One hundred and thirty-three brand guides to craft chocolate — couverture houses, bean-to-bar makers and the wrappers that carry their identity.

Craft chocolate makers treat the wrapper as their identity. These guides look at how each presents itself, with honest caveats where the record is thin.

Made at origin

Several makers work where the cacao grows: Marou in Vietnam, Cacaosuyo in Peru, Cacao Hunters in Colombia, To’ak in Ecuador, Auro’s tree-to-bar model in the Philippines, the Grenada Chocolate Company co-op, and Beyond Good’s made-at-origin Madagascar model.

Wrappers as design

Others are known for their wrappers: Zotter’s illustrations, Omnom’s bold Icelandic artwork, Wellington Chocolate Factory’s artist collaborations, Utopick’s origami paper boat, and Standout Chocolate’s colour-coded flavour radar.

How to use these guides

Each guide covers a maker’s visual identity — its wrapper, palette and voice — as design commentary, and notes where facts could not be fully confirmed. The table at the end gathers the essentials.

Chocolate makers, part 1

Marou, Mast Brothers, Zotter, Mirzam, Casa Bosques, Pump Street and Pierre Marcolini.

  • Marou — The Vietnamese maker’s province single-origin bars and Rice Creative wrappers, with honest caveats.
  • Mast Brothers — The Brooklyn maker’s patterned-paper wrappers and its honest caveats.
  • Zotter — The Austrian maker’s illustrated wrappers, hand-scooped bars and eco ethos, with honest caveats.
  • Mirzam — The Dubai maker’s spice-route wrappers and star-name concept, with honest caveats.
  • Casa Bosques — The Mexico City studio’s minimalist chocolate design, with honest caveats.
  • Pump Street — The Suffolk maker’s restrained wrappers and bakery-crossover bars, with honest caveats.
  • Pierre Marcolini — The Brussels house’s fashion-house luxury chocolate, with honest caveats.

Chocolate makers, part 2

Omnom, Original Beans, Cacaosuyo, Minimal, Friis-Holm, Beyond Good and Fossa.

  • Omnom — The Icelandic maker’s bold illustrated wrappers, with honest caveats.
  • Original Beans — The conservation maker’s One4One Trees and rare cacao, with honest caveats.
  • Cacaosuyo — The Peruvian maker’s Andean-heritage design and award cacao, with honest caveats.
  • Minimal — The Tokyo maker’s two-ingredient philosophy and coarse texture, with honest caveats.
  • Friis-Holm — The Danish maker’s fermentation-comparison design, with honest caveats.
  • Beyond Good — The made-at-origin maker’s bright design and Madagascar model, with honest caveats.
  • Fossa — The Singapore maker’s Asian-flavour bars and illustrated wrappers, with honest caveats.

Chocolate makers, part 3

Domori, To’ak, Naïve, Bahen & Co, Cacao Hunters, Bonnat and Auro.

  • Domori — The Italian maker’s fine-Criollo purism and systematic design, with honest caveats.
  • To’ak — The Ecuadorian maker’s cask-aged luxury and numbered box, with honest caveats.
  • Naïve — The Lithuanian maker’s minimalist design and experimental bars, with honest caveats.
  • Bahen & Co — The Margaret River maker’s vintage machinery and restrained wrappers, with honest caveats.
  • Cacao Hunters — The Colombian maker’s community single-origin and region-forward design, with honest caveats.
  • Bonnat — The French house’s single-origin pioneer story and heritage design, with honest caveats.
  • Auro — The Filipino maker’s tree-to-bar model and founder-designed identity, with honest caveats.

Chocolate makers, part 4

Dengo, Goodio, Grenada Chocolate Company, Standout, Wellington, Utopick and Hummingbird.

  • Dengo — The Brazilian brand’s fair-pay mission and warm design, with honest caveats.
  • Goodio — The Finnish maker’s vegan raw-cacao chocolate and art-directed design, with honest caveats.
  • Grenada Chocolate Company — The tree-to-bar co-op’s made-at-origin model and folk-art design, with honest caveats.
  • Standout Chocolate — The Swedish maker’s colour-coded, gold-foil, flavour-radar design, with honest caveats.
  • Wellington Chocolate Factory — The NZ maker’s artist-collaboration wrappers and Pacific sourcing, with honest caveats.
  • Utopick — The Valencian maker’s origami paper-boat wrapper and triangle bar, with honest caveats.
  • Hummingbird — The Canadian maker’s award-winning bean-to-bar and hummingbird motif, with honest caveats.

Craft and ethical chocolate

Tony’s Chocolonely, Dandelion, Raaka, Taza, Theo, Alter Eco and Mast.

  • Tony’s Chocolonely — The mission-driven, slave-free chocolate with unequal chunks and loud primary-color wrappers, and honest caveats.
  • Dandelion Chocolate — The two-ingredient, single-origin bean-to-bar maker with minimalist design, its cream-and-cocoa palette, and caveats.
  • Raaka — The Brooklyn maker of unroasted “raw” bean-to-bar chocolate with radical price transparency and bold colorful design, and caveats.
  • Taza Chocolate — The stone-ground, rustic Mexican-style bean-to-bar maker and Direct Trade pioneer, its folk-art palette, and caveats.
  • Theo Chocolate — The Seattle ethical, organic, fair-trade bean-to-bar pioneer, its warm earthy palette, and honest caveats.
  • Alter Eco — The fair-trade, organic chocolate brand and sustainability leader (first compostable wrapper, B Corp), its clean eco palette, and caveats.
  • Mast — The Brooklyn craft-chocolate maker whose patterned-paper wrappers became a design icon, its elegant palette, and honest caveats.

Couverture houses and makers

Valrhona, Michel Cluizel, Amedei, Pralus, Felchlin, Guittard and Askinosie.

  • Valrhona — The Tain-l’Hermitage chocolate maker founded in 1922 as the Chocolaterie du Vivarais, named for the Rhône valley in 1947, bought by Jean-Noël Bongrain in 1984 and now part of Savencia, known for Guanaja, Dulcey, its École and a black, gold and red logo.
  • Michel Cluizel — The family chocolate maker founded in 1948 by Marc and Marcelle Cluizel at Damville in Normandy, run since 2005 by their grandson Marc, which roasts its own beans, sells single-plantation bars and trademarked the word “cacaofèvier.”
  • Amedei — The chocolate maker founded in 1990 at La Rotta, Pontedera, by Alessio and Cecilia Tessieri, known for its Chuao and Porcelana bars, partly sold to the fund Octopus Europe in 2015 and 99% bought by the mineral-water group Ferrarelle in 2017.
  • Pralus — The Roanne pâtisserie opened in 1948 by Auguste Pralus, whose pink-praline brioche, the Praluline, dates from 1955, and whose son François has made chocolate from the bean in a Roanne manufacture since 2000, with a cacao plantation in Madagascar.
  • Felchlin — The Swiss couverture maker that began in 1908 when Max Felchlin started trading honey in Schwyz, moved to Ibach in 1974, launched Grand Cru couvertures in 1999 and remains an independent company making its chocolate in the municipality of Schwyz.
  • Guittard — The chocolate maker Etienne Guittard opened on San Francisco’s Sansome Street in 1868, which moved to Burlingame in the 1950s, added a second plant in Fairfield, and remains family-run, supplying couverture to chefs and baking chips to home cooks.
  • Askinosie — The Springfield, Missouri bean-to-bar maker founded by former criminal defense lawyer Shawn Askinosie, which says it buys beans directly from farmers in Ecuador, the Philippines and Tanzania, shares profits with them, and packs its bars in paper bags showing a farmer.

British chocolate makers

Thorntons, Green & Black’s, Montezuma’s, Divine, Charbonnel et Walker, Prestat and Rococo.

  • Thorntons — The chocolate and toffee maker that began as a Sheffield sweet shop in 1911, built its factory at Alfreton in Derbyshire, was bought by Ferrero for £112m in 2015 and closed all its shops in 2021 to sell online and through supermarkets.
  • Green & Black’s — The organic chocolate brand founded in London in 1991 by Craig Sams and Josephine Fairley, whose Maya Gold bar carried the UK’s first Fairtrade mark in 1994, and which passed to Cadbury in 2005 and, with it, to Kraft, now Mondelēz.
  • Montezuma’s — The West Sussex chocolate maker founded in 2000 by former solicitors Helen and Simon Pattinson, with a first shop in Brighton and a factory near Chichester, sold out of administration to Great British Confectionery Group in June 2023.
  • Divine Chocolate — The London Fairtrade brand set up in 1998 by Ghana’s Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative with Twin Trading and The Body Shop, known for Adinkra symbols on its wrappers, made by Weinrich in Germany and majority-owned by the Weinrich group since 2020.
  • Charbonnel et Walker — The Bond Street chocolatier dating from 1875, when a Paris chocolatier and a London box maker went into partnership; a Royal Warrant holder from 1970 to 2022, it moved production from Tunbridge Wells to Poundbury in 2018.
  • Prestat — The London truffle house founded in 1902 by Antoine Dufour, later owned by the Crofts, Bill Keeling and Nick Crean and, from 2019, Domori, with packaging by Kitty Arden; its business was sold out of administration to L’Artisan du Chocolat in February 2026.
  • Rococo Chocolates — The London chocolatier Chantal Coady founded on the King’s Road in 1983, known for a blue-and-white toile drawn from a French mould catalogue, later part of the Prestat Group and sold in administration to L’Artisan du Chocolat Limited in February 2026.

Belgian chocolate houses

Neuhaus, Leonidas, Godiva, Côte d’Or, Guylian, Galler and Wittamer.

  • Neuhaus — The Brussels chocolatier founded in 1857 by Jean Neuhaus in the Galerie de la Reine, credited with the filled praline in 1912 and the ballotin box in 1915, now wholly owned by the holding company Compagnie du Bois Sauvage and still making its pralines at Vlezenbeek.
  • Leonidas — The Belgian praline maker founded in 1913 by the Greek-American confectioner Leonidas Kestekides, named and branded with a Spartan king by his nephew Basilio in 1937, still family-owned, sold through some 1,200 mostly franchised shops and now made in Nivelles.
  • Godiva — The praline business Pierre Draps Sr. began in Brussels in 1926, named after Lady Godiva in the 1940s, owned by Campbell Soup from 1974, sold to Turkey’s Yıldız Holding for $850 million in 2008, with Japan, Korea and Australia run by MBK Partners since 2019.
  • Côte d’Or — The Belgian chocolate brand registered in 1883 and named after the Gold Coast, whose elephant logo dates from 1906, which passed from its founding families to Jacobs Suchard in 1987–89, then Kraft and Mondelēz, and is made at Halle, near Brussels.
  • Guylian — The Sint-Niklaas chocolate maker named after Guy and Liliane Foubert, known for marbled seashell pralines with a G stamp and a seahorse emblem, sold to South Korea’s Lotte Confectionery (now Lotte Wellfood) in 2008 and still making its chocolate in Belgium.
  • Galler — The chocolate maker founded in 1976 by Jean Galler at Vaux-sous-Chèvremont near Liège, a Belgian royal warrant holder since 1994, known for filled bâtons and Philippe Geluck’s Chocolats du Chat, rebranded in 2020 and back in wholly Belgian hands after a 2026 pre-pack.
  • Wittamer — The Brussels pâtisserie-chocolatier that Henri Wittamer opened on the Place du Grand Sablon in 1910, which became a supplier to the Belgian court in 2000, was sold by Paul and Myriam Wittamer to a group of investors in 2021, and runs a franchise in Japan.

Paris and Provence chocolatiers

La Maison du Chocolat, Patrick Roger, Jean-Paul Hévin, Debauve & Gallais, Chapon, Richart and Puyricard.

  • La Maison du Chocolat — The Paris chocolate house Robert Linxe opened on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1977, known for its ganaches and brown jewel-case boxes, part of the Bongrain family group (Savencia since 2015) and making its chocolates at a workshop in Nanterre, it says.
  • Patrick Roger — The independent chocolatier who opened his first shop in Sceaux, south of Paris, in the late 1990s, became a Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2000, makes chocolate and bronze sculpture in the same Sceaux workshop, and uses mint green as his signature colour.
  • Jean-Paul Hévin — The Meilleur Ouvrier de France pâtissier who opened his first Paris chocolate shop in 1988, took his name to Japan in 2002, makes his chocolate in Colombes and funds a cacao centre in Cameroon.
  • Debauve & Gallais — The Paris chocolate house founded in 1800 by Sulpice Debauve, pharmacist to Louis XVI, purveyor to the Restoration kings, with a listed Percier and Fontaine shop on the rue des Saints-Pères and the Pistoles de Marie-Antoinette.
  • Chapon — The chocolate maker built by Patrice Chapon, whose company dates from 1995 in Chelles, east of Paris, where it says it roasts and conches its own beans; known for its chocolate-mousse bar, it lists 19 shops in Paris and the Île-de-France.
  • Richart — The Lyon chocolatier that dates itself to 1925, when Joseph Richart began training, whose son Michel launched the screen-printed Ligne Pure collection in 1988; it sorts its small chocolates into seven aromatic families and makes them near Lyon, in the Ain.
  • Puyricard — The family chocolaterie founded by the Belgian couple Marie-Anne and Jan-Guy Roelandts after leaving the Congo, which makes chocolates and calissons by hand in the village of Puyricard near Aix-en-Provence and is now led by the third generation.

Nordic and Central European chocolate

Anthon Berg, Marabou, Fazer, Freia, Kalev, Wawel and E. Wedel.

  • Anthon Berg — The Copenhagen chocolate house founded in 1884 by Anthon Berg and his son Gustav, known for marzipan bread, tea cakes and bottle-shaped liqueur chocolates, owned by Toms since 1954 and made in Ballerup, with a move to Poland announced in 2024.
  • Marabou — The Swedish chocolate brand founded in 1916 in Sundbyberg as an offshoot of Norway’s Freia, named after the stork on Freia’s wrappers, with a 1960s “M” by Sigvard Bernadotte, owned by Kraft since 1993 and now Mondelēz, and made in Upplands Väsby.
  • Fazer — The family-owned Finnish confectioner that began as Karl Fazer’s Helsinki café in 1891, launched Fazer Blue milk chocolate in 1922, registered its wrapper blue as Finland’s first colour trademark in 2001, and makes its chocolate in Vantaa with a new Lahti factory due in 2028.
  • Freia — The Oslo chocolate maker founded at Rodeløkka in 1889 and bought by Johan Throne Holst in 1892, known for Freia Melkesjokolade (1906), the marabou stork mark of 1907 and the Karl Johan clock sign, owned by Kraft from 1993 and by Mondelēz International today.
  • Kalev — The Tallinn confectioner that traces its roots to Lorenz Caviezel’s 1806 shop, grew from the 1921 Kawe factory, took the Kalev name in 1948 and was sold to Norway’s Orkla in 2010; it trades as Orkla Eesti from Lehmja, near Tallinn.
  • Wawel — The Kraków confectioner that grew from Adam Piasecki’s 1898 shop, was formed as a state works in 1951 from Piasecki, Pischinger and Suchard, listed in Warsaw in 1998 and moved production to Dobczyce in 2006; Germany’s Hosta is its largest shareholder.
  • E. Wedel — The Warsaw chocolate maker founded in 1851 by Karol Wedel, known for Ptasie Mleczko, a signature logo and Leonetto Cappiello’s 1926 boy on a zebra, owned by PepsiCo from 1991, then Cadbury, and by Lotte since 2010, and still made in Warsaw.

Swiss, German and Austrian chocolate

Cailler, Frey, Teuscher, Halba, Ritter Sport, Niederegger and Stollwerck.

  • Cailler — The chocolate brand François-Louis Cailler began in Vevey in 1819, made at Broc in the Gruyère since 1898, merged with Peter and Kohler in 1911 and with Nestlé in 1929, known for the Branche, Frigor and Fémina, and home to the Maison Cailler visitor centre.
  • Frey — The chocolate brand Robert and Max Frey began in Aarau in 1887, owned by Migros since 1950, made at Buchs since 1967 and since 2021 a brand of Delica AG, with a unicorn’s head from the family crest on a red ground.
  • Teuscher — The Swiss chocolatier founded in 1932 by Dolf Teuscher Sr., known for its champagne truffle and decorated gift boxes, which makes its confections near Zürich and flies them each week to its shops in New York, Toronto, Seoul, Abu Dhabi and beyond.
  • Halba — The Swiss chocolate maker founded in Zürich in 1933 by Willy Hallheimer and Werner Baer, wholly owned by the retailer Coop since 1972, which has bought only Fairtrade cocoa since 2014 and since 2017 has made chocolate for Coop and other brands at Pratteln near Basel.
  • Ritter Sport — The Waldenbuch chocolate maker founded in Stuttgart-Cannstatt in 1912 by Clara and Alfred Eugen Ritter, which launched its square bar in 1932, colour-coded its packs from 1974, defended the square as a trademark and is still family-owned.
  • Niederegger — The Lübeck marzipan maker that Johann Georg Niederegger started in 1806, still family-owned in its eighth generation, whose white, red and gold mark with a stylised Holstentor was designed in 1927 by Alfred Mahlau.
  • Stollwerck — The Cologne confectioner founded by Franz Stollwerck in 1839, whose sons built a chocolate business with vending machines from 1887, rescued by Hans Imhoff in 1972, sold to Barry Callebaut in 2002 and to Belgium’s Baronie in 2011, and now based in Norderstedt.

British and Irish heritage chocolate

Fry’s, Rowntree’s, Terry’s, Lily O’Brien’s, Butlers, Paul A. Young and Willie’s Cacao.

  • Fry’s — The Bristol chocolate business begun by Joseph Fry in 1761, which moulded an early eating-chocolate bar in 1847, launched Fry’s Chocolate Cream in 1866, merged with Cadbury in 1919 and lost its Somerdale factory in 2011, and survives as a Cadbury brand name owned by Mondelez.
  • Rowntree’s — The York cocoa business Henry Isaac Rowntree took over in 1862, which with Joseph Rowntree launched Fruit Pastilles, Kit Kat and Aero, was bought by Nestlé for £2.55 billion in 1988, and survives as Nestlé’s name for Fruit Pastilles, Jelly Tots and Randoms.
  • Terry’s — The York confectionery business traced to a 1767 shop, built by Joseph Terry and his sons, maker of the Chocolate Orange since 1932, owned by Forte, Colgate-Palmolive, United Biscuits, Kraft and Mondelez, then Carambar & Co, sold to Ferrero group’s Ferrara in 2025.
  • Lily O’Brien’s — The Irish chocolatier Mary Ann O’Brien started in her Kildare kitchen in 1992 and named after her daughter, now making chocolates and desserts in Newbridge as part of Poland’s family-owned Colian group, which acquired it in 2018.
  • Butlers Chocolates — The Dublin chocolate maker founded on Lad Lane in 1932 by Marion Butler, bought in 1959 by Seamus Sorensen and still Sorensen family-owned, with a factory in Clonshaugh and the Butlers Chocolate Café chain begun in 1998.
  • Paul A. Young — The London chocolatier and former Marco Pierre White pastry chef who, with James Cronin, opened a Camden Passage shop in 2006, became known for sea-salted caramels and a Marmite truffle, closed his last shop in July 2023, and whose company was dissolved in 2026.
  • Willie’s Cacao — The bean-to-bar chocolate business Willie Harcourt-Cooze started in Uffculme, Devon, after years farming cacao at Hacienda El Tesoro in Venezuela, made famous by Channel 4’s Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory and still owned by its founder.

Italian, Spanish and Dutch chocolate

Perugina, Baratti & Milano, Valor, Blanxart, Droste, Verkade and Van Houten.

  • Perugina — The Perugia company founded in 1907 by Francesco Buitoni, Luisa and Annibale Spagnoli, Leone Ascoli and Francesco Andreani, whose Baci of 1922 took their blue box from Federico Seneca, and which has belonged to Nestlé since 1988, with its factory at San Sisto.
  • Baratti & Milano — The Turin confectioner founded in 1858 by Ferdinando Baratti and Edoardo Milano, with a café in the Galleria Subalpina since 1875, credited with the cremino and the Caramella Classica, made in Bra since 1992 and owned by the Elah Dufour group since 1999.
  • Valor — The Villajoyosa chocolate maker founded in 1881 by Valeriano López Lloret, still run by the López family, known for Chocolate Puro, sugar-free bars and chocolate a la taza, with its own chocolaterías, the Huesitos factory at Ateca and Portugal’s Imperial.
  • Blanxart — The Barcelona chocolate and bonbon maker that the company says began in April 1954 in the Les Corts district, now roasting its own beans in Sant Joan Despí, with Classic and Origins ranges and a logo it says was inspired by a medieval altarpiece of the craft trades.
  • Droste — The Haarlem chocolate maker founded by Gerardus Johannes Droste in 1863, whose c.1900 nurse illustration named the Droste effect, which moved to Vaassen in 1986, passed through Van Nelle, CSM and Hosta, and was bought by Poland’s Wawel in November 2025.
  • Verkade — The Zaandam company Ericus Verkade founded in 1886 as the De Ruyter steam bakery, famous for its collectable picture albums with Jac. P. Thijsse, owned by United Biscuits from 1990 and today part of Yıldız Holding’s pladis, still making biscuits and Fairtrade chocolate.
  • Van Houten — The cocoa firm Casparus van Houten opened in Amsterdam in 1815, whose 1828 press patent and alkalised “Dutch” cocoa shaped the industry, which grew in Weesp, closed its factories in 1971 and lives on as a Barry Callebaut drinks brand.

American chocolate and candy makers

Ethel M, See’s Candies, Russell Stover, Fannie May, Lake Champlain, French Broad and Endangered Species.

  • Ethel M — The Henderson, Nevada chocolate maker Forrest Mars Sr. founded in 1981 and named after his mother, Ethel Mars; owned by Mars Inc. since 1988, it makes its chocolates in one factory beside a 3-acre cactus garden.
  • See’s Candies — The boxed-chocolate maker Charles See founded in Los Angeles in 1921 with his wife Florence and his mother Mary, whose recipes and face it still uses; owned by Berkshire Hathaway since 1972 and made in South San Francisco and Los Angeles.
  • Russell Stover — The boxed-chocolate company Russell and Clara Stover started in Denver in 1923 as Mrs. Stover’s Bungalow Candies, based in Kansas City since 1932, owner of Whitman’s since 1993, bought by Lindt & Sprüngli in 2014, with factories in Kansas and Texas.
  • Fannie May — The Chicago chocolatier H. Teller Archibald opened on North LaSalle Street in 1920, maker of Pixies and Mint Meltaways, which survived its owner’s 2004 collapse, passed to 1-800-Flowers in 2006 and to Ferrero in 2017, and makes its chocolates in North Canton, Ohio.
  • Lake Champlain Chocolates — The family-owned Burlington, Vermont chocolatier founded by Jim Lampman in 1983, known for truffles, Five Star Bars and Chocolates of Vermont, a certified B Corp that says all the chocolate it uses is fair trade certified.
  • French Broad Chocolate — The Asheville, North Carolina maker founded by Dan Rattigan and Jael Skeffington after running a café in Costa Rica, which opened its Chocolate Lounge in 2008 and its bean-to-bar factory in 2012, and became a certified B Corp in 2017.
  • Endangered Species Chocolate — The bar maker founded in 1993, which moved from Oregon to Indianapolis in 2005, puts an at-risk animal on its wrappers, says it gives 10% of net profits to conservation partners, and was acquired by Canada’s Chocxo Chocolatier in July 2025.

Belgian, Austrian and German chocolate

Mary, Dumon, Chocolat Jacques, Manner, Mirabell, Hofbauer and Sarotti.

  • Mary — The Brussels chocolatier Mary Delluc founded on the rue Royale in 1919, a Belgian royal warrant holder since 1942 by its own account, which has passed through several owners, makes its pralines in a Brussels workshop and trades in Japan as Madame Delluc.
  • Dumon — The West Flanders chocolatier Stephan Dumon started in Torhout in 1992, whose mother opened its first Bruges shop on the Eiermarkt in 1996; owned in production by Jelle Descamps since 2010, it makes its chocolates in a Torhout workshop built in 2014.
  • Chocolat Jacques — The Belgian chocolate brand founded in Verviers in 1896 by Antoine Jacques, made in Eupen for most of a century, owned by Stollwerck from 1982, Barry Callebaut from 2002 and Baronie since 2011, and made in Bruges since its Eupen factory closed in 2019.
  • Manner — The Vienna confectioner founded in 1890 by Josef Manner, maker of the Original Neapolitaner wafers since 1898, whose mark is St. Stephen’s Cathedral, whose packs are pink, and which is listed in Vienna, family-controlled and makes everything in Austria.
  • Mirabell — The Mozartkugel brand that grew from the Salzburg sweet factory Rajsigl, moved to Grödig in 1948, passed through Suchard and Kraft to Mondelēz, sold its balls as “Echte Salzburger Mozartkugeln” in a red-and-gold octagon, and stopped production in Salzburg in December 2024.
  • Hofbauer — The Vienna confectioner founded in Margareten in 1882 by Carl and Juliane Hofbauer, which bought Küfferle in 1972, opened a factory at Gloggnitz in 1993, joined Lindt & Sprüngli in 1994, and sells Mozartkugeln, Rohkost and pralines named after Vienna’s landmarks.
  • Sarotti — The Berlin chocolate brand traced to the Felix & Sarotti confectionery shop of 1852 and Hugo Hoffmann’s factory, majority-owned by Nestlé from 1929, sold to Stollwerck in 1998 and now part of the Belgian Baronie group, which swapped its old mascot for a magician in 2004.

French, Danish and Dutch chocolate

Cémoi, Jeff de Bruges, Monbana, À la Mère de Famille, Summerbird, Peter Beier and Puccini Bomboni.

  • Cémoi — The French chocolate group that traces itself to an 1814 works at Arles-sur-Tech, grew in Perpignan as Cantalou under Georges Poirrier, adopted the Grenoble brand Cémoi in 1981, and was bought in 2021 by Sweet Products, the Belgian family group behind Baronie.
  • Jeff de Bruges — The French chain of Belgian-style chocolate shops founded in 1986 by Philippe Jambon, with more than 500 shops, cocoa from Ecuador, and Compagnie du Bois Sauvage, owner of Neuhaus, as sole shareholder since April 2026.
  • Monbana — The French cocoa-powder and chocolate maker founded in 1934 at Courbevoie by Louis Guattari, named in homage to Banania, now based at Ernée in Mayenne, known for hot chocolate and café Napolitains, and owned since July 2017 by the Buton family group.
  • À la Mère de Famille — The Paris chocolate and sweet shop on rue du Faubourg-Montmartre that dates itself to 1761, with a shopfront listed as a historic monument in 1984, owned since 2000 by the Dolfi family, who make its chocolate near Tours and own Stohrer.
  • Summerbird — The Danish chocolatier founded in Assens on Funen in 1986 by Mikael Grønlykke with his parents Lene and Sven Grønlykke, known for marzipan butterflies, Grand Cru flødeboller, Amber chocolate, plain white boxes and organic production since 2014.
  • Peter Beier — The chocolate house founded in 1996 by the Danish chocolatier Peter Beier, who bought a cocoa plantation in the Dominican Republic in 2002 and makes handmade chocolates, flødeboller and ice cream at Ørsholt Gods near Helsingør for a chain of cafés.
  • Puccini Bomboni — The Amsterdam chocolatier that Ans van Soelen and her daughter Sabine van Weldam started as a dessert shop on the Staalstraat, known for large handmade bonbons with herb, spice and liqueur fillings, now sold from two Amsterdam shops and one in Utrecht.

Australian, New Zealand and Canadian chocolate

Haigh’s, Darrell Lea, Koko Black, Whittaker’s, Laura Secord, Purdys and Rogers’.

  • Haigh’s — The Adelaide chocolate maker opened by Alfred E. Haigh on 1 May 1915, run by the Haigh family for four generations, with a Parkside factory and visitor centre, a Salisbury South plant opened in 2025 and the Easter Bilby since 1993.
  • Darrell Lea — The Sydney confectioner built by Harry Lea and his sons from a Haymarket sweet shop, known for Rocklea Road and soft liquorice, which entered voluntary administration in July 2012, was bought by the Quinn family that September and sold to Quadrant Private Equity in 2018.
  • Koko Black — The Melbourne chocolatier that opened in the Royal Arcade in 2003 with a Belgian-trained team, went into voluntary administration in 2015, was bought by Grill’d founder Simon Crowe in 2016 and bought the Chocolatier Australia factory in 2025.
  • Whittaker’s — The New Zealand chocolate maker founded in Christchurch in 1896 by James Henry Whittaker, still family-owned, making bean-to-bar at Porirua since 1969 with Ghanaian and Samoan cocoa, and voted New Zealand’s most trusted brand from 2012 to 2023.
  • Laura Secord — The chocolate and ice cream chain Frank P. O’Connor opened on Toronto’s Yonge Street in 1913, named for a War of 1812 heroine, owned in turn by Labatt, Rowntree Mackintosh, Nestlé, Archibald Candy and a Gordon Brothers-led group, and since 2010 by Quebec’s Leclerc brothers.
  • Purdys Chocolatier — The Vancouver chocolate maker Richard Carmon Purdy opened on Robson Street in 1907, saved by a bookkeeper in the 1920s, owned by the Flavelle family since 1963, maker of Hedgehogs at its Kingsway factory, and back in purple and gold since the late 1990s.
  • Rogers’ Chocolates — The Victoria, British Columbia firm begun by Charles “Candy” Rogers, a Massachusetts-born grocer who settled there in 1885, known for its Victoria Creams, its burgundy boxes and a Government Street shop that is a National Historic Site of Canada.

Japanese and Latin American chocolate

Royce’, Meiji, Morinaga, Garoto, Cacau Show, Kopenhagen and Ibarra.

  • Royce’ — The chocolate maker founded in Sapporo in 1983 by Yasuhiro Yamazaki, known for nama chocolate, which makes its chocolate in Tobetsu, Hokkaido, runs Royce’ Chocolate World at New Chitose Airport and keeps its own shops in Hokkaido alone.
  • Meiji — The Tokyo confectioner founded in 1916 as Tokyo Kashi, renamed Meiji Seika in 1924, which launched Meiji Milk Chocolate on 13 September 1926, redesigned its package in 2009 and now sits inside Meiji Holdings, with chocolate made at Sakado, Tokai and Osaka.
  • Morinaga — The Tokyo confectioner founded in 1899 by Taichiro Morinaga, which registered its Angel Mark in 1905, says it began selling Japan’s first domestically produced milk chocolate in 1918, and makes DARS and Chocoball in its Japanese factories.
  • Garoto — The Vila Velha chocolate maker founded in 1929 by the German immigrant Heinrich Meyerfreund, maker of Baton and Serenata de Amor, bought by Nestlé in 2002 and cleared by Brazil’s competition authority CADE, with conditions, only in June 2023.
  • Cacau Show — The chocolate company Alexandre Tadeu da Costa started in São Paulo at Easter 1988, which opened its first shop in 2001, makes chocolate at Itapevi, grows cocoa at its own farm in Espírito Santo and now runs thousands of franchised shops, a resort and a theme park.
  • Kopenhagen — The São Paulo chocolate house David and Anna Kopenhagen began in 1928, bought by Celso Ricardo de Moraes in 1996, made at Extrema in Minas Gerais since 2010, known for Língua de Gato and Nhá Benta, and part of Grupo CRM, in which Nestlé agreed to buy a majority stake in 2023.
  • Ibarra — The Guadalajara table-chocolate brand the company dates to 1925, still run by the Gómez Ibarra family, made on Avenida Mariano Otero and sold as round, wedge-scored tablets in a red & yellow hexagonal box for Mexican hot chocolate and mole.

Chocolate makers around the world

Ganong, Chocolats Favoris, La Ibérica, Glico, Abuelita, Orion and Simón Coll.

  • Ganong — The St. Stephen, New Brunswick chocolate and candy maker founded in 1873 by James and Gilbert Ganong, known for Chicken Bones, Delecto boxed chocolates and the Pal-o-Mine bar, still led by the Ganong family, with a 2022 investment from Cooke.
  • Chocolats Favoris — The Quebec chocolate shop founded in Lauzon in 1979 by Christine Beaulieu and Gaétan Vézina, known for ice cream dipped in chocolate and take-home fondues, bought in 2012 by Beenox founder Dominique Brown and grown into a franchise chain across Canada.
  • La Ibérica — The Arequipa chocolate maker founded in 1909 by Juan Vidaurrázaga Menchaca, which began with drinking chocolate, added toffees, turrón and mazapanes, buys Peruvian cacao and still makes its chocolate in Arequipa as a family company.
  • Glico — The Osaka company that began selling Glico Caramel in a red box with a running man in 1922, launched Almond Chocolate in 1958 and Pocky in 1966, put the runner on its Dotonbori sign in 1935 and bought the US craft chocolate maker TCHO in 2018.
  • Abuelita — The Mexican table chocolate launched in 1939 by Fábrica de Chocolates La Azteca, which put the actress Sara García, “La Abuelita de México,” on its pack in 1973 and was acquired by Nestlé in 1995, which kept her portrait.
  • Orion — The Czech chocolate brand that grew from František Maršner’s Vinohrady confectionery, took the Orion name in 1924 and a blue star by Zdeněk Rykr, was nationalised in 1947, privatised with Danone and Nestlé in 1992, and is now made at Nestlé’s Zora factory in Olomouc.
  • Simón Coll — The family chocolate maker founded in 1840 in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Catalonia, which says six generations have run it, bought the Barcelona brand Chocolate Amatller in 1972 and runs the Espai Xocolata visitor centre.

At a glance: founding, base and signature

Taken from each guide’s fact panel. Follow the link for detail and caveats.

BrandFoundedBasedSignature
AbuelitaMexico (1939)See guideTable-chocolate tablets; Sara García’s portrait
Alter Eco1998 (France / SF)See guideCompostable wrapper
AmedeiLa Rotta, Pontedera, Tuscany (1990)See guideToscano Black, Porcelana, Chuao
Anthon BergCopenhagen, Denmark (1884)See guideMarzipan bread, marzipan tea cakes, liqueur chocolates
AskinosieSpringfield, Missouri, US (2005 (first bar sold 2007))See guideSingle-origin bars, direct trade, profit sharing with farmers
Auro2015 (Philippines)CalambaTree-to-bar
Bahen & Co~2010 (Australia)Margaret RiverVintage machinery
Baratti & MilanoTurin, Italy (1858)See guideCremino, Caramella Classica, the Galleria Subalpina café (1875)
Beyond Good2008 (Madagascar)MadagascarMade at origin
BlanxartLes Corts, Barcelona, Spain (1954 (as Bombons Blanxart))See guideBonbons, bean-to-bar Classic and Origins bars
Bonnat1884 (France)VoironSingle-origin pioneer
Butlers ChocolatesLad Lane, Dublin (1932)See guideSee guide
Cacao Hunters2013 (Colombia)PopayánCommunity single-origin
Cacaosuyo2012 (Peru)LimaAndean heritage
Cacau ShowSão Paulo, Brazil (1988)See guideFranchised chocolate shops
CaillerVevey, Switzerland (1819)See guideBranche, Frigor, Fémina, Ambassador
Casa Bosques2012 (Mexico)Mexico CityMinimalist design
ChaponSee guideSee guideBean-to-bar tablets, the chocolate-mousse bar
Charbonnel et WalkerLondon, UK (1875)See guideMarc de Champagne truffles, drinking chocolate
Chocolat JacquesVerviers, Belgium (1896)See guideFilled bars, Matinettes, picture cards
Chocolats FavorisLauzon, Quebec, Canada (1979)See guideChocolate-dipped ice cream, fondues
CémoiArles-sur-Tech, France (1814 (Cémoi name from 1981))See guideCémoi bars, Petit Ourson, Quadro
Côte d’OrBrussels, Belgium (1883 (brand registered))See guideThe elephant, tablets, Chokotoff, Mignonnette
Dandelion Chocolate2010 (San Francisco)See guideTwo-ingredient bar
Darrell LeaSydney, Australia (usually dated 1927)See guideRocklea Road, soft liquorice, bullets
Debauve & GallaisParis, France (1800)See guidePistoles de Marie-Antoinette, croquamandes, chromos
Dengo2017 (Brazil)São PauloFair-pay mission
Divine ChocolateLondon, England (1998 (as The Day Chocolate Company))See guideFairtrade bars, Adinkra-printed wrappers, Dubble
Domori1997 (Italy)None, PiedmontCriollo purism
DrosteHaarlem, Netherlands (1863)See guideChocolate pastilles, cocoa, the Droste effect
DumonTorhout, West Flanders (1992)See guideFresh pralines, shops on the Eiermarkt and Simon Stevinplein
E. WedelWarsaw, Poland (1851)See guidePtasie Mleczko, chocolate, Torcik Wedlowski
Endangered Species ChocolateOregon, US (1993 (company says))See guideAnimal wrappers, 10% GiveBack, oat-milk bars
Ethel MHenderson, Nevada, USA (1981)See guideBoxed chocolates, liqueur chocolates, the Botanical Cactus Garden
Fannie MayChicago, Illinois (1920 (company date))See guidePixies, Mint Meltaways, Buttercreams
FazerHelsinki, Finland (1891 (café))See guideFazer Blue (Karl Fazer Milk Chocolate), 1922
FelchlinSchwyz, Switzerland (1908 (honey trade))See guideGrand Cru couvertures, Maracaibo Clasificado, Pralinosa
FossaMid-2010s (Singapore)SingaporeAsian flavours
FreiaRodeløkka, Oslo (then Kristiania) (1889)See guideFreia Melkesjokolade (1906), Kvikk Lunsj
French Broad ChocolateAsheville, North Carolina (2008 (Chocolate Lounge))See guideBean-to-bar bars, bonbons, the Chocolate Lounge
FreyAarau, Switzerland (1887)See guideChocolate bars, Branches, pralines
Friis-Holm2008 (Denmark)RoskildeFermentation comparison
Fry’sBristol, England (1761 (as Fry, Vaughan & Co.))See guideFry’s Chocolate Cream, Fry’s Turkish Delight
GallerVaux-sous-Chèvremont, near Liège (1976)See guideFilled bâtons, Les Chocolats du Chat
GanongSt. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada (1873)See guideChicken Bones, Delecto, Pal-o-Mine
GarotoVila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil (16 August 1929 (as H. Meyerfreund & Cia.))See guideCaixa Amarela, Baton, Serenata de Amor, Talento
GlicoOsaka, Japan (1922 (first sales))See guideGlico Caramel, Almond Chocolate, Pocky, PRETZ
GodivaBrussels, Belgium (1926)See guidePralines, the gold gift box, boutiques
Goodio2015 (Finland)HelsinkiVegan raw-cacao
Green & Black’sLondon, England (1991)See guideOrganic dark chocolate, Maya Gold
Grenada Chocolate Company1999 (Grenada)HermitageTree-to-bar at origin
GuittardSan Francisco, California (1868)See guideCouverture, Collection Etienne, baking chips
GuylianSint-Niklaas, Belgium (1958)See guideSea Shells marbled pralines
Haigh’sAdelaide, South Australia (1 May 1915)See guideChocolates, frogs, the Easter Bilby
HalbaZürich, Switzerland (5 May 1933)See guideFairtrade chocolate, private-label bars
HofbauerVienna-Margareten, Austria (1882)See guideMozartkugeln, Rohkost, Für Verwöhnte pralines
Hummingbird~2011 (Canada)Almonte, OntarioThe Golden Bean
IbarraGuadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico (1925 (company date))See guideChocolate para mesa in a red-and-yellow hexagonal box
Jean-Paul HévinParis, France (1988 (first shop))See guideFilled chocolates, macarons, cheese chocolates
Jeff de BrugesFrance (1986)See guidePick-and-mix chocolate boxes, dragées, ice cream
KalevTallinn, Estonia (1806 (Caviezel’s shop); Kawe factory 1921)See guideAnneke, Eepos bars, marzipan, Mesikäpp
Koko BlackRoyal Arcade, Melbourne (2003)See guidePralines, truffles, marbles, hot chocolate
KopenhagenSão Paulo, Brazil (1928)See guideSee guide
La IbéricaArequipa, Peru (1909)See guideDrinking chocolate, toffees, turrón, mazapanes
La Maison du ChocolatParis, France (1977)See guideGanaches, the Pleyel cake, brown gift boxes
Lake Champlain ChocolatesBurlington, Vermont (1983)See guideTruffles, Five Star Bars, Chocolates of Vermont
Laura SecordToronto, Ontario, Canada (1913)See guideBoxed chocolates, Easter treats, ice cream
LeonidasGhent, Belgium (1913)See guideManon, the sash-window shop, franchised shops
Lily O’Brien’sCo. Kildare, Ireland (1992)See guideBoxed chocolates, Desserts Collection, salted caramel truffles
MannerVienna, Austria (1890)See guideOriginal Neapolitaner wafers
MarabouSundbyberg, Sweden (1916 (production from 1919))See guideMjölkchoklad, Daim, Japp, Aladdin
Marou2011 (Vietnam)Ho Chi Minh CityProvince single-origin
MaryRue Royale, Brussels (1919)See guidePralines, hand-covered boxes, the royal warrant
Mast2007 (Brooklyn)See guidePatterned paper
Mast Brothers2007 (USA)BrooklynThe patterned wrapper
MeijiTokyo, Japan (1916 (as Tokyo Kashi))See guideMeiji Milk Chocolate, Kinoko no Yama, Apollo
Michel CluizelDamville, Normandy, France (1948)See guidePlantation chocolates, “cacaofèvier,” 99% bar
Minimal2014 (Japan)TokyoTwo ingredients
MirabellSalzburg, Austria (Rajsigl factory, 1897 (company))See guideEchte Salzburger Mozartkugeln, Mozarttaler
MirzamMid-2010s (UAE)DubaiThe spice route
MonbanaCourbevoie, France (1934)See guideCocoa powder, café Napolitains, coated almonds
Montezuma’sBrighton and Chichester, England (2000)See guideAbsolute Black, flavour bars, giant buttons
MorinagaTokyo, Japan (1899 (as Morinaga’s Western Confectionery Shop))See guideMilk Chocolate, DARS, Chocoball, Milk Caramel
Naïve2011 (Lithuania)LithuaniaMinimalist, experimental
NeuhausBrussels, Belgium (1857)See guideThe praline (1912), the ballotin (1915), Irrésistibles
NiedereggerLübeck, Germany (1806)See guideLübeck marzipan, Café Niederegger
Omnom2013 (Iceland)ReykjavíkIllustrated wrappers
Original Beans2008 (Netherlands)AmsterdamConservation by design
OrionKrálovské Vinohrady (Prague) (1891 (Czech Wikipedia); 1896 (Nestlé))See guideBlue star; Studentská pečeť, Modré z nebe
Patrick RogerSceaux, France (late 1990s)See guideAmazone half-sphere, chocolate and bronze sculpture
Paul A. YoungCamden Passage, Islington, London (2006 (first shop))See guideSea-salted caramels, Marmite truffle
PeruginaPerugia, Italy (30 November 1907)See guideBaci (1922), the blue box by Federico Seneca
Peter BeierDenmark (1996)See guideHandmade chocolates, flødeboller, Plantage series
Pierre Marcolini1995 (Belgium)BrusselsHaute-couture chocolate
PralusRoanne, Loire, France (1948)See guidePraluline, single-origin 75% bars, Barre Infernale
PrestatLondon, UK (1902)See guideTruffles, Kitty Arden packaging
Puccini BomboniStaalstraat, Amsterdam (1987 (company); 1988 (Discover Benelux, 2016))See guideLarge handmade bonbons with herb, spice, fruit and liqueur fillings
Pump Street2010 (UK)Orford, SuffolkBakery-to-bar
Purdys ChocolatierVancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1907)See guideHedgehogs, Sweet Georgia Browns, salt caramels
PuyricardPuyricard, Aix-en-Provence, France (1967–68)See guideHand-made chocolates, calissons, palets d’or
Raaka2010 (Brooklyn)See guideUnroasted cacao
RichartLyon, France (1925 (company’s date))See guidePetits Richart, the Ligne Pure, seven aromatic families
Ritter SportStuttgart-Cannstatt, Germany (1912)See guideThe square bar (1932), colour-coded packs
Rococo ChocolatesKing’s Road, Chelsea, London (1983)See guideBlue-and-white toile packaging, filled chocolates and bars
Rogers’ ChocolatesVictoria, British Columbia (1885 (Charles Rogers settles in Victoria))See guideVictoria Creams, Empress Squares, burgundy boxes
Rowntree’sYork, England (1862)See guideFruit Pastilles, Kit Kat, Aero, Smarties
Royce’Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan (1983)See guideNama chocolate, Potato Chip Chocolate
Russell StoverDenver, Colorado (1923 (as Mrs. Stover’s Bungalow Candies))See guideBoxed chocolates; Whitman’s and Pangburn’s
SarottiBerlin, Germany (1852 (Felix & Sarotti shop))See guidePralines, Tiamo truffles, No.1 bars
See’s CandiesLos Angeles, California, USA (November 1921)See guideBoxed chocolates, Victoria Toffee, peanut brittle, lollipops
Simón CollSant Sadurní d’Anoia, Catalonia, Spain (1840)See guideSeasonal chocolates, bars, Chocolate Amatller
Standout Chocolate2018 (Sweden)SwedenColour-coded + radar
StollwerckCologne, Germany (1839)See guideChocolate vending machines from 1887
SummerbirdAssens, Funen, Denmark (1986)See guideChocolate butterflies, Grand Cru flødeboller, Amber
Taza Chocolate2005 (Somerville, MA)See guideChocolate discs
Terry’sYork, England (1767 (shop); Joseph Terry joined 1823)See guideTerry’s Chocolate Orange (1932), All Gold, Neapolitans
TeuscherSwitzerland (1932)See guideChampagne truffles, gift boxes
Theo Chocolate2005 (Seattle)See guideFair-trade bar
ThorntonsSheffield, England (1911)See guideSpecial Toffee, Continental and Classic boxes
Tony’s Chocolonely2005 (Amsterdam)See guideUnequal chunks
To’ak2013 (Ecuador)ManabíCask-aged, numbered
UtopickMid-2010s (Spain)ValenciaThe origami paper boat
ValorVillajoyosa, Alicante, Spain (1881)See guideChocolate Puro, sugar-free bars, chocolate a la taza
ValrhonaTain-l’Hermitage, France (1922 (as Chocolaterie du Vivarais))See guideGuanaja, Manjari, Dulcey, L’École Valrhona
Van HoutenAmsterdam, Netherlands (1815)See guideCocoa press (1828), alkalised “Dutch” cocoa
VerkadeZaandam, Netherlands (1886 (as De Ruyter))See guideBiscuits, chocolate bars and letters, Verkade albums
WawelKraków, Poland (1898 (Adam Piasecki); Wawel works 1951)See guideDanusia, Malaga, Kasztanki, Tiki Taki
Wellington Chocolate Factory~2013 (New Zealand)WellingtonArtist wrappers
Whittaker’sChristchurch, New Zealand (1896)See guidePeanut Slab, Creamy Milk and Dark Ghana blocks
Willie’s CacaoUffculme, Devon, England (2007–08 (company incorporated 2002))See guideBean-to-bar single-estate chocolate, 100% cacao, Channel 4 TV series
WittamerBrussels, Belgium (1910 (Place du Grand Sablon))See guidePâtisserie, pralines, the Samba cake
Zotter1999 (Austria)RiegersburgIllustrated wrappers
À la Mère de FamilleRue du Faubourg-Montmartre, Paris (1761 (company date))See guideChocolates, pralinés, Folies de l’Écureuil, sweets

Frequently asked questions

What does tree-to-bar mean?

Chocolate made where the cacao is grown; our guides cover tree-to-bar makers including Auro and the Grenada Chocolate Company.

What is Marou known for?

Single-origin bars named for Vietnamese provinces, in wrappers by Rice Creative, according to our guide.

Part of our Food & Beverage brand guidelines. See also all collections.