, the cocoa beans that go into Green & Black’s chocolate come from Belize, the Dominican Republic, and Ghana.
Green & Black’s sells various chocolate-covered products (such as cookies, wafers, and candies), chocolate bars, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and caramel.
Sustainability and ethical sourcing are essential to Green & Black’s. The company is committed to helping cocoa farmers and supports sustainable production by purchasing cocoa beans from farms certified by the Rainforest Alliance.
One thing that sets this brand apart is that it uses only organic cocoa, farmed without toxic chemicals and fertilizers.
19. Valrhona
- Location: Rhône-Alpes, France.
- Year of establishment: 1922
- Popular products: Chocolate bars, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter.
The French firm Valrhona makes some of the world’s finest chocolate and cocoa. The company’s origins may be traced back to 1922 when a pastry chef with a passion for fine chocolate, Albéric Guironnet, launched it.
Valrhona chocolate is renowned for its luxurious texture and subtle taste, using cocoa beans sourced from Ecuador, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. The company makes a wide range of chocolate and cocoa products, including chocolate bars, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter.
20. Richart
- Location: Lyon, France.
- Year of establishment: 1925
- Popular products: Chocolate bars, chocolate-covered snacks, and other sweet chocolate treats.
In 1925, a father and son duo of French pastry chefs established the Richart chocolate company, which would become known worldwide as a purveyor of fine chocolates.
The company has a well-deserved reputation for producing high-quality chocolate and cocoa goods using traditional French techniques and materials. Among Richart’s many products are chocolate bars, chocolate-covered snacks, and other sweet chocolate treats.
Cocoa beans used to make Richart chocolate come from several nations, including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru. Top chefs and chocolatiers worldwide utilize the company’s chocolate because of its high quality and delicious taste.
Richart offers a wide variety of specialty chocolate products in addition to its standard chocolate bars, such as chocolate bars with extra components like nuts and fruit.
The continued success of the business and the growth of its customer base may be directly attributed to the quality of these products.
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Conclusion
Chocolate is a product that will never go out of style with all its varieties. Since its invention in the 17th century, people all over the world have enjoyed this cocoa-based sweet delight, satisfying many cravings in the process.
Without mincing words, chocolate has a large market, and many incredible chocolate brands are making a name for themselves these days.
In this article, we’ve discussed in detail the top 20 chocolate brands that can be found around the world, with their unique flavor profiles and cutting-edge techniques that make them unique.