Tuesday was the official Chocolate Day, but after having so much fun with our Bottega Louie taste test, we decided to make it a mini Chocolate Week for Vosges Haut-Chocolat.

Since we know that quality is the top priority for ninjas when it comes to selecting the perfect corporate gift, our minds naturally turned to:

Vosges Haut-Chocolat

Founded by Chocolatier Katrina Markoff, the spirit of Vosges Haut-Chocolat is informed by her experiences travelling the world, enjoying delicious food, and desire to share stories and cultures through chocolate.

Vosges wants you to Travel the World through Chocolate™ (yes, they’re so dedicated to the idea that they got it trademarked) and fuses indigenous spices, flowers, roots, herbs, and other obscurities into its crafted chocolates to achieve the sensory experience and awareness required to appreciate the world’s diverse cultures.

To top it off, Vosges Haut-Chocolat is certified organic and their manufacturing facility operates with 100% renewable energy. So giving Vosges is a sustainable option to boot!

Why Vosges?

As an avid traveller and someone who enjoys trying new foods, I was drawn to Vosges Haut-Chocolat for their variety of exciting new flavors and their dedication to sharing new culinary ideas. But it was their customer service that brought it home for me.

All my emails were responded to promptly, all questions were quickly answered, and I always felt well-cared for. Having spent time in one of Vosges’ boutique locations (you can find them in Chicago and New York) and chatting with their team via email, the care and attention they give to each and every customer makes it easy to keep going back.

Shipping & Packaging

Just like my Bottega Louie shipment,  my Vosges Haut-Chocolat package arrived on a very hot day. Inside it was a thick styrofoam box with an easily removable lid. The chocolates were snugly wrapped in a plastic bag, and the whole assortment was kept chilled with the help of two dry ice packs.

My samples from Vosges included the Exotic Truffle Collection (plus the Aztec Truffles), Hazelnut Pralines, three chocolate bars (Mo’s Dark Chocolate Bacon bar, Smoke & Stout bar, and the Barcelona bar), and the Comfort Food Tower (including Caramel Marshmallows, Caramel Toffee, and Organic Peanut Butter Bonbons). Each item (excluding the chocolate bars) arrived in Vosges’ signature purple box with silver writing and purple bow.

The Vosges mission is to “harness the power of storytelling to open minds, spirits and palates through esteemed chocolate, inspiring us all to interact with the world in a new and creative way.” This is accomplished beautifully with each item having a written story of how the product was dreamt up or, in the case of the Exotic Truffle Collection, an eloquent request to open one’s mind and palate before indulging into the world of chocolate.

For custom-packaged corporate gifts, Vosges offers a variety of options. Chocolates can be packaged with custom inserts, wraps, hang tags, and ribbons with or without your brand logo.

Taste Test

Not only is the packaging lovely, but each individual treat stands out on its own accord. It’s easy to believe (and taste) the inspiration from across cultures to form a single cohesive product.

Truffles

Most notably, the Exotic Truffle Collection and Aztec Truffles took me on a journey around the world. Each truffle was unique and beautiful, imparting local flavors from Japan, Italy, South America, Australia, India, and Hungary!

4 Piece Hazelnut Pralines

As a great lover of the hazelnut-chocolate combination, the Hazelnut Pralines were a personal favorite. Each praline was adorned with a different decorative topping, adding to the overall amazing flavor and texture.

The Comfort Food Tower

The Comfort Food Tower is aptly named. The combination of caramel toffee, caramel marshmallows, and organic peanut butter bonbons are ideal for an evening of relaxation. With more of a down-home, rustic feel to this collection, it’s the perfect gift for a less formal setting.

Chocolate Bars

Finally, the chocolate bars! The Barcelona is the perfect blend of milk chocolate, smoked almonds, and sea salt. Each bite was a treat of sweet and salty goodness. The Smoke and Stout bar is an amalgam of Rogue’s chocolate stout beer, Alderwood smoked salt, burnt sugar caramel, and 70% cacao dark chocolate. The blend produces a smooth and tasty finish with an intriguing smell. Last was the Mo’s Dark Chocolate Bacon bar. Bacon flavored chocolates I’ve had in the past always had an overtone of greasiness to them that I found off putting. But, Mo (whoever he is) must’ve performed some chocolatier-bacon magic with his bar! Although it had finely chopped nibbles of hickory smoked bacon, the bacon bar did not taste greasy at all.

Given all the flavors they provide, Vosges Haut-Chocolat is bound to have something for your gift recipients with the most discriminating palates.

With individual gifts ranging in price from $5.50 to $1,045 (the top-priced item is literally a unique, hand-picked, vintage steamer trunk completely filled with Vosges chocolate!), you can learn more about Vosges Haut-Chocolat’s corporate gift suggestions in their store. If you’d like to place a corporate order with Vosges, feel free to reach out to Elizabeth Walker, who helped me with recommendations and answered all my questions. Don’t forget to mention that OfficeNinjas sent you!

Which treat from Vosges Haut-Chocolat tickles your fancy?