The biggest chocolate manufacturers in the world – these are the top 10

The world’s biggest confectionery and chocolate manufacturers are always competing to offer customers the most attractive products. These are the top 10 most successful chocolate companies

These chocolate manufacturers are among the biggest in the world

2021, every German consumed 12.9 kg of chocolate, according to the Federal Statistical Office. The following groups can count themselves among the 10 most successful chocolate companies in the world for this reason, among others:

• Mars Wrigley Confectionary (USA): Dated at around 22 billion US dollars in sales, the food company is the largest at the top. Well-known brands include Mars bars, Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, Bounty or Milky Way.
• Ferrero Group (Italy): Founded in 1946, this Italian confectionery manufacturer generated sales of about $13 billion in 2022. A broad product range is formed under the umbrella brand with individual brands, but also brand families. These include the children’s family products, Ferrero Rocher, Hanuta, Duplo and Mon Cheri.
• Mondelez International (USA): Founded in 1903, Kraft Foods was renamed Mondelez International Inc. in 2012. Around 12 billion US dollars in sales were generated with the brand products Milka, Toblerone or Oreo, among others.
• Meiji Holdings Co. Ltd (Japan): The company was founded in Tokyo on 01/04/2009. In 2022, it generated around 9.7 billion US dollars in sales. Its products, including over 130 chocolate-based sweets, are mainly sold in Japan and the Asian market.
• Hershey Company (USA): Hershey’s was founded in Pennsylvania in 1894. Chocolate bars, chocolate creams and other products, which were initially sold on the American market, have now also been known in Europe for a long time. The company’s 2022 turnover was approximately 8.5 billion US dollars.
• Nestlé (Switzerland): The world’s number one food company, Nestlé ranks sixth in chocolate and confectionery, where well-known brands include After Eight, Smarties, Choco Crossies, Lions and KitKat.
• Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG (Switzerland): The chocolate manufacturer from Switzerland ranks 7th with a turnover of around 4.6 billion US dollars. The product range of this group includes different varieties of chocolate bars, chocolate balls or hollow bodies. A special product that is exclusively produced by Lindt is the Lindt Gold Bunny with the well-known bell band.
• Pladis Group (UK): In 2016, United Biscuits, Ülker, Godiva Chocolatiere and DeMet’s Candy Company merged to form the Pladis Group. The group is the subsidiary of Yildiz Holding. With brands such as Flipz, Godiva and Ülker, the company sells its chocolate and confectionery products worldwide and generates a profit of approximately 4 billion US dollars.
• Ezaki Glico Co Ltd (Japan): This Japanese company, founded in Osaka in 1922, produces confectionery, ice cream and processed products. Its products are distributed in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe. The company’s brands include TCHO, Pocky and Mikado.
• Orion Corporation (South Korea): Based in South Korea, the company is one of the top three food producers there. The best-known product, also outside South Korea and Asia, is the sweet “Choco Pie”.