The Story of Perugina: Italian Par Excellence

You either have heard about, tasted, or adored the unmatched elegance of Italian chocolate from far away. With centuries-old experience in blending aromatic cocoa beans into fabled creations, such as luscious gianduja spread, velvety-smooth cremino, or quaint little gianduiotti pralines, the country is deemed the birthplace of modern chocolate. For the uninitiated, we’ve been preparing the ultimate 101 blog series to make your journey into the luxurious world of Italian chocolate easier and more enjoyable. So, if you’re behind on your yummy homework, now is an excellent time to catch up on the history behind Italian chocolate-making traditions because today we’re going to visit Perugina - the scrumptious royalty of the worldwide chocolate market, reigning ever since 1907. While the famous brand will have no trouble quelling any of your sweet cravings, there’s more it can offer - by joining the Nestle Cocoa Plan, each morsel of Perguina’s goodness supports fair farming practices to ensure a better life for growers and the planet!

Source: Perguina

As you’ve probably already guessed, Perugina hails from Perugia, the capital of Umbria. It was founded more than a century ago by Francesco Buitoni, Annibale Spagnoli, Leone Ascoli, and Francesco Andreani; however, Luisa Spagnoli was responsible for creating hallmark products of the brand - Baci, and signature dark chocolate! Since the beginning, Perugina has been precise to its craft - tirelessly testing and perfecting, never stopping to challenge the limits of its own. We’re confident that it was this kind of stubborn determination that transformed Perugina from just another business into a worldwide success setting the bar higher and higher, never ceasing to amaze chocolate lovers all over the world.

So, if you’re eager to give Italy’s best a taste or are just looking to add refreshing aromas of the finest chocolate to your me-time treats collection, we’re confident that Perugina can help! From decadent chocolate pralines to enticingly dark chocolate bars, we’re going to introduce you to our personal favorites from Perugina, beautifully stocked on our digital shelves waiting for you. Before we go in, it would be great if you could just take a deep breath and prepare your taste buds, give them a little pat on the back (if that’s even possible) and if that doesn’t work, just tell them all of the Perugina’s beauties will be with you shortly after checking out to calm them down. Perugina’s treats are so enticing that we even might have to apologize in advance for the inevitable stomach growls.

Everyone knows chocolate and coffee are PB&J of the dessert world - the simple pairing is impossible to top even with glamorous concoctions. It’s time-tested to please a crowd, so maybe that’s how Perugina got the most delicious idea to combine the two of them together. We have to be honest; we’re more than happy about this duo coming together - cocoa AND coffee? It even sounds majestically aromatic. So, you, too, better get ready to meet dark chocolate bar with Espresso - an irresistibly velvety treat made using a minimum of 51% dark chocolate and, of course, its highness coffee! The mouth-watering bar is made with pure cocoa butter and, more importantly, 100% sustainable and UTZ-certified cocoa. So, on top of unmatched flavors, it’s good for the planet, too! The bar is perfect for those who enjoy balance in their life - with just 51% of dark chocolate and coffee chips scattered around, it’s not too sweet, yet not overpoweringly bitter. Espresso dark chocolate bar is the ultimate 2-in-1 whenever you hit snooze buttons too many times! We love to grab it whenever on the go or keep it within arm’s reach to quickly fight back dreading afternoon slump.

However, if dark chocolate isn’t exactly up to your speed, Perugina has created the ultimately nutty milk chocolate bar with whole hazelnuts. We know you seem intrigued, and you should be! The bar has double layers of milk chocolate filled with crunchy hazelnuts for an exciting bite. Now, that’s definitely worthy of intrigue according to our standards. The juxtaposition of crispy gianduja base with silky-soft milk chocolate transforms this deceivingly simple bar into the ultimate indulgence for any time of the day. And don’t even get us started on the addictive crunchiness of hazelnuts. Perugina has created a luscious remedy with a double-layer milk bar capable of instantly picking you up. As you can probably tell, it’s absolutely delicious on its own; however, to take your me-time to the next level, feel free to pair this tempting bar with golden milk, and enjoy!

While chocolate bars are perfect whenever you’re on the go or want to quell your cravings quickly, everyone knows chocolate tastes even better when shared. So, it’s obvious what you have to do. Sharing a dark chocolate Baci box with your dearest is always a good idea! Beyond its magnificent looks, there are 12 scrumptious treats wrapped with eye-catching paper, hiding heart-warming messages dedicated just for you. However, while you’ll be busy looking for the note on the inside of your wrapper, others might steal all of the Baci pralines left! So, be careful, keep a close eye on the box to make sure you get your fair share of the best Italian chocolate. Baci treats have been a signature product of the Perugina brand since 1922, when Luisa Spagnoli first created them. Ever since, these delicious chocolates have been one of the most sought-after delights throughout Italy. We have an idea exactly why. The soft, melty center of each Baci is studded with hazelnut grains and the crown jewel of a single whole hazelnut. It gets way better than this. Are you ready? The soft center is double-coated with premium dark chocolate for a mind-blowing finish. While we’d like to try to explain how biting into a Baci treat feels like indulging yourself with the most delicious mini chocolate cake, we’ll let you experience this luscious greatness entirely on your own!

Source: Perguina

To finish off our little journey into the world of Perugina chocolate with a bang, we have saved the most aromatic delight for the last - an 85% extra dark chocolate bar made from UTZ-certified cocoa might seem intimidating, but, trust us, it’s not. While some think dark chocolate is dry, some even dare to call it chalky; the extra dark bar from Perugina offers no lack of velvety creaminess. Despite what might seem like an overwhelming amount of 85% dark chocolate, the bar comes packed with a soft lusciousness that uplifts the full-bodied boldness. By lucky chance, if you manage to stop yourself from nibbling on it till the very end (we have to admit, we usually fail to do so), the round flavors of chocolate shavings will taste unpredictably good when sprinkled on your morning oatmeal along with berries and banana slices. However, our ultimate favorite way to enjoy chocolate is pairing it with MORE chocolate. We mean, a steaming cup of hot chocolate - swirl your Perugina around for the ultimate melty goodness, and indulge!

Source: Perguina

While we tried our best to give you a clue what to expect from Perugina, we have to warn you - there’s no way to put its true competence accurately in words - it's simply ineffable. With just a pinch of Perugina’s taste, you will know exactly what we mean. Oh, and we’re sorry about the growling stomach and intrigued taste buds. Go on, quench your chocolate cravings and pick your new favorites from our digital aisle of Italian chocolate!