Hot chocolate bar supplies come down to five groups: a base (Dutch-process cocoa, drinking chocolate mix or couverture), milk, toppings (marshmallows, whipped topping, chocolate shavings), flavors (peppermint, vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, cinnamon) and serving gear (a dispenser that holds 135°F, cups, lids and labels). Plan one 8 oz cup per guest, sixteen to the gallon, and buy the base and toppings in foodservice sizes.
Most hot chocolate bar guides are written for a kitchen table: a tray, a few mugs, a bag of marshmallows. They rarely say how much to make, how to keep it hot for three hours, or how to label it for a room full of allergies. This list is for the people pouring by the gallon: cafés, schools, churches, caterers, rinks and holiday markets.
Everything below is in our Hot Chocolate Station collection.
| Group | What to buy | Format | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cocoa base | Bensdorp 22/24, Valrhona or Gerkens Dutch-process cocoa | 50 lb bag (Bensdorp), 3 kg (Valrhona) | The scratch base; you control sweetness |
| Mix base | Valrhona Dark Hot Chocolate Mix | 5 lb bag or 6 x 5 lb case | Fastest; only needs hot milk |
| Chocolate base | Callebaut 811, Valrhona Jivara milk, Callebaut Gold, Valrhona Dulcey | Callets and fèves, 2.5 kg to 22 lb | Sipping chocolate and signature cups |
| Milk | Evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk powder, oat milk | Cans, bags and 64 oz cartons | Body, dry kits and a dairy-free option |
| Toppings | Mini and large marshmallows, Marshmallow Fluff, whipped topping base with iSi chargers, Callebaut chocolate curls | 12 x 1 lb cases, 4.5 lb tubs, 24-count chargers, 5 lb cases | What turns a cup into a menu item |
| Flavors | Pure peppermint extract, Fabbri Mixybar syrups, cinnamon, ancho chili, Maldon sea salt flakes | 1 quart extract, 1 liter syrups, bulk spices | Peppermint, café, Mexican-style and salted caramel cups |
| Serving | Hot cups and lids, insulated dispenser, thermometer, labels | Case packs | To-go service and food safety |
Cafés run fastest on a mix: Valrhona's hot chocolate mix with steamed milk, flavored to order from a syrup rail. Schools, churches and community events usually batch classic cocoa in an urn, because it is the easiest base to scale and to sweeten for a young crowd. Caterers and holiday markets selling a premium cup lean on couverture: a small pour of thick sipping chocolate, or a signature cup built on caramel or blond chocolate.
The ratios for all three, per gallon and per guest count, are in our guide to making hot chocolate for a crowd.
A gallon is sixteen 8 oz cups. Plan one cup per guest and round up to the next half gallon. At the commonly published ratio of about half a cup of Valrhona mix to two cups of milk, a gallon takes roughly 2 lb of mix; a scratch batch takes about 1 cup of cocoa and 2 cups of sugar per gallon.
| Guests | Hot chocolate | Valrhona mix | Or Dutch cocoa + sugar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 2 gallons | one 5 lb bag | 2 cups + 4 cups |
| 50 | 3½ gallons | two 5 lb bags | 3½ cups + 7 cups |
| 100 | 6½ gallons | three 5 lb bags | 6½ cups + 13 cups |
| 250 | 16 gallons | seven 5 lb bags | 16 cups + 32 cups |
Buy toppings by the case and carry the leftovers to the next event. Marshmallows, sprinkles, syrups and spices are shelf-stable; whipped topping and fresh milk are the only items to buy close to the date.
A plain cup sells; a named cup sells for more. Four builds cover most menus, and each one uses something already on the buying list:
Price the named cups above the house cup, and put them on a board at the front of the line so guests decide before they reach the dispenser.
Cocoa powder, drinking chocolate mix, marshmallows and syrups ship as they are. Couverture and chocolate shavings can soften in warm transit, so add the insulated shipping option at checkout or ask us first if an order is headed somewhere warm. Once it arrives, keep cocoa and mix sealed, cool and dry; both pick up moisture and odors from the room.
Apply once through the wholesale registration form and your business gets trade pricing and easy reorder on eligible items. Warehouse items ship direct from Brockton, MA, usually in one to two business days, with free local delivery on qualifying orders and warehouse pickup for local accounts. For current pricing on a large order, use the quote form.
Schools, churches and youth groups running one cocoa table for a whole season often pool an order. Our group buying program and our guide to planning a holiday group order walk through how to split cases and get one delivery.
Setting up a hot chocolate bar this winter?
Tell us your guest count and your equipment and we'll build the list.
Apply for wholesaleShop the collectionA base (cocoa, mix or couverture), milk, toppings such as marshmallows, whipped topping and chocolate shavings, flavors such as peppermint, vanilla and caramel, and serving gear: a dispenser that holds 135°F, cups, lids and labels.
About 3⅛ gallons at one 8 oz cup each, so make 3½ gallons. With Valrhona's hot chocolate mix that is roughly 7 lb, or two 5 lb bags.
A Dutch-process cocoa. Alkalizing reduces cocoa's natural acidity, which gives a darker, smoother cup that mixes into milk more easily than natural cocoa.
Yes. Specialty Food Source sells cocoa, drinking chocolate mix, couverture, marshmallows, toppings and syrups in foodservice sizes, with trade pricing for approved wholesale accounts and shipping from Brockton, MA.
Use an insulated dispenser or a slow cooker on warm, hold it at 135°F or above, stir it regularly, and check the temperature at least every two hours.
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