How Chocoholics Buy Chocolate
The craft chocolate market is becoming seriously competitive as craft chocolate continues to grow in popularity, chocoholics are becoming indecisive of what maker to try for a taste.
If you browse our wonderful growing collection of chocolate bars, you will discover delicious bars, each with a unique and compelling story. How can these bars stand out?
Here are the four steps a chocoholic takes when purchasing a chocolate bar.
Design
When browsing a collection of chocolate bars, it's the packaging that sets itself apart first. When I gift family and friends craft chocolate, the first reaction I usually get is along the lines of "oh wow, this packaging looks great!" or "this looks beautiful".
It naturally makes sense for craft chocolate bars to have great packaging. It's an artisanal product, made by skilled crafters.
The design has to reflect the price point the chocolate is sold at. If you ask the average person to spend $10 to $20 for a chocolate bar, they might be hesitant to do so. But if the design is unique and catches the eye of the consumer, they will be more interested in tasting the chocolate bar.
The competition in craft chocolate is tough. With craft chocolate on the rise, new makers have to stand out. If you are browsing a selection of chocolate bars and the chocolate bar doesn't stand out, are you going to try it? Probably not. It's especially tough because a majority of craft chocolate makers make great packaging designs already.
Let's take a second to admire Raaka's chocolate packaging.
Feel
So the chocoholic saw the bar? What's next? Well, if the design catches the buyer's attention, they will pick up the bar for a closer look.
The right packaging and wrapping paper can go a long way - using cheap packaging might mean a loss in sale.
Fortunately, similar to design, most craft chocolate makers are using unique packaging already.
Again, the feel of the bar just like the design has to match the price point. It goes hand in hand.
If you get the chance, feel an OmNom Chocolate bar. The feel matches the quality of the bar inside, with their beautiful wrapping paper.
Story
Every craft chocolate maker has a unique story, and it can usually be found somewhere on the packaging. This is the opportunity for the maker to pitch it and tell the chocoholic why they should choose their bar over others.
Most craft chocolate makers are part of the "bean-to-bar" movement - a movement that started in the late '00s to describe the process of moving away from buying pre-made European chocolate to buying the cacao bean directly and transforming the bean to chocolate transparently in-house.
It is always great to educate chocoholics and the average consumer on the "bean-to-bar" movement. But this message has become the norm now, and makers have to pitch something else to the chocoholic to grab their attention.
For example, craft chocolate maker Dick Taylor. Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor have always loved crafting. With a background in woodworking and boat building, they have always worked with their hands. Craft is a guiding principle in their lives. After hearing about the craft chocolate movement in the late '00s, they saw similarities in woodworking and craft chocolate making. They became fascinated with the idea of the chocolate experience and in 2010 bought their first chocolate-making equipment. Their chocolate captures and highlights the subtle flavour nuances in the cacao they source from around the world, with the goal to make an enjoyable chocolate experience for us. Understanding the chocolate makers story makes the chocolate more relatable.
Taste
If the design, feel, and story all lineup, the chocoholic will try out the bar. Ultimately, it's up to the taste of the bar to determine if the chocoholic will repurchase the bar and try other bars in the maker's collection.
If you want to learn how to taste chocolate like an expert, we have the guide for you.
Competition in the craft chocolate market is growing and should be celebrated, but it's also becoming harder for chocolate makers to stand out.
To get started with craft chocolate, start with our Kekao Box. We search the world for the finest chocolate bars and bring them right to your doorstep monthly.
From rich dark Peruvian chocolate bars to new start-up chocolate bars on the come up, you never know what you’ll get inside the box!
Each month we will curate 4 to 5 premium specialty crafted chocolate bars.
Have someone who you appreciate? It also makes as a great gift!
If you want to just try a couple of bars, check out our online chocolate shop. It's a selection of what we have curated in our past boxes.
If you have any questions regarding this blog, our Kekao Box, or premium specialty crafted chocolate bars, feel free to contact us! Keep up with us by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
