Wholesale Italian Chocolate

Italian chocolate isn’t the same game as Italian hard candy. It costs more, and how it looks counts for more too. The people buying are usually specialty food stores and gift-basket companies, plus import grocers with a European chocolate corner. We stock 38 SKUs from seven makers. Zaini and Vergani lead, then Monardo and Crispo. Mangini and Di Iorio follow, and Maitre Truffout rounds it out. Cases run 0.99 to 2.2 lb, and a few of them are vegan.

Zaini: the gianduia specialist

Zaini anchors it. Their Gianduiotto Hazelnut Chocolate in gold foil is the classic Piedmont shape, a little boat of hazelnut-chocolate paste. There’s also a Dark Gianduia Gianduiotto, and a Cremino Layered Gianduia Chocolate Assortment with several flavor layers in one piece. Add the Dark Chocolate Cherry Liqueur Pralines bag. The Grande Assortimento is a mixed variety pack that fills a display nicely.

With gianduia, shoppers care that it’s Italian. You can’t really swap in a domestic version and keep the same appeal, and the stores that carry it tend to keep carrying it because customers ask.

Vergani, Monardo, and the praline tier

Vergani has two praline SKUs we like, Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Pralines and Gran Torino Coffee & Milk Cream Pralines. They feel like boxed chocolates, so they’d work in a gift set or on their own on a shelf. Monardo’s Dark Chocolate Fondant Cream Truffles finish off the truffle shelf. They’re Italian-style, with a fondant center, which means a firmer bite than the ganache you find in French truffles.

Mangini’s chocolate line

Mangini’s Italian chocolate leans on hazelnut. There’s Noccioletto Milk Chocolate Hazelnut in 90g retail bags, and Noccioletto Dark Chocolate with a whole hazelnut in the middle. Noblesse Dark Chocolate Cream Liqueur is the third. That last one is a grown-up gift item. The 90g Noccioletto bags are a good size for basket fills and small displays.

Di Iorio candied citrus in chocolate

Di Iorio’s Lemon Zest in Dark Chocolate is the odd one, with candied Italian lemon peel under a dark chocolate coat. It suits specialty food stores that already sell Italian pantry goods next to sweets. Some people seek it out on purpose.

Vegan and natural options

A few vegan items sit in here too. The Organic Lemon Ginger Vegan Pectin Gelees and Organic Ginger Honey Pectin Gelees are part of it, and so are the wild berries gelees. For a vegan shelf or a clean-label corner, they’re Italian-origin picks that fit.

Crispo: the cereal-cream praline

Crispo’s Crid’Or White Chocolate Cereal Cream Pralines are a different shape of thing. It’s white chocolate with a cereal-cream filling. Each piece comes wrapped in gold foil. They look good in a photo and in premium gift sets. White chocolate is scarcer in this category, so Crispo adds some color to a mixed Italian display.

Who buys Italian chocolate wholesale

• For gift baskets, gianduia and pralines are what an Italian basket wants. Liqueur chocolates too. The foil-wrapped Zaini Gianduiotto and Crispo Crid’Or look good in an open basket.
• An import grocer can anchor a whole European chocolate aisle with 38 SKUs.
• Specialty food shops go looking for Di Iorio candied citrus, Vergani Gran Torino coffee pralines and Monardo truffles.
• Delis can use the Zaini assortment bags and Mangini Noccioletto retail bags, which are sized for the counter by the register.

Stocking strategy for Italian chocolate

We’d treat Italian chocolate as its own destination on the shelf, not as filler. Put Zaini Gianduiotto in gold foil next to Vergani Gran Torino coffee pralines and Crispo Crid’Or white chocolate cereal pralines, and the shelf says something about Italian confectionery that plain chocolate can’t. Gold foil, brown-and-white pralines and retail bags give you plenty of looks to build a section.

A basket company with 38 SKUs can plan several themes without repeating itself. A hazelnut basket takes Zaini Gianduiotto, Vergani Hazelnut Cream Pralines and Mangini Noccioletto Dark Chocolate. For coffee and chocolate, pair Vergani Gran Torino Coffee Pralines with Zaini Grande Assortimento. A liqueur basket could hold Zaini Dark Chocolate Cherry Liqueur, Mangini Noblesse Dark Chocolate Cream Liqueur and Monardo Truffles.

Italian chocolate for hospitality accounts

Hotel gift shops and boutique food-service accounts could use this too. Individual gold-foil Zaini Gianduiotto pieces suit in-room displays or conference gifts, and Vergani pralines in their packaging could go out with room service or as an event favor. At 0.99 to 2.2 lb a case, buyers don’t have to take on a lot of specialty stock at once.

Seasonal and holiday applications for Italian chocolate

The Mangini Noccioletto 90g bags are small enough for everyday gifts, so they sell steadily all year instead of spiking. Zaini Grande Assortimento and the Vergani pralines make decent holiday hamper items. Easter hampers could use them as well. The Zaini Cherry Liqueur Pralines and Mangini Noblesse Dark Chocolate Cream Liqueur are natural picks for adult gifting, say around Valentine’s Day.

Ordering

There’s no minimum order, and cases run 0.99 to 2.2 lb. Approved accounts get account pricing, and we ship across the US. Everything else we stock from Italy lives in the Italy catalog. To see how Italian chocolate sits beside other options, the wholesale chocolate category also has Greek halva-based chocolate and American-made chocolate-covered nuts. For a first order, try bulk candy by the case. One case does it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Italian chocolate brands do you carry wholesale?

All seven are imported from Italy. Zaini and Vergani are the big names. Monardo and Crispo come next. Mangini and Di Iorio follow, with Maitre Truffout last. Zaini does gianduia and liqueur pralines. Vergani handles hazelnut cream and coffee. Mangini has hazelnut and liqueur-filled dark chocolate.

Is there a minimum order quantity?

No minimum. A case weighs 0.99 to 2.2 lb, so you could take a single case of Zaini Gianduiotto to see how it sells before stocking up.

Do you have vegan Italian chocolate options?

Yes. The Italian organic pectin gelees and the wild berry gelees are vegan-suitable. Check the live product listing for the current vegan SKUs.

Which payment methods do you accept for Italian chocolate orders?

Checkout takes secure card payments, and your order is confirmed once the payment goes through. Approved wholesale accounts see account pricing, so apply online to get started.

Can businesses order Italian chocolate wholesale?

Yes. We sell wholesale to import grocers and specialty retailers across the US.

What’s the shelf life on imported Italian chocolate?

Shelf life depends on the product. We don’t make these ourselves, so we can’t promise exact dates here. If a program is time-sensitive, ask us about the SKU before you order.