The Country That Makes The Most Chocolate Isn't Belgium
When we think of the chocolate center of the world, a country like Belgium may naturally spring to mind. But Belgium isn't actually the world's biggest chocolate maker — it's not even the world's biggest chocolate consumer (that crown belongs to Switzerland).
As of 2022, Germany's annual chocolate exportation was valued at $5.61 billion, according to the UN Comtrade (via Statista). This was over $2 billion higher than Belgium, which ranked number two with $2.8 billion in annual chocolate exports. Within the country, Cologne is considered the chocolate capital, and the city boasts a museum dedicated to the sweet treat (with, of course, its own chocolate factory inside).
If, right now, you're trying to think of German chocolate companies and are coming up short, it may surprise you that various familiar names in the chocolate world have factories there. And some of your favorite chocolate products just may come from Germany — and not just things like Ritter Sport and Milka, either.
Is your favorite chocolate product made in Germany?
Some big international names in chocolate produce their goods in Germany, including the maker of one globally renowned product that is so popular that it has its own holiday (February 5, in case you were wondering). We're referring to the beloved chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella.
Yes, Nutella has German connections and was actually launched in Germany in 1965 (though Nutella has been around much longer than that, starting out life as a paste meant for toast made predominantly with hazelnuts to spread the then-scarce cocoa a bit further). Today, Nutella maker Ferrero has four facilities in Germany, and its Kinder chocolate products — especially popular among, you guessed it, children — are also manufactured there.
Among other chocolate brands produced in Germany, familiar names like Lindt and Mars have factories there, as well. In June 2024, Mars announced it was investing more than $43 million in its Viersen, Germany factory, partially to bolster production of Twix candy bars, which are manufactured at the facility. Mars is targeting a staggering output of 70,000 tons of chocolate products per day at that location by 2026 or 2027.