Top 10 Chocolate Brands in the World 2016

Published in Top Brands category by MBA Skool Team

Chocolate is a comfort food that everyone loves to eat be it dark, white or milk chocolate. Chocolate is a mood-enhancer for a lot of people and romance-inducer for some. The top chocolates brands include Cadbury, Kinder, Hershey's, Snickers & Galaxy, and others like KitKat, Reese's, Ferrero Rocher, Lindt and Mars. Here is the list of the top 10 chocolate brands in the world 2016.


10. MARS

The chocolate that ranks tenth in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is MARS.


Image: flickr-photos/torbenh/

MARS is a British chocolate bar brand owned by MARS Inc., and was first manufactured in 1932, and is one of the leading chocolate brands worldwide. Mars, which was modelled after American Milky Way chocolate, is a delicious fusion of rich ingredients such as honey, nougat and caramel covered in milk chocolate.

It comes in various sizes - king-size double bar also known as Mars Duo (85 g); the regular size single bar (58 g); miniature bars (sold in multiple packs) called Snack Time (36.5 g) and Fun Size (19.7 g). MARS is also an official sponsor of England national Football team and the Original MARS bar was customised and sold in Believe packaging in the UK from April 2006 until the end of the FIFA World Cup 2006 in July. MARS comes up with the tagline MARS a day helps you Work, Rest and Play. MARS was the first ever chocolate company to reduce the saturated fats in its bars to 8.3g per 100g, 45% less than the average of the top 25 chocolate brands.

MARS belongs to the company MARS Inc. which in total features 29 brands, including 5 billion-dollar global brands such as M&M’S, SNICKERS, DOVE/GALAXY, MARS/MILKY WAY and TWIX and many other world-class brands such as 3 Musketeers, Bounty, Wrigley’s, Skittles, and Orbit etc.

Approximately Three million MARS bars a day are produced at the UK plant in Slough. The delicious taste along with its beautiful packing makes it one of the top chocolate brands in the world with sales of approximately over a billion US$.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 1.058

9. Lindt

The chocolate that ranks ninth in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is Lindt.


Image: flickr-photos/mamchenkov/

The Chocolatiers from LINDT are real masters of their craft and are always striving to offer you a chocolate that gives a real treat to your palate. LINDT chocolate bar comes from a company - Lindt & Sprüngli AG, commonly known as Lindt, a Swiss confectioner and chocolatier. It takes care of each and every ingredients to make its desserts one in a lifetime, by deeply combining milk and granulated ingredient with some typical fruity flavors. Since 1845 LINDT Chocolatiers have been creating the ultimate LINDT chocolate delights driven by their dedication, passion, and innovative spirit.

Lindt has an assorted list of chocolates such as Lindor, Gold Bunny (Seasonal Confectionary), and creation range of chocolate-filled cubes: Dark Milk Mousse, Milk Mousse, Chocolate Mousse, White Milk Mousse, Orange Mousse and Cherry/Chili. The various flavors by Lindor are Extra Dark Chocolate, Dark peppermint, Hazelnut, Cinnamon, White chocolate, Stracciatella, Peanut Butter, Lemon, Strawberry and cream, Mint, Sea salt and Caramel etc. Careful selection, in-house processing, and blending of high quality beans from the world’s well-known destinations brings in the incomparable taste of LINDT. The Chocolatiers then roast the beans for perfect flavor and grind them extremely fine. This Lindt Excellence offers chocolate lovers a unique and sophisticated experience for the ultimate chocolate pleasure.

Lindt has also recently opened 8 chocolate cafes in Australia, 4 in Melbourne and Sydney each. These cafes sell handmade chocolates, macaroons, cakes, and ice cream.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 1.29

8. Ferrero Rocher

The chocolate that ranks eighth in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is Ferrero Rocher.


Image: pixabay

Ferrero Rocher was introduced in 1982 and it consists of a roasted hazelnut enclosed in a thin wafer shell filled with hazelnut chocolate and covered in milk chocolate and ground hazelnut. The brand’s focus on quality, its beautiful packaging of golden wrapper and generous amounts of hazelnut has made Ferrero Rocher one of the most loved and appreciated chocolate all over the world. Some 24 million Ferrero Rocher chocolates are made daily. Almost 6000 inhabitants of Alba are employed in the 340,000 sq. mts plant but only 64 people work on the main Ferrero Rocher line at a single point of time, most of which are in quality control. The manufacturing process is a closely guarded secret and involves high-tech machinery to ensure quality. Sales of last 3 months of the year amount to nearly two-thirds (61%) of annual sales of Ferrero Rocher. Ferrero Rocher is associated with New Year and Christmas and in some countries Rocher is marketed only during winter. Traditionally, Ferrero Rocher has become a chocolate highly consumed during Christmas. Ferrero Rocher is made by the Ferrero group, which is a world renowned Italian company and the third largest chocolate producer in the world. It makes famous chocolates and other confectionary like Raffaello, Mon Chéri, Nutella, Tic-Tac and Kinder. Ferrero Rocher contributed $1.41 billion to the group’s revenues and is a major growth driver.

Ferrero Rocher is a brand in itself and is no wonder that it features in Top 10 chocolate brands of the world year after year.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 1.411

7. Reese's

The chocolate that ranks seventh in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is Reese’s.


Image: flickr-photos/theimpulsivebuy/

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are a milk chocolate cup made of chocolate-coated peanut butter, and these are some of the most popular chocolate brands and snacks loved by children across the world. This was originally created by HB Reese (Founder of The Harry Burnett Reese Candy Co.) in 1928. Reese was encouraged by Hershey and started his own business. Reese’s other products include 100 Calorie Peanut Butter Wafer Bar, Chips Ahoy With Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's Bar - a chocolate bar with chocolate squares with a peanut butter filling, Reese's Brownies, Reese's Crunchy Cookie Cups, Reese's Cookies, Reese's Crèmes, Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar, Reese's Fast Break, Reese's Mini's, Reese's No Bake Bars, Reese's NutRageous etc.

Reese’s is the most popular candy in America over the last decade and has had the highest market share in U.S in the candy world in the last decade. Reese’s Peanut butter cup is the most favourite confection in the U.S and Reese’s success can be attributed to its successful ad campaigns, large number of offerings and strong backing of the parent company. These peanut butter cups were also called Penny cups as they were sold for a penny. Hershey’s acquired Reese’s company for $23.5mn. in 1963. Every year May 18th is observed as I love Reese’s day.

Reese’s produces so many peanut butter cups every year that it could feed one cup to each person in the USA, Australia, Europe, Japan, Africa, China, and India with its annual production.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 1.529

6. KitKat

The chocolate that ranks sixth in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is KitKat.


Image: company website

KitKat is a chocolate covered wafer biscuit confectionary created by Rowntree’s of York, England in the 1935 and was subsequently acquired by the Swiss FMCG giant Nestle. The license to sell in the United States is with The Hershey Company and it is marketed in the rest of the world by Nestle, and is one of the most popular brands. The standard bars consists of two or four fingers of three layers chocolate filled wafers and covered with a layer of chocolate with the bars are designed in such a way that they could be snapped into individual fingers. It was envisaged as a tea time snack and has been promoted over the years to perfectly depict this message. This is best signified by its tagline “the best companion to a cup of tea” in the 1930s to the most famous tagline “Have a Break... Have a KitKat”.

Since its introduction, it has developed a cult following for its unique shape and its inimitable taste. As a testament to this fact, in September 2013 Google’s Android mobile operating system was named “KitKat” with Google licensing the name from Nestle. Over the years KitKat has experimented with a number of variants like Dark KitKat, KitKat Chunky. To cater to the wider palette of the domestic audience, KitKat has also ventured to provide flavors like Baked Potato and Soy sauce in Japan. Cookie dough KitKat in Australia, Royal Milk Tea flavor in the UK, Banana KitKat in Canada. Being one of the most loved and the largest selling chocolate based confectionaries, there is no doubt that KitKat is here to stay.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 1.647

5. Galaxy

The chocolate that ranks sixth in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is Galaxy/Dove.


Image: flickr-photos/hejog/

Galaxy is a chocolate brand made and marketed by Mars Inc Manufactured in United Kingdoms in 1960, and it got its name from Dove Ice Cream & Candies, which was Chicago sweet shop owned by Leo Stefanos, a Greek-American. The Dove brand is known for its messages on the inside of the wrapper of each chocolate piece. Galaxy has multiple variants including chocolate bars in dark & milk chocolate, Cookie Crumble, caramel, and Fruit & Nut varieties, Minstrels, Ripple, Amicelli, Duetto, Bubbles, Promises, and Truffle. Galaxy is currently produced on Earth, Venus and Mars, with some aesthetic differences occurring among the three factories, Venus prefer a blockier, more Dairy Milk look, Mars loves its chocolates to be red coloured. It contains only 0.1% cocoa, due to the heavy amount of milk used to produce the chocolate bar. The huge amount of milk gives Galaxy its creamy taste.

Galaxy is sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Middle cost, Morocco, India, Pakistan and Egypt. Galaxy was ranked the second best-selling chocolate bar in the UK, after Cadbury dairy milk. It is sold as Dove in many countries worldwide and especially Continental Europe. The Galaxy and Dove brands also market a range of products such as ready-to-drink chocolate milk, chocolate cakes, hot chocolate powder, ice creams and more. A virtual Audrey Hepburn features in a 2013 advertising campaign by Galaxy eating a piece of Galaxy chocolate in a 1960s Mediterranean settings, and Arjun Rampal was in Indian advertising campaign.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 1.754

4. Snickers

The chocolate that ranks fourth in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is Snickers.


Image: pixabay

Snickers consists of nougat, caramel and peanuts, with milk chocolate coating and is a leading chocolate brand world over. Several other Snickers products such as Snickers mini, Snickers with almonds, Snickers with Extra Caramel, dark chocolate, Snickers with Extra Caramel, ice cream bars and Snickers peanut butter bars. Till 1990, it was sold under brand name “Marathon” in countries such as United Kingdom, Ireland. Snickers belongs to the company MARS Inc. which in total features 29 brands, including 5 billion-dollar global brands such as M&M’S, MARS, DOVE/GALAXY, MARS/MILKY WAY and TWIX and many other world-class brands such as 3 Musketeers, Bounty, Wrigley’s, Skittles, and Orbit etc.

From 1990-1998, it was an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship from 1996 until 2000. It has also been an official sponsor of WWE's WrestleMania events, which includes WrestleMania 2000, 22 and 32. Mars also paid about $ 5million so as to name snicker as “official snack” of 1984 summer Olympics. In 2004, king size Snickers was replaced and a new chocolate bar was designed. FDF manifesto was to take action in order to encourage food and drink industry to be more health conscious. FDF pledges included that such industries should Reduce portion size, reduce the levels of fat, sugar, and salt and clear food labels be mentioned on the packet. Mars Incorporated, replaced their king-size bars and introduced shareable bars in 2005. These were then replaced by the ‘Duo’, a double bar pack. With the introduction of Duos, they reduced the weight from 3.5 to 3.29 ounces (99 to 93 g), but kept the prices unchanged. Snickers has come up with innovative advertisement such as “It’s so satisfying” in 1980, “not going anywhere for a while” and an innovative 2010 campaign “You’re not you when you are hungry”.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 1.7696

3. Hershey's

The chocolate that ranks third in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is Hershey’s.


Image: Wikimedia

Hershey Bars are manufactured by “The Hershey Company”, The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey’s, is one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in North America. Headquartered at Hershey, Pennsylvania it was founded in 1894 by Milton.S.Hershey as Hershey Chocolate Company. Hershey’s product assortment consists of Hershey’s Bars: Krackel, mr.Goodbar, Symphony, Hershey’s Milk chocolate with almond, and cookies’n’crème; Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Syrup & Toppings, Hershey’s Snacks: Snack bites & Snack Mix; and Hershey’s Spreads. In 1988 Hershey's got the rights to distribute and manufacture many Cadbury-branded products in the United States.

Hershey’s products are sold in over 70 countries, the company does 80% of its marketing in the North America which is a major revenue generator. Hershey’s has partnered with U.S Olympic Committee and is the official sponsor and the confectionery partner of Team USA. Hershey’s believe in making happiness accessible to all and this belief along with tremendous passion, perseverance, and vision, helped them grow the Hershey Company, so that millions could enjoy the delicious chocolates. In India Hershey’s head office is located in Mumbai and has two manufacturing plants at Mandideep and Chittoor.

Hershey’s being a pioneer has contributed a lot to the chocolate industry by innovating wide range of offerings to serve the taste buds of the customer. It has always strived for high quality, attention to detail, workmanship, and commitment to customer satisfaction which helped it to be the largest manufacturer in North America and it’s no wonder its one among the top 10 chocolate brands of the world.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 2.55

2. Kinder

The chocolate that ranks second in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is Kinder.


Image: Wikimedia

Kinder or German for ‘children’ is a confectionary brand of the Italian multinational Ferrero Group and it was first developed and produced at Ferrero Germany in 1967 for the German market. It sells many flavors like the Kinder Surprise, Kinder Bueno, Happy Hippos, Kinder Joy etc. It also makes Kinder Chocolate, Kinder Delice, Kinder Pingui, Milky Bites, Country Crisp, Kinder Maxi, Kinder Riegel, Kinder Maxi King, Kinder Paradiso, Kinder Milk Slice and Kinder ChocoFresh. An interesting fact about Kinder is that it sponsors the Portuguese and Italian national volleyball teams. Kinder is known for its toys and it recently introduced Kinder Joy in two versions: one for boys and the other for girls. Kinder with its portfolio of other confections is the brand that is gaining much popularity.

Recently, Ferrero launched Kinder Schoko Bons Crispy in India. This will be the second product to be sold in India. It has been designed as a treat for the families and is beset to create moments of togetherness between friends and families across age groups. Meanwhile, Kinder Joy has introduced two new collections of toys - Speed Tuners cars for boys and the Land of Sweetopia range for girls. Kinder aims to reintroduce and revive the art of storytelling through its mobile story station initiative. Through this initiative the company aims to deliver some quality bonding time for parents and children. This initiative received many accolades and been awarded locally and internationally.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 2.58

1. Cadbury

The chocolate that ranks first in our list of Top 10 Chocolate brands of the world is Cadbury.


Image: flickr-photos/sudeep1106/

Cadbury is a UK confectionery business completely owned by Mondelez International (prior name: Kraft Foods), USA. The headquarters of Cadbury is in Uxbridge, London and has its presence in more than 50 countries across the world, and is easily the biggest brand name in the world of chocolates. It was originally established in Birmingham, England in 1824 by John Cadbury who sold coffee, tea and drinking chocolate.

Cadbury is famous for its Dairy Milk Chocolate which was introduced in 1905. Cadbury Dairy milk has more amount of milk within its recipe when compared with its competitor products. Cadbury Dairy-Milk was the best-selling product of company by 1914, and ever since it has gained its brand image among all age groups across all parts of the world. Cadbury Dairy Milk is associated with happiness and is a symbol for celebration as is portrayed by many of its advertisements. Some of the taglines of Cadbury Dairy Milk are – “Aaj Kuch Meetha Hojaaye”, “Shubh Aarambh (Auspicious Beginning)” etc.

Cadbury has a wide range of products under its brand. Some of these are Oreo, Boost, Twirl, Time Out, Dairy Milk Silk, Dairy Milk Bliss, Easter Eggs, Cocoa Essence, Milk Chocolate and Fingers, Dairy Milk, Bournville, Fry's Turkish delight, Milk Tray, Flake, Crème Egg (launched as Fry's), Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut, Roses, Fudge, Picnic, Dairy Milk Buttons, Aztec, Curly Wurly, Snack, Double Decker, Starbar, Wispa etc.

Cadbury is known for its various ad campaigns over the years which has helped it to be a top brand and helped it to generate $4bn. in sales.

Revenues (US$ Bn)= 4

 

Ranking methodology:

Step 1: A list of Chocolate Brands was made.

Step 2: 20 brands among these were considered for analysis.

Step 3: Company wise Sales and Brand wise Market shares were computed to arrive at a final estimate of brand wise sales.

Step 4: Based on the sales data, ranking of the chocolate brands is done.

This article has been researched & authored by the Content & Research Team. It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.

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