Luxury French Chocolate Gift Deliveries Worldwide
The famous French chocolate is recognized as the best in the world. Where does this reputation come from and why is France one of the top favourites chocolates for gourmets? This short guide will give some ideas on the reasons for this internationaly renowned fact.
What is French Chocolate?
Chocolate, whether French or not, is a sweet food produced from cocoa beans. It is fermented, roasted and crushed to form a liquid cocoa paste from which the fat called cocoa butter is extracted. It therefore consists of a mixture of dough, cocoa butter and sugar in varying proportions.
Where can they be purchased?
Many online shops will deliver French chocolates, but zChocolat stands out for the quality of its many recipes and its gift-wrapping. Chocolate makers are largely present in many big cities like Paris where you can make a last-minute purchase in a store near you. We at zChocolat provide a service, which is located in the South of France, deep in the heart of Provence. We will send your chocolate parcel anywhere in the world in record time.
Some countries, such as New York, London or Hong Kong, which are also renowned for its supply of fine chocolate offer French chocolate from France for import. Our very own zChocolat store can be found, in a Mall in Dubai for those who wish to taste our precious creations first hand.
The French Chocolate Fairs
Numerous events on this theme are present all over the world, but in France it is mainly in Paris that the biggest French chocolate fair of the country (also called "Chocoland") has been held since 1995.
The aim of this exhibition is to make people discover "chocolate in all its forms and states". In 2007, 130 chocolate makers and 400 participants took part in the event. During the show, numerous sub-events take place including an exhibition of artistic pieces, conferences, and an inescapable parade of chocolate dresses. The chocolate fair has become internationalized, the event takes place in 2018 in Paris, New York, Tokyo, China and Moscow.
Our variety of chocolates all made in France
We offer many varieties of chocolates in our catalogue but the main ones are:
Boxes and assortments (26 kinds)
- Chocolate bars
- Truffles
- Spreads
- The Orangettes
- Chocamandins.
As well as many other sweets that can be enjoyed as a complement.
Recipes made with French chocolates
Pascal Caffet, our chef chocolatier has created more than 26 delicious chocolate recipes that we invite you to discover in our catalogue. France is also famous for its chocolate recipes such as:
- French chocolate mousse
- Hot chocolate
- French chocolate cake
- Macaroons
- Chocolate fondue
- The French Silk Chocolate Pie
The best chocolate brand in France
All tastes are natural, but the most well known brands of chocolate in France are not necessarily the best. zChocolat is the only one provided by a world champion in this field, which has won numerous awards in international competitions. Its customer satisfaction rate is exceptional.
What are the ingredients that are a perfect for these delights?
French chocolates can be eaten on their own, but it is true that they can alsp be enjoyed with other foods such as raspberries, bananas, hazelnuts and coffee and even with some wines or whisky.
The history of chocolate in France
The origins of chocolate
As soon as they were discovered, cocoa beans were used by the inhabitants of Central America as a currency of exchange and unit of calculation, already about 1000 BC. One Zontli was equal to 400 beans, while 8,000 were equal to one Xiquipilli. In the Mexican hieroglyphics, a basket containing 8,000 beans symbolized the number 8,000.
Chocolate residue was discovered in Olmec pottery, which means that this ancient Mexican civilization already drank chocolate 2600 years ago. One might think that they domesticated the cocoa tree, which has always been considered as the tree of the gods. In Belize, a pot containing traces of cocoa was discovered, proving the existence of chocolate consumption as early as the 6th century. Cocoa seeds were valuable and would have been used for barter. The beverage obtained from these seeds was likely to be used for therapeutic or ritual purposes. The book of Mayan Genesis, Popol Vuh, attributes the discovery of chocolate to the gods. This drink was said to have been made during the natural union of the hero Hun Hun Hunaphu with a young girl from Xibalba, the Mayan infraworld. Hun Hunaphu was beheaded by the lords of Xibalba. His head was then hung from a dead tree that miraculously gave calabash-shaped fruits called cocoa pods. The hero's head spat in the girl's hand, ensuring her magical fertilization. Since then, the Mayan people have been using chocolate as a prelude to marriage. Cocoa also purified young Mayan children during a ceremony. Likewise, the deceased was accompanied by cocoa for his journey to the afterlife.
Around 1300 AD, the Aztecs associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility. In ancient Mexico, chocolate was consumed in the form of a bitter and spicy beverage called xocoatl, often flavoured with vanilla, chilli pepper and cuckoo. Xocoatl was supposed to fight fatigue, a belief that is probably attributable to theobromine. Only the nobles and warriors ate chocolate because cocoa was a rare commodity that had to be imported from the orchards of Tabasco and Soconuzco belonging to the Mayas. Cocoa was a valuable commodity throughout Mesoamerica and cocoa beans were often used as a bargaining chip. Other chocolate drinks combined it with edible products such as corn groats (which acted as an emulsifier) and honey.
The conquest of chocolate
Christopher Columbus threw the beans he had received from the Amerindians overboard: the explorer would have taken them for goat droppings, leaving Hernán Cortés the privilege of being the first to bring them back to his Spanish masters in 1528. It was during the conquest of Mexico in 1519 that Cortés discovered the chocolate beverage. Cocoa consumption was widespread among missionaries and conquistadores of the new world. The discovery of sugar cane makes chocolate less bitter and more affordable to everyone.
The first introduction of chocolate in Europe was made at the court of King Charles V in the 16th century. From the seventeenth century, chocolate became a much appreciated resource for the Spanish aristocracy and clergy. Chocolate spread to other Spanish colonies such as Flanders and the Netherlands. In 1615, France discovered chocolate in Bayonne on the occasion of the marriage of the Spanish child Anne of Austria to Louis XIII. But it was Louis XIV and his wife Marie-Thérèse d' Autriche who introduced chocolate to the customs of the courtyard of the Château de Versailles. Chocolate is then consumed hot in the form of a drink like coffee. But only the king's court had access to this drink. The people could not access it.
Chocolate consumption is spreading between the noble and the rich. You had to have had the famous drink from America. The Marquise de Sévigné says of chocolate, in her Letters "he flatters you for a while, and then suddenly he turns on a continuous fever". Chocolate remained the preserve of the rich, except in rare regions. For example, in the south-west of France (Bayonne region), the settlement of Jewish merchants expelled from Spain by the inquisition allowed the product to become popular and chocolate makers were found even in smaller families.
The democratisation of chocolate
It was during the industrial revolution that chocolate became accessible to everyone. It became an object of trade and commerce that is proved popular as it took on many forms. In 1826, the Dutchman Coenraad Johannes van Houten filed a patent on a more digestible fat-free cocoa. Chocolate is sold as a beneficial food to the delight of chocolate makers. The beginning of the industrialization of cocoa powder makes it possible to reduce the cost of the product.
Its introduction in France is due to the migration to Bayonne of Spanish Jews fleeing the Inquisition.
Birth of a chocolate industry
It was at the beginning of the 19th century that the first chocolate factories appeared in Europe with the great names of the future of what would become in the middle of the century. The chocolate industry.
Chocolate is commonly consumed in Catalonia and France in Roussillon: the first chocolate factory in France was founded by the chocolate maker Jules Pares in 1814 in the Pyrénées-Orientales (origin of the CEMOI group).
In 1815, the Dutchman Coenraad Johannes van Houten set up his first factory, followed a few years later by the Swiss, namely Cailler, Suchard (1824), Kohler (1828), Lindt and Tobler.
In 1821, an Englishman called Cadbury produced the first dark chocolate to crunch. To meet the needs of the industry, cocoa trees are being introduced into Africa and the first plantations are created. Industrial chocolate factories appeared, mainly in France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In 1828 Van Houten filed a patent for chocolate powder. This patent releases the surplus of cocoa butter. Van Houten is the first to invent a process for separating lean cocoa (or meal) and cocoa butter, allowing manufacturers to alter the dose of the relative quantities of lean cocoa and cocoa butter in the cocoa mass. 1830 saw the appearance of hazelnut chocolate invented by Kohler. In 1847, the English company Fry marketed tablet chocolate.
In 1848, Victor-Auguste Poulain created an industrial chocolate confectionery factory in Blois.
In 1856, Jacques Klaus founded his first chocolate factory in Le Locle, Switzerland.
In 1862, it was the turn of the Rowntree chocolate factory in England, followed by the first Tobler chocolate factory in Switzerland in 1868. In 1870, Jean Tobler developed milk chocolate. That same year Émile Menier built a modern chocolate factory in Noisiel in Seine-et-Marne. This factory lowered the cost of chocolate in France. It is now classified as a historical monument with the adjoining workers' city.
In 1875, Daniel Peter developed milk chocolate in his factory in Vevey after extensive trials.
In 1879, Rodolphe Lindt invented melting chocolate and created his first chocolate factory in Switzerland. His technique was to keep the chocolate grinder running for a long time in order to make the cocoa paste creamier. His secret was not revealed until 1901 when it fell into the public domain.
The early 1880s marked the development of the Belgian chocolate industry with the appearance of the first Côte d' Or chocolate factory.
In the early 1920s, the first chocolate bars appeared: the Dutchman Kwatta invented the first 30 gram chocolate bars. The American company, Mars launches the Milky Way and the Dutch Nuts its hazelnut bar.
Some ideas for gifts of French chocolates
As an alternative to offering something different, we suggest the following products :
- A Ruby chocolate gift box
- A heart in luxury chocolate
- An assortment of pralines
Worldwide delivery of your chocolates in record time is also one of our specialties. Here's why you should call upon our services when sending your gifts via our online shop.
A safe and fast delivery worldwide delivery of all our chocolates
Thanks to our partnership with DHL, we deliver on time all over the world by almost 100%! We invite you to take a look at our customer reviews to see for yourself.
Your gift packages are delivered to almost the countries in the world in regions that span 6 continents. Our destinations are as varied and far away as:
- The United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- The United Kingdom
- Russia
- Japan...
With due care taken by DHL, packages are prepared and collected over by DHL on the same day to be transported by plane, train or motor vehicle in order to arrive at the recipient's home as soon as possible. Even though some conurbations prove difficult to manoeuvre through, we place our trust in DHL to meet the respected deadlines.
DHL transportation can easily deliver our chocolates to the following major cites :
New York
London
Toronto
Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane or Kanpur
as well as small cities worldwide, nothing will stop DHL carriers!
Have chocolates delivered on these occasions:
Although you can simply indulge in our chocolates by them for yourself, you can also share them with friends and family for all occasions, big or small we have gifts to suit them all.
A few suggested reasons for celebrating with our chocolate deliveries.
be delivered for birthdays
be delivered for Mother's Day
be delivered for Valentine's Day
be delivered for Easter
be delivered for Christmas (eventually)
We specialize in shipping luxury chocolates but other delicacies made with cocoa can also be ordered such as: strawberries, cakes (brownies, eclairs...), flowers (a great classic) and chocolate bars (which we make with our product Z-bar)
How much does delivery cost? Is it free?
No, delivery by zChocolat has a fixed rate for all shipments worldwide. Due to the extreme care and precautions we take when packaging our parcels, and taking into account the speed of delivery we feel this justifies our fixed rate fee.
How are my chocolate boxes protected during shipping?
When you order, we take great care to secure your gift box with special anti-shock foam. For delivery to hot countries, we have special package protection to cope with the high temperatures thanks to their refrigerated properties.
When is my order shipped?
Each parcel is mailed the very same day for on-time delivery, usually this is between 2 and 3 days for the vast majority of destinations.
Chocolate is without a doubt the most appreciated sweet treat in the world. There is no need to master English, Spanish or even German, because chocolate is a universal pleasure. By simply sharing a mouthful of chocolate with your colleagues, your family and friends, or even a stranger, you are also sharing a culinary pleasure. Whether with white, milk or dark chocolate, you have the power to excite any palate with either of these choices in a fraction of a second. Here at zChocolat, we offer you refined and elegant boxes that house a selection of edible jewels, making the perfect gift for any chocolate lover.
Exquisite chocolates to be delivered, created in line with French tradition
In order to savour the chocolates to their full extent, it is essential to focus on the production process. We only work with ingredients of the highest quality in order to offer you the best possible product, both in terms of taste and appearance. What's more, every product is presented in a chic and refined box that you will be proud to offer as a gift to your loved ones. Inside these boxes you can find a selection of chocolates from our 26 varietiess, made by our World Champion Chocolatier, Pascal Caffet. He has juggled with a diverse mixture of flavours, to provide your taste buds with an exquisite culinary experience from the very first mouthful. In order to take you on a journey of flavours around the world, our chocolatier works our high-quality ingredients by hand. The production process is therefore controlled with scrutiny from A to Z.
26 creations, signed by Pascal Caffet, to tantilise your tastebuds
French tradition is respected, as our chocolates do not contain any alcohol or preservatives and are made with very little sugar. Of course, the main ingredient that will excite your palate is our 100% pure cocoa butter that is present in all of our recipes. Whether you are a lover of white, milk or dark chocolate, you can be assured that the same level of quality is upheld in every recipe, as your satisfaction is at the very heart of our values. You will always be able to discover a variety of flavours to conform to your preferences. You will not be able to resist our fruity creams or our crunchy pralines that make up just some of our wide range of flavours. Each and every one of our chocolates takes you on a journey of flavours from Italy to Spain to the Ivory Coast.
In fact, quality is one of the most important factors here at zChocolat. It is for this reason that we only work with the very best raw materials, both in terms of taste and quality. Over the course of your tasting experience, you will discover the delicious taste of hazelnuts from Piedmont and almonds from Valencia. These ingredients have been selected for the value that they add to our recipes by the experienced hands of Pascal Caffet. This expert in all things flavour and chocolate has numbered his creations, making it easy to locate your favourites every time you order.
Delicious chocolate recipes made from only the best quality ingredients
Our numbered collection juggles a multitude of flavours encased in white, milk or dark chocolate coatings. Our catalogue has something for everyone thanks to the multitude of exciting flavours hidden within. Amongst these you can discover hints of flavours from Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla and salted caramel to carefully selected hazelnuts. This dark coating of Venezuelan origin guarantees an explosion of flavour in every mouthful. If you are partial to white chocolate, you will be delighted to indulge in a mixture of salted caramel and our famous praline, and you are in for yet a bigger treat with our milk chocolate coating. You will have the pleasure of discovering a sumptuous harmony between carefully selected hazelnuts, salted caramel and our exclusive zChocolat praline.
Exquisite chocolates deserve sublime packaging
With your satisfaction in mind, our chocolatier offers you a range of collections, each one as delicious as the next:
- zBox
- Mahogany
- Chaemeleon
- z Bars
- Truffles
- Gold coated
- Chocolate Spreads
- Extraordinaire deluxe
Each time you order you will be able to discover a new and original alternative to the traditional chocolate box thanks to, not only our exceptional and versatile flavours, but also our multiple packaging options. You can therefore give these luxury chocolates as a gift, whether white, milk or dark, in an equally luxurious box. Every detail counts. Our zBox collection, for example, offers a touch of galmour with a discrete mosaic on a box that is understated yet elegant. If you are a fan of traditional, authentic aesthetics, you will be blown away by our Mahogany Collection. This collection exudes a sense of pure luxury à la française and is the perfect casing for all your favourite chocolates. The sublime quality of the box comes down to the meticulous treatment of the raw material during the production process.
Refined Chocolate boxes conceal a selection of edible treasures
Chocolate can adapt to every occasion. Whether for a birthday, Valentine's Day, Christmas or New Year's Eve, every celebration is an excuse for good chocolate. For this reason, we have created specific collections for each. Our romantic collection for example, is the perfect way to send a romantic message to your partner alongside a selection of delicious, heart-shaped chocolates. The contents can be adapted to every need and you could even offer a different selection of multiple sweet treats. These boxes can be used long after the chocolates inside have been enjoyed, whether for a refined and decorative cigar box or for the perfect, luxurious place to keep your jewellery.
Chocolate Gifts are always meant to be personal
Special services to optimise your zChocolat experience
We want to provide you with the best possible service; therefore, once you have chosen your favourite chocolates and the perfect box to put them in, we have a selection of personalisation options to optimise your zChocolat experience. Whether for a family tradition or the Christmas festivities, it is always important to offer a personal gift. We offer a selection of services for this purpose, from printing your own image on your box to sending a personal message, from adding accessories to gift wrapping with a wax seal. There is no need to wrap the gift yourself, as we can take care of all of this for you. Our attention to detail will be enough to blow you, or your recipient away.
A sweet treat for the corporate world
zChocolat also offers a service dedicated to business gifts, as chocolate should not be limited to the individual. There is no use in thanking your employees with a product that will only end up at the back of a cupboard. It would be so much more beneficial to thank them with a chocolate gift that is guaranteed to delight anyone. We offer the same level of customisation, allowing you to address a personal message to your employees whilst choosing different packaging options for specific occasions. Our team is always at your service for your special requests, whether in terms of presentation or flavour.
Your recipients always appreciate a personal touch, as the happy new owner of a stunning Mahogany box will feel truly special.
Did you know that chocolate can actually be beneficial to your health?
Magnesium helps to reduce stress and anxiety
Some may question the point of indulging in chocolate, however the benefits are abundant, especially when considering the joy that one of these zBoxes will bring to your recipient. The ingredients have been chosen with care for their quality, so our chocolates are not lacking in magnesium, which is essential to help with stress and anxiety, especially in our current society. One bite into our irresistable praline, coated in white chocolate, will immediately fill you with a sense of indulgence. In a stressful environment that could leave you apprehensive, open this Mahogany box to find a selection of your favourite chocolates, take one bite and you will immediately see the situation in a more positive light.
A sweet treat to keep the doctor away
It is becoming more and more apparent that dark chocolate has a richness in vitamins and minerals. Thanks to a high concentration in iron, potassium and copper, it could help to keep some cardiovascular health problems at bay. Magnesium is also believed to help prevent type 2 diabetes. These sweet treats really are good for both your body and your mind and, what's more, it's always a delight to bite into a crunchy hazelnut covered in smooth milk chocolate.
Some specialists have also suggested that indulging in some chocolate now and again can improve one's mood. It is possible that it releases endorphins which help to lift the spirits. If you are missing something sweet to satisfy that craving, then open this Chameleon box and discover one of our 26 delicious varieties and it will give you the little boost you needed.
Chocolate is not just a daily treat, it actually has the ability to improve your daily routine and keep you in high spirits. Theses are more than just chocolates, but edible jewels of flavour. Our team is always on hand to help with any questions regarding our products, our personalisation services or our business gifts. View the zChocolat website to explore our collection of diverse indulgent chocolates.
