What’s New in the Hot Chocolate Industry?

So, you are the kind of person who would rather fill your morning mug with a good hot chocolate rather than coffee or tea. You have suffered for so many years as coffee has held the spotlight and tea has remained the drink of choice for the upper crust. Well, now you have reason to celebrate. There are two important trends now emerging in the hot chocolate industry that are increasing the stature of your beverage of choice.

For the record, hot chocolate is no longer a drink confined to cold winter days when the hot beverage is used to help take the chill out of one’s bones. It is now a socially acceptable hot beverage consumed 365 days a year in homes, offices, restaurants, and cafes.

Interested in knowing more? Here are the two hot chocolate trends we spoke of:

Single-Origin Hot Chocolate

Wine lovers have their special vintages while coffee lovers have their preferred blends. What do hot chocolate drinkers have? Until now, very little other than dry drink mixes to which water is added. But things are now different with the introduction of single-origin hot chocolate. This gourmet hot beverage is popping up at cafes and coffee houses all over the country.

Single-origin hot chocolate refers to a hot beverage made, on-site, directly from cocoa beans, husks, nibs, or pure chocolate. Simply put, it is a handmade drink derived from pure chocolate or various parts of the cocoa plant itself. It is not mixed with any sugars, emulsifiers, extra flavors, and so on.

Making the hot chocolate beverage this way allows experienced chocolatiers to produce an incredibly rich beverage that is unparalleled by anything you could find on a grocery store shelf. You really have to taste it to understand how different it is.

Increasing Consumer Demand

The second trend we want to address is that of increasing consumer demand. While we do not yet see unusual growth here in the U.S., hot chocolate has finally overtaken both coffee and tea in England. At least one prominent retail chain, Harrods, has experienced double-digit sales growth of hot chocolate products since the start of the year. Hot chocolate sales now outpace prepackaged coffee and tea.

Harrods officials say that hot chocolate has always been viewed in Britain as a luxury drink. But a heavy emphasis on the introduction of new flavors and better quality has led consumers to begin looking at hot chocolate in the same way they perceive tea and coffee: as a daily beverage that can be enjoyed by anyone.

It is plain to see that hot chocolate is becoming a more popular beverage among consumers both here and abroad. That’s just fine with us. Here at Galaxie Coffee, we are thrilled the be able to offer a full line of hot chocolate products alongside our coffees, teas, juices, and bottled waters. Do not forget to ask about our hot chocolate selections when you contact us for service to your office.