As Gen Z turn away from alcohol and partying in favour of more wholesome lifestyles, it appears a new vice is emerging for the age group – the humble hot chocolate.
Instagram and TikTok are awash with clips of foodies scouring London for novelty hot chocolates topped with toasted marshmallows and garnished with extra chocolate shavings as they seek out the ultimate sweet treat.
It’s not just the UK – influencers visiting cities around the world appear to be using the hot chocolate as a yardstick by which an area’s food and drink scene is measured.
As the hot chocolate hots up, it’s perhaps unsurprising that chocolatier Knoops has announced a UK expansion this week – with a plan to open 200 new stores in the UK overall.
The chain, which is often featured in glossy TikTok videos as influencers try out its many offerings, hopes to open 23 new stores by this time next year – as its chief executive William Gordon-Harris telling The Times the growth levels in the business were ‘absolutely enormous’.
Speaking to FEMAIL, some of the experts working to create the perfect hot chocolate explained that, by giving customers more choice than ever and making it a ‘luxury’ product, the hot chocolate market is hotting up – and ‘sober curious’ Gen Z customers appear to be leading the demand.
Jens Knoop, the founder of Knoops, said his company is selling a ‘moment’ to customers with its hot chocolate offerings, which involves ‘building a ritual around affordable luxury’.
He explained the long-term company plan will see the opening of 200 sites in the UK and hundreds more in overseas markets to give customers its chocolate offering, which he describes as ‘something they have loved through the ages’.
Jens added the success of the brand is also down to the fact it makes the drinks ‘unique to each individual person’.
He said: ‘The thing that keeps people coming back to Knoops is the ability that customers have to create their perfect drink in that moment.
‘Knoopology is the ultimate personalisation process and is a four-step method. Individuals choose their preferred hot or cold drink followed by their chocolate %, then their milk, before finally enhancing their chocolate with flavoursome add-ons.’
He estimates Knoops offers a whopping 3 billion different variations of hot chocolate when percentages of cocoa and flavour additions (such as ginger and chilli) are brought into the mix.
In addition to giving customers the chance to create their own drink, Jens believes the company’s later opening hours (the Covent Garden branch closes at 10.30pm) helps attract a different audience.
In particular, he noted the interest in Knoops products from a younger audience. He said: ‘It’s widely known that millennials are willing to spend more for high-quality food and drinks products and that Gen Z consumers are increasingly becoming sober curious.
He added that the list of percentages available on the wall behind the counter at Knoops could be compared to a wine list.
TikTok influencer Angelina visited a Knoops store during winter and warmed herself up with milk and white chocolate drinks
Angelina revealed the percentages you can choose when you visit Knoops to determine how rich your hot chocolate is
‘The rise of social media reviews across the likes of TikTok and Instagram, and videos such as ‘Where to find the best hot chocolate in London’ has helped to demonstrate the vast variety of options that are now out there.
‘Social media platforms also help to demonstrate the experience people have when creating their drinks.
‘When influencers come in to review Knoops they showcase Knoopology and how you can personalise your drink, highlighting the different options available to people which is instrumental is helping spread the Knoops ethos.’
One such influencer who posted about her Knoopology experience is Angelina, who took to TikTok to share her quest for the perfect hot chocolate.
In January, she visited a Knoops store during the chilly weather to try out their offering – joking that she had been ‘freezing like mad’ when she began her quest.
As she took her viewers into her Knoops store, she said: ‘When I came across this place, best believe it was like stumbling upon the lost heavens.’
Knoops offers customers different flavours of hot chocolate as well as different percentages – from 100% cocoa for the most daring of drinkers to smaller ratios for a sweeter flavour.
Angelina chose a standard milk chocolate flavour (which is about 43%) and a white chocolate drink as well.
She described the milk chocolate drink as a ‘chocolate dream’ while the white chocolate drink, which she argued might be a more controversial choice, was ‘nothing short of sensational’.
After posting the video, Angelina’s followers left comments asking where they could find a Knoops store – and one even joked she would now have to put up with even longer queues outside her store after the clip was posted.
Food influencer Bev, who posts on TikTok and Instagram under KnivesToMeetYou, rated her top hot chocolates in London, which included an offering from Hotel Chocolat
Angelina isn’t the only influencer on the hunt for a perfect hot chocolate – with other influencers sharing their experiences of tasting ‘viral’ versions of the drink on offer.
One such influencer is Bev, who runs the Knives To Meet You account on TikTok and Instagram.
Bev posted a clip in 2022 in which she revealed her pick of the five best hot chocolates in London – each of which has a unique twist on the product.
She begins by showing the viewer the Hotel Chocolat hot chocolate, which is topped with chocolate cream and garnished with chocolate balls.
Next she moves onto the offering from Dark Sugars, which creates its drinks by mixing chocolate shavings with hot milk. Bev describes it as the ‘most indulgent’ of all the offerings she has sampled.
Em Sheldon visited the Italian Bear Cafe in Soho which is famed for its hot chocolates which feature chocolate on the rim of the cup
Italian Bear Chocolate often has customers queueing down the street who can’t wait to try its offerings
She also features a toasted marshmallow-topped drink from the soft serve society, a chocolate-rimmed version from The Apple Blue and the Ube Hot Cocoa, which is purple in colour, from Mamasons.
Hotel Chocolat, one of the retailers mentioned in Bev’s clip, agrees that its hot chocolate products have captured the attention of Gen Z customers on social media.
‘There’s definitely been a steady flow of interest in hot chocolate,’ Teresa Peck, head of global category strategy, said.
‘There’s been 42.3M views on the Velvetiser hashtag and 411.2k on the hashtag ‘VelvetiserRecipe’ on our TikTok account.’
The Velvetiser is Hotel Chocolat’s signature piece of kit for making hot chocolates at home, which mixes up the drink with milk and the retailer’s pre-made sachets of flavoured chocolate shavings.
Teresa added: ‘Over the last 12 weeks, we’ve seen that our audience of 18-24 year olds has been 48% of our viewers on [TikTok] and that those who are 35-44 is 13.2%.’
As the customer base appears increasingly drawn to its hot chocolate offerings, Teresa added she believes greater choice is fuelling demand.
‘Our customers love the chance to try new flavours and are awaiting with anticipation around discovering new flavours all the time – especially when they are new limited-edition flavours, which prove to popular and grow in demand,’ she said.
She made note of the autumnal Pumpkin Spice and Christmas Mince Pie limited edition flavours that are released seasonally and are ‘best-selling’ choices.
Similarly to Knoops, Hotel Chocolat’s Velvetiser Sachet Chocolate Flakes offer customers different percentages of cacao.
Teresa says this ‘allows customers to get a hot chocolate tailored to them’.
Another viral hot chocolate spot in the UK capital is Italian Bear Chocolate, situated in Soho.
The cafe, which builds its perfect hot chocolate by dropping milk, dark and white chocolate all over the rim of the cup before adding a thick hot chocolate drink into the cup.
Influencer Em Sheldon is one of many thousands of people who has flocked to the spot to try out the hot chocolate – an experiment she shared with her followers.
She said: ‘This place is so famous for its hot chocolate that people are lining outside down the street.’
Em added: ‘The hot chocolate itself is thick and gloopy; probably the thickest hot chocolate I’ve ever had.’
The influencer’s verdict was that the chocolate around the rim of the cup was the quality which made it stand out from other products she’s had in the past.
