Top 10 Most Popular Chocolate Brands in The US

Laelia Yang June 18, 2022 | 14:13

See which chocolate brands are must-try and what chocolate treat to try the next time you have a craving or if you’re looking to make dessert.

Table of Content
Top 10 Most Popular Chocolate Brands in The US What Are the Most Popular Chocolate Brands in America? 1. Hershey’s 2. Reese 3. Lindt & Sprüngli 4. Nestle 5. Mars 6. Cadbury 7. Tootsie Roll 8. Dove 9. Ghirardelli 10. Godiva History of Hershey's Chocolate Milton Hershey: First Candy Shop Hershey's Chocolate

Chocolate promotes the feelings of excitement, attraction, and nervousness that we associate with falling in love, and it acts as an antidepressant when combined with dopamine in the brain. Some people believe it is an aphrodisiac, which is why the Aztec emperor Montezuma used it as his own personal stash of Viagra. The benefits of chocolate are hard to ignore. And because of chocolate’s popularity, there are many different brands on the market.

Since Americans consume an average of 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate each year, it’s probably worth learning a little more about the nation’s selection.

Like many countries worldwide, America loves its chocolate. Known for experimentation and fun flavors, American chocolate bar brands are constantly exploring new ways to bring chocolate into our lives.

America also has plenty of choices when it comes to things like cooking chocolate, drinking chocolate, and products for baking. Here’s your list of the most popular chocolate bar brands in the US…

Top 10 Most Popular Chocolate Brands in The US

1. Hershey’s

2. Reese’s peanut butter cups

3. Lindt & Sprüngli

4. Nestle

5. Mars

6. Cadbury

7. Tootsie Roll

8. Dove

9. Ghirardelli

10. Godiva

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What Are the Most Popular Chocolate Brands in America?

1. Hershey’s

Photo: heyexplorer

The Hershey Company was the leading chocolate manufacturer in the United States in 2018 in terms of market share. The company held over 43 percent of the total market, with only Mars as a significant competitor. In terms of the total confectionery market, Hershey still had the biggest share, but only barely edged out Mars by less than one percent.

The Hershey Company was founded in 1894 by Milton Hershey and is headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The town itself was largely built by Milton Hershey, and many places in the town bear the Hershey name, including Hershey’s Chocolate World and Hersheypark. Hershey’s Chocolatetown at Hersheypark was one of the largest construction projects in the United States as of January 2019, with a cost of 150 million dollars.

Hershey’s generous market share in the United States is due to the confectionery company’s popularity across brands. In a 2018 survey, three of the top four most popular chocolate brands among consumers were sold by Hershey. When it comes to Halloween candy, the company’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were the prized chocolate among trick-or-treaters of all ages.

Here are some of the best chocolate options to try:

Hershey’s original milk chocolate candy bars
Hershey’s chocolate kisses
Hershey’s Cookies n’ Cream
Hershey’s miniatures

2. Reese

Photo: Youtube

Reese’s is a sub-brand of the Hershey’s Company, but it has such a wide variety of product options, it’s worth mentioning on its own. The first Reese’s peanut butter cups were created way back in 1928, by a man called H. B. Reese.

Reese previously worked for the Hershey Company, which led to Hershey’s acquiring the rights to Reese’s cups in the future.

Reese’s cups are considered by many to be the ultimate combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Among popular chocolate brands in the US. Reese’s generates around $2 billion in annual sales for the Hershey Company, and they’ve evolved a lot over the years.

There are now various variations appearing, including white chocolate and dark chocolate versions.

There are also alternatives to Reese’s cups which use the same combination of chocolate and peanut butter, like Reese’s pieces.

Some of the best Reese’s products to try include:

Reese’s pieces (peanut butter candy)
Reese’s cups Halloween assortment
Reese’s creamy peanut butter
Reese’s peanut butter cups

3. Lindt & Sprüngli

Photo: confectionery

Originating in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1845, this rich, elegant brand is famous for producing the greatest white chocolate on the planet. Personally, I can’t say no to a Lindor truffle, the most popular type of Lindt chocolate on the market. The Lindor truffle is a chocolate ball with a hard chocolate shell and a smooth chocolate filling, and it comes in a variety of flavor options. (I sometimes dream of the Lindor sea salt and caramel truffle that comes in an aqua wrapper.)

Lindt & Sprüngli owns one of the largest chocolate factories in the world, and it uses only milk and granular ingredients. In addition to truffles, Lindt sells chocolate bars, ice cream, and liqueurs. And in 2014, the company bought Russell Stover Candies, which makes Whitman’s.

Here are some of the best products you can try from Lindt:

Lindt milk chocolate truffles
Lindt classic recipe chocolates
Lindt creation dessert box
Lindt Lindor assorted truffles
Lindt premium Swiss chocolate

4. Nestle

Photo: nytimes

Nestlé, one of the world’s best chocolate brands company, has a presence in the United States; however, it isn’t necessarily as famous as some competitors.

Nestlé was founded in 1866 in Switzerland, making it one of the earliest companies on this list. It has grown tremendously over time, producing everything from bottled water to infant food.

Nestlé is more than simply a famous chocolate brand; it is also one of the world’s largest food and beverage business operators, ranking towards the top of the Fortune Global 500.

Today, the corporation has operations in over 189 countries, with 447 factories producing items continuously. Several of Nestlé’s chocolates are not sold under the same brand name. Milky bar, Smarties, Toll House, Aero, KitKat, Smarties, and various other items are all manufactured by Nestlé.

Some of the best chocolate brands of Nestlé products to try:

Nestle Nesquik Hot Chocolate
Nestle KitKat Bars

5. Mars

Photo: confectionerynews

Mars is another of the most popular chocolate brand bars in the US. Widely regarded as one of the best American chocolate brands, Mars is responsible for more than just the standard Mars bar. The company also produces a huge range of top treats, like Milky Way, Snickers, and even Twix.

A multinational manufacturer of everything from pet food to confectionary, Mars is a huge conglomerate, with 110 years of history. The company started in 1911, and the first Mars chocolate bar was developed in 1932.

Although the company was originally located in the UK, the brand quickly evolved to have a presence around the world.

Mars also sells a number of non-chocolate snacks, such as Combos (chips), Skittles, and even Uncle Ben’s Rice. You’ll probably also be familiar with some of the company’s other brands, like Pedigree, and Whiskas for pet care.

Here are some of the best Mars products to try:

Mars mixed chocolate Halloween collection
Mars chocolate favorites
Mars bar chocolate
Mars variety pack with Starburst, Skittles, Snickers and M&Ms

6. Cadbury

Photo: irishcentral

Cadbury is a popular chocolate brand all over the world, although its chocolate products are manufactured by Hershey’s in the United States. Headquartered in New Jersey, Cadbury Adams produces candy, chewing gum, breath mints, and cough drops. Their gums have flavors like Swedish berries, fuzzy peach, gummies, sour chillers, fruit mania, juicy squirts, etc.

Cadbury chocolate bars come in dark chocolate and milk chocolate varieties. Some of the flavors include Caramello, Fruit n Nuts, Roasted Almond, English toffee, salted caramel, creamy mint, milk chocolate snowballs, etc. They also produce customized candies for festivities like Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

Here are some of the top Cadbury products you can try in the US:

Cadbury’s Heroes chocolate collection
Cadbury mini eggs
Cadbury roses
Cadbury dairy milk collection
Original Cadbury drinking chocolate

7. Tootsie Roll

Photo: mashed

When it comes to famous chocolate brands in the USA, it’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Tootsie Roll. The signature candy isn’t always associated with US chocolates, however, because it’s actually a blend of chocolate and taffy, designed to make something brand-new.

The most common version of this famous American chocolate is the chocolate flavor, but other options do exist.

Over the years, Tootsie Roll has expanded its selection to feature everything from vanilla and cherry to lemon and lime. The different flavors all have their own colored wrappers to help you tell them apart.

Tootsie Rolls come from Tootsie Roll industries in Chicago Illinois, a company launched in 1896. The company is also responsible for Tootsie Pops.

The Tootsie roll name is also associated with a host of other non-chocolate treats, such as Fluffy Stuff cotton candy, Wax Lips flavored candies, Junior Mints, Double Bubble, and Sugar Babies.

Here are some fantastic Tootsie Roll products to try:

Tootsie roll chocolatey twist midgees
Tootsie roll mega mix collection
Tootsie roll original bars
Tootsie roll child’s play favorites
Tootsie pops

8. Dove

Photo: chron

Dove bars are extremely popular among Americans, and for good reason. This American chocolate brand is sold under the name of Galaxy in the UK, Middle East, and India. Dove sells chocolate bars, cakes, ice-creams, etc. It is most popular for its smooth and creamy texture and unique taste. Dove produces milk chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel, Ripple, Minstrels, Amicelli, Promises, Bubbles, Truffle, and Duetto.

Every Dove bar has a unique message inside the foil wrapper, giving it a personal touch for consumers. Some of the chocolate bar flavors include caramel, almond, peppermint, truffle, ice cream bar, etc. The chocolates come in the form of large bars, singles bars, miniatures, and sugar free chocolates.

Some of the most popular Dove chocolate products worth trying include:

Dove milk chocolate singles
Dove promises
Dove promises variety pack
Dove deepest dark chocolate

9. Ghirardelli

Photo: bakemag

Although Hershey is the most famous American chocolate brand, it’s not the oldest. Dominique Ghirardelli was born in Italy and moved to California in 1849. In 1852 he established the Ghirardelli Brand in a factory set up in what is now Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Today, Ghirardelli Square is a famous San Francisco attraction.

In 1865, a worker at Ghirardelli’s factory discovered a new way of making chocolate. The method involved hanging a bag of ground cacao beans in a warm room so that the Cocoa butter would drip off and leave a residue. This residue could be ground into chocolate. Called the Broma process, the method is still used today.

Ghirardelli Chocolate is a popular brand of chocolate among Americans, and much gratitude is owed to its Italian founder. The Swiss company Lindt & Sprüngli has owned the brand since 1998.

Some of the best Ghirardelli products to try include:

Ghirardelli chocolate powder
Ghirardelli assorted chocolate squares
Ghirardelli intense chocolate pack
Ghirardelli chocolate sauce

10. Godiva

Photo: culturemap

One of the few Belgian chocolatiers in the US, Godiva is a well-known producer of high-quality chocolate. Though technically, Godiva isn’t a chocolate made in the US, it’s still one of the top chocolate brands in the country.

The Godiva brand started like in 1926, dedicated to producing delicious chocolate treats in a range of styles and flavors.

Currently Godiva owns more than 600 shops across the USA, Europe, Canada and Asia, and it’s available throughout 10,000 specialty retailers too. The company began when the Draps family opened their first store in Brussels, and named it after lady Godiva.

Though a little more expensive than some of the chocolate options available in the US today, Godiva is often associated with luxury.

Some of the best Godiva products to try include:

Godiva signature truffle collection
Godiva dessert truffles
Godiva hot chocolate collection
Godiva chocolate bar gift set
Godiva ground coffee collection

History of Hershey's Chocolate

Milton Hershey was born on September 13, 1857, in a farmhouse near the Central Pennsylvania village of Derry Church. Milton was in the fourth grade when his Mennonite father, Henry Hershey, found his son a position as a printer's apprentice in Gap, Pennsylvania. Milton later became an apprentice to a candy-maker in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and candy-making became a passion that Milton grew to love.

Milton Hershey: First Candy Shop

In 1876, when Milton was only eighteen-years-old, he opened his own candy shop in Philadelphia. However, the shop was closed after six years and Milton moved to Denver, Colorado, where he worked with a caramel manufacturer and learned caramel-making. In 1886, Milton Hershey moved back to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and started the successful Lancaster Caramel Company.

Hershey's Chocolate

In 1893, Milton Hershey attended the Chicago International Exposition where he bought German chocolate-making machinery and began making chocolate-coated caramels. In 1894, Milton started the Hershey Chocolate Company and produced Hershey chocolate caramels, breakfast cocoa, sweet chocolate, and baking chocolate. He sold his caramel business and concentrated on chocolate-making.