Craving something sweet? Chocolate might just be the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth. From rich dark chocolate to creamy milk chocolate, there are countless brands to choose from, each offering unique flavors and textures. Here, we have compiled a list of the 14 best chocolate brands that are sure to delight any chocolate lover! đ«
14. Ghirardelli
Headquartered in San Francisco, Ghirardelli is the longest-operating chocolate company in the U.S., having provided Americans with fresh chocolate experiences for almost 200 years now. However, it offers âintenseâ dark chocolate in the form of squares as opposed to bars, which contain a high 86% cocoa percentage, which makes it one of the best chocolate brands.
Cocoa Portion: 86%
13. La Maison du Chocolat
Next on our list is the La Maison du Chocolate, an artisanal chocolate box from France that has found a big market in the USA under a parent company by Collismo. The Coffret Maison Dark and Milk Chocolate box, sold for $100, has been shipped to over 20 nations. Though only having about half of the cocoa percentage, La Maison du Chocolat still produces one of the best-tasting chocolates as of today.
Cocoa Portion: 56%
12. The Hershey Company
This next chocolate brand is something we usually crave â The Hershey Company is the most popular brand in America as far as chocolate is concerned and accounts for over 33% of the market share in the confectionery sector. It also owns a range of products, such as sugar-free chocolate bars or bite-sized Hersheyâs Kisses, that come in various flavors like milk and dark or white chocolate. Surely, among the chocolate varieties they make, their Extra Dark Chocolate Bar stands out with the richest cocoa content, which is why it ranks number fourteen with respect to quality among all chocolates produced by this company in the United States, as per our analysis.
Cocoa Portion: 60%
11. Scharffen Berger
Dr. Robert Steinberg started the first American craft chocolate company, Schaffen Berger, after he was diagnosed with lymphoma, had to leave his medical practice, and felt that he needed a change in everyday life. Today, this moment is a cause of appreciation for many chocolate fans living in America. Since it was founded, Dr. Steinbergâs business has been buying its beans from Venezuela, Brazil, Indonesia, Trinidad, and Ghana. Their Extra Dark Chocolate bars contain little more than well-prepared cocoa content of artisanal origin, which makes them of high quality and is the reason they have been included on this list.
Cocoa Portion: 82%
10. Dove Chocolate
Founded by Leo Stefanos on a corner of a Chicago street in 1939, which was earlier Dove Candies and Ice Cream, it has been transformed into Dove Chocolates today. Dove Chocolates later became a subsidiary of Mars Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ: MBNP) and extended its product range extensively. The company grabbed one of the listsâ positions on our list through their Promises Dark Chocolates premium brand, which contains 82% cocoa, the same as Scharffen Berger.
Cocoa Portion: 82%
9. Whittakerâs
Established in 1896 and operating in New Zealand, Whittakerâs is one of the oldest current brands of chocolate bars on the market. Those who have an inclination towards the confectionary have found it necessary to have one from Whittakerâs, which is why his brand can be found in American stores. The importance of their online presence can not be underestimated; some customers will just cross their fingers, hoping that they will find anything even after checking out every supermarket close by â such is a quality associated with this particular one! The Dark Cacao has the highest cocoa percentage content among all other Whittaker company flavors, making it 9th on our list.
Cocoa Portion: 62%
8. Cadbury
Mondelez International, Inc. owns both Cadbury and Hu Kitchen. Cadbury, however, was established the same as Hu Kitchen as a popular household brand name. In actual fact, Cadbury was established by the Cadbury family as their first chocolate business in 1824. Cadbury sells approximately 40 distinct chocolate and snack items, except the top (or this highest quality or cocoa percentage) one is the 70% Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate.
Cocoa Portion: 70%
7. Hu Kitchen
In 2018, Hu Kitchen began as a luxury snack and candy brand. Due to its high-quality chocolate, Hu managed to get the agenda by selling top products like it. One of the worldâs largest confectionary conglomerates, Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ), acquired a minority stake before acquiring them fully in 2021. The Hu Kitchen brand has managed to maintain its dark chocolate quality irrespective of this acquisition, hence it’s 7th ranking on our list despite having a lower cocoa percentage.
Cocoa Portion: 70%
6. VOSGES Haut
The perfect chocolate has rapidly become what Vosges is targeting women in the US. It is one of few firms whose main operations are carried out in America; the Chicaco-based company was started in 1998. Red Fire Spice and Oaxaca Blend are some of the flavors available among other numerous chocolate options whilst they take pride in their unique collection established back then in 1998.
Cocoa Portion: 72%
5. Kit Kat
On to our 5th place is Kit Kat with its famous âHave a break, have a Kit Katâ quote. Even though Nestle has been in charge of Kit Kat worldwide, Hershey Company has been manufacturing it in the country since 1970. What stands out about the chocolate bar you can most probably find in any part of the globe is Nestle’s, Kit Kat. Kit Kat is a famous and leading chocolate brand internationally that has introduced numerous high-quality chocolate products only to discontinue them eventually. However, one type that continues to run in the US market is the Dark Chocolate Block, which contains a 76% cocoa percentage.
Cocoa Portion: 76%
4. Esthechoc
Esthechoc, with its high cocoa percentage, cannot be missed in referencing diverse high-quality chocolate offers and a great overall taste which makes it into our 4th place. According to Esthechoc, this âfunctional beautyâ chocolate enhances microcirculation and increases antioxidant activity to improve skin. Esthechoc boldly states on its website that one serving of Esthechoc alone (7.5g) contains as many antioxidants as 300g of salmon does.
Cocoa Portion: 72.6%
3. Raaka Chocolate
Now weâre getting serious with the last three brands! Cocoa is American roasted in Tanzania, and it is 100% cocoa. Among top-quality chocolates in the world, there are very few that can be compared to Raaka chocolate, which is also American. With it being an award-winning company, there are ethical sourcing practices at Raaka Chocolate which is situated in Brooklyn, New York. What is really remarkable is how a business with fewer than fifty workers could manage to do something that lots of confectionery corporations must have thought was unimportant: concentrating on quality rather than volume.
Such simplicity may earn it another title as it is associated with the farmsâ mottoââReliable and genuine.â Although Raaka may be counted among the famous chocolate brands out there today, there is definitely no doubt about one thing- it lacks masses of people who know about honey.
Cocoa Portion: 100%
2. Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain Chocolates was first established in 1983 and is still located in Vermont, where it was founded. The company is family-owned, and most of the chocolates are handmade, which is the reason itâs been in 2nd place. Lake Champlain Chocolates started by producing chocolate truffles but later diversified its business to include handmade chocolate bars. These bars contain not less than 80% cocoa content thus, they are of very high quality.
One thing that sets Lake Champlain apart from other companies is their commitment to supporting their local community through various initiatives such as conservation and other sustainability efforts, more about which one can read in this report.
Cocoa Portion: 80%
1. Lindt & SprĂŒngli
Swiss-made Lindt remains a leading brand in US markets despite the recent popularity surge of US-based chocolates. Established in 1845 and globally famous for being the best option for high-end chocolate enthusiasts, Lindt is quite influential within the American market.
Still, it is not without cause that people from across corners affectionate Lindt globally; it boasts of having the worldâs best chocolates, including Lindt Excellence 100, which is identified as Switzerlandâs best chocolate brand. Lindt chocolate makers can tell which farm they came from based on where its cocoa beans were grown while choosing only the best beans among these would-be purchasers, taking into consideration every detail available to them according to this title, like royalty, as every other part did so well.
Cocoa Portion: 100%