Custom Chocolate Boxes

Inside a chocolate box: base, lid and tray

Most chocolate boxes are a base and lid with an inner tray that gives each piece its own cavity.

Premium boxes are often rigid: thick greyboard wrapped in printed or textured paper, assembled by hand or semi-automatically. Everyday and seasonal ranges use folding cartons that ship flat and are cheaper to store.

Inside, a tray with shaped cavities holds the pieces, often with each one in a paper or glassine cup. A padded sheet on top stops the pieces lifting when the box is turned.

• Rigid for premium, folding for volume
• Cavity tray holds each piece
• Paper cups and a top pad are common

Materials and odour

The outer box is chosen for look and feel. The tray and cups are what guard the chocolate itself.

Chocolate picks up smells easily, so low-odour inks, glues and boards are worth asking about, and finished boxes are best stored away from strong smells. We confirm the trays and cups are suitable for direct food contact before production.

Trays come in card with cut cavities, moulded fibre or formed plastic. Card and fibre keep the pack mostly paper, while formed trays hold small, irregular shapes more tightly.

Sizing from the cavity layout

Box size follows the tray: how many pieces, what shape they are and the gap between them.

Square grids of four, nine, sixteen or twenty-five are common, along with single rows for slim boxes. Each cavity is a little larger than the piece so it lifts out cleanly without rattling.

Depth needs to clear the tallest piece plus the top pad. A lid that presses down marks the surface of the chocolate, which is the one thing a chocolate box is meant to prevent.

• Grids of 4, 9, 16 or 25 are common
• Cavity slightly larger than the piece
• Depth clears the tallest piece and pad

Rigid chocolate box or folding carton?

A rigid box is often kept after the chocolates are gone. A folding carton is cheaper and ships flat.

A rigid box feels solid, takes wrapped papers and closures well, and is often reused, which keeps the brand in the home. It takes up full space in storage and freight, and costs more per unit.

Folding cartons suit larger runs, seasonal lines and anything sold at a lower price point. With a good tray and a strong print they still look like a gift.

Finishes that suit chocolate

Chocolate is a treat bought on looks, so finish carries more weight here than on most food packs.

Foil, blind embossing and soft-touch lamination are common on lids. Soft-touch feels good in the hand but can show scuffs and fingerprints on dark colours, so tell us the lid colour and we suggest the finish that will wear best.

Keep finishes on the outside and leave the tray and the inside of the lid plain. Ribbons, wraps and magnetic closures add to the gift feel and also to the hand work in each box.

Chocolate box or printed sleeve?

A lidded box with a cavity tray is the right pick for a gift of individual pieces. A printed sleeve is the right pick for bars and lower-priced lines.

For low-cost bars and impulse lines, a printed wrapper or a simple sleeve is usually a better fit than a lidded box with a tray. We make sleeves to the size of the bar, so a range can carry one look from the gift box down to the single bar.

Whichever pack is chosen, no box keeps chocolate cool. Chocolate that warms and cools again develops bloom, a pale film on the surface, and a printed box does nothing to stop it. Sending chocolate in warm weather needs an insulated shipper and cold packs around the box.