Vietnamese chocolate producers are getting more optimistic of expanding into the global market, as local brands like Marou are getting more recognised having been rated recently as the best chocolate bar in the world by the New York Times.
According to Vincent Mourou, Co-Founder and CEO of Marou, “We are the first Vietnamese chocolate company that brought Vietnamese cocoa to the world stage by creating award-winning chocolate.”
Relatively unknown in the past decade, Marou has set the stage for the introduction of Vietnam’s cocoa and chocolate products to the international market, and putting Vietnam on the world map. Marou has a rather ambitious plan to be the No.1 vertically-integrated chocolate manufacturer in Asia. Currently, Marou has strong network relationships with more than 500 cacao farmers, while on the other side of the chain, it also operates 8 Maison Marou stores selling premium coffee, cake and chocolate products.
Puratos Grand-Place, the market leader in Vietnam’s B2B chocolate sector, is focusing on R&D as well as market research to offer the best chocolate products to the market. Tran Thi Thuy Vy, Sales Director at Puratos Grand-Place said, “Our foremost accomplishment is expanding the reach of chocolate to the entire Vietnamese population. This has been made possible not only by offering chocolate bars but also by introducing a variety of chocolate-based products such as ice cream, cakes, snacks and confectionery products amongst others.”
Meanwhile, other domestic chocolate brands such as Vesococa, The Cocoa Project, Belvie Chocolate, Alluvia Chocolate, Stone Hill, and Legendary Chocolatier have been successfully promoting their brand image among customers both domestic and internationally.
Vietnam’s chocolate market is still on its growth stage and far from maturity, with the steady entry of newcomers. There are now over 30 chocolate companies producing chocolate from Vietnamese cacao, compared to just a handful in 2011. Sales is still small but interest in Vietnamese chocolate is fast growing as manufacturers focus on improving flavors and packaging of their products. There is also a strong demand for premium Vietnamese cocoa. Vietnam is the 2nd Asian country to secure a Fine Flavor Cocoa (FFC) designation from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), ranking it 23rd out of 60 countries around the world growing cocoa.
Statista data showed that Vietnam’s cocoa segment generated US$55.9 million in revenue in 2023 with a CAGR of 1.21% in 2023-2025 period. Vietnam Cocoa Coordination Board estimated demand for Vietnamese chocolate at only 5,500 tons annually. This is because most of the chocolates sold locally are imported chocolate. Despite the small figure, chocolate remains a top flavor choice and Vietnam’s unique cocoa flavor has led to the production of high quality chocolate that is greatly appreciated by customers worldwide. More effort is thus needed to promote local chocolate to the domestic consumers.
