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Shipping Chocolate Gifts: How to Pack and When to Send
Our chocolate bars keep best at 57 to 70°F, and a package's job is to hold them close to that for a few days in transit. Seal the chocolate in a zip bag, cushion it in a sturdy box on every side, mark it fragile and ship early in the week so it is less likely to wait out a weekend at a facility.
Two of ours that ship well this time of year:
The milk bar is No Added Sugar: it contains naturally occurring sugars from the milk, with maltitol doing the sweetening. The lemon candy belongs to our Sugar Free range. Not a low calorie food. See nutrition information for sugar and calorie content.
Jump to: can you mail it · packing · timing · what travels best · on arrival
Can you mail chocolate?
Yes. The USPS guide to shipping food and fragile items suggests avoiding chocolate chips in the summer months, which is the same heat problem a chocolate gift faces. Wrapped chocolate is shelf stable: our 85 g bars carry a 24 month shelf life, so the risk in the mail is heat and bumps, not spoilage.
If you are shipping to another country, check its food import rules before you send, because the destination may restrict food.
How do you pack chocolate for shipping?
Think in three layers: a seal against air and moisture, cushioning against bumps and a box stiff enough not to flex.
- Keep each bar in its own wrapper, then seal the gift in a zip bag or plastic wrap. A sealed layer keeps package odors and moisture away from the cocoa butter.
- Pick a sturdy box slightly larger than the gift, as USPS advises.
- Add crumpled paper or other cushioning along the bottom, sides and top, so the gift cannot touch the walls.
- Tape the top, the folds and the edges, especially the bottom, then mark the box fragile.
- Lay the gift card on top of the sealed bag, so it stays dry and is the first thing they see when the lid comes off.
Skip the padded mailer. A mailer bends in transit, and a bent mailer can snap a bar in two.
When is the best time to ship chocolate?
In late fall and winter, melting is rarely the problem outside the warmest states, because outdoor temperatures in much of the country stay below the 70°F top of our bars' range. The winter risks are a box left by a heater once it arrives and condensation when a cold bar is unwrapped in a warm room.
Ship on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, so a package that runs a day late is less likely to wait out the weekend at a facility. Ask the recipient which day someone will be home, so the box goes straight indoors.
In summer, and in warm states at any time of year, chocolate needs more care. A frozen gel pack in its own bag, laid against the outer cushioning and never touching the chocolate, buys a few cool hours, and a faster service shortens the time the box spends in the heat.
Which of our treats handle shipping best?
Hard candy has the widest margin. Our lemon and cream candy, made in Greece from isomalt, can be stored at up to 77°F, seven degrees above the top of our chocolate bars' range.
| Product | Storage range | Shelf life |
|---|---|---|
| No Added Sugar Milk Chocolate Bar 85 g | Ideal 57 to 70°F, away from odors and sunlight | 24 months |
| No Added Sugar Dark Chocolate Bar 85 g | Ideal 57 to 70°F, away from odors and sunlight | 24 months |
| Sugar Free Lemon and Cream Candy 75 g | Ideally 59°F, 77°F maximum | 24 months |
Both bars are No Added Sugar and contain naturally occurring sugars, from the milk in the milk bar and from the cocoa in the dark bar. Both are made in Spain. For a summer birthday, the lemon candy, good to 77°F, is the easiest of the three to ship.
What should the recipient do when it arrives?
Unpack it right away and put the chocolate in a cool pantry, still sealed in its bag. A box that arrives cold from a winter truck will gather condensation if it is opened in a warm kitchen, so give it an hour to warm up first.
If a summer package arrives soft, leave the bars to firm up in the coolest room in the house. A pale film afterward is bloom, harmless and mostly cosmetic. Our guide to storing chocolate at home covers bloom and the refrigerator question in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
Can chocolate melt in the mail?
It can in warm weather, especially in a truck in the sun or a box left on a hot porch. In winter the bigger risks are bumps and condensation, which a zip bag and a cushioned sturdy box deal with.
Do you need an ice pack to ship chocolate?
Not in winter in most of the country. In summer a frozen gel pack in its own bag, kept away from the chocolate by cushioning, helps, and so does a faster service.
Can you ship chocolate internationally?
It depends on the destination, because the country you are shipping to may restrict food imports. Check its rules before you send.
What is the best day of the week to ship chocolate?
Monday to Wednesday. A package shipped early in the week is less likely to be held over the weekend if it runs a day late.