Godiva vs. Ghirardelli [A Chocolate Lovers Moment of Truth]

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When it comes to mainstream, high-end chocolate, most chocolate-lovers know two names reign supreme: Godiva vs. Ghirardelli.

Both brands offer a range of products and all are sure to please on their own…but how do the two brands stack up when placed side by side? We will dive into a chocolate lovers moment of truth with Godiva vs. Ghirardelli.

Godiva vs. Ghirardelli: Selection

When shopping for chocolate, it’s nice to have a selection from which to choose. So, which brand is going to give you a wider selection to peruse?

While this factor somewhat varies according to where you shop if you’re not in a physical location and just browsing the two brands’ online stores, here’s what you’ll find.

Godiva splits its chocolates into four categories: dark, milk, white and assorted.

Within each of these categories, you can find chocolate squares, truffles, bars, specialty shapes of chocolate (like bunnies for the recent Easter holiday) and various chocolate-covered items, from pretzels to cashews, coffee beans to strawberries. Some of the items are available in bulk (such as a box of 24 white chocolate bars for $72).

Godiva also offers kosher chocolate.

Ghirardelli organizes its chocolate offerings a bit differently, dividing chocolate purchases into squares, bars, custom mixes and bulk chocolate. The squares are the same Ghirardelli squares that most fans know from just about any grocery store — the little, foil-wrapped chocolates that come in a variety of flavors, with different fillings, including sea salt caramel, mint and raspberry. Squares are available in quantities up to 540, which will cost you $200.

The bars are pretty much the exact same offering, only in bar form rather than square form. There are a few more flavor options when it comes to the bars, such as blood orange, hazelnut and toffee. Bars can be purchased in cases of 12, for $33.

Related: How Elitist Snobs Deprived The Common Man Of Chocolate For Centuries

Godiva vs. Ghirardelli: Quality

Godiva hones in on its Belgian heritage as a marketing tool to attest to the quality. However, there is something to be said for Godiva’s Belgian roots and the way the brand conducts business.

The Godiva team includes award-winning pastry chefs and top chocolatiers. Recipes are developed using a mixture of science and tradition; in fact, the brand still uses some of the original Godiva recipes formulated by the company’s founder in the 1920s. Each new recipe is tried and tested for about a year before it makes it to consumers.

Ghirardelli, however, boasts a somewhat longer history and, where Godiva’s heritage is Belgian, Ghirardelli is Italian, with the brand’s first business venture a storefront in San Francisco. Ghirardelli was shipping chocolate products to Asia and Mexico as early as 1884.

Today, Ghirardelli prides itself on creating products with a more intense chocolate flavor as compared to other brands, thanks to its refusal to cut its cacao content with cocoa powder.

Additionally, Ghirardelli boasts a particularly finicky cocoa bean selection and roasting process. Other factors Ghirardelli says impact its high quality include its grinding, blending and conching process (conching, they say, is “the prolonged heating, mixing and scraping or grinding process done during the last stages of chocolate manufacture”), as well as its chocolate-making technology and long history in chocolate making.

Godiva vs. Ghirardelli: Cost

But if you’re on a budget, quality isn’t going to matter quite so much as cost.

Let’s say you were in the market for chocolate bars. If you went to a general online retailer such as Amazon, you could get a pack of five Godiva, milk chocolate salted caramel bars (3.1 ounces each) for $19, shipped from Godiva.

If you wanted to buy a similar, flavored Ghirardelli chocolate bar, you could find a pack of six toffee dark chocolate bars (3.4 ounces each) for $33, shipped from Ghiradelli.

In terms of chocolate bars, then, Godiva has Ghirardelli beat when it comes to cost, but only by a little (either way, you’re going to be paying $4-$5 per chocolate bar).

This changes, though, when you get into higher-end items and gifts. For example, for a Ghirardelli gift bag with 40 assorted chocolate squares, you’ll pay $25. For $30, though, with Godiva, you’ll only get a 12-piece truffle gift box.

Godiva vs. Ghirardelli: Specialty Items

When it comes to specialty items, Godiva certainly has more than Ghirardelli in the way of luxury gifts.

On the Godiva website, you can find gift boxes of truffles that include all types of above-and-beyond gifts, including jewelry cases ($97), serving platters ($80) and decorative throws ($130). The gift selection is immense and includes corporate gifts, too.

Beyond chocolate, Godiva offers a range of chocolate-related and flavored specialty items, including cookies and coffee. What’s sorely missing from the Godiva specialty items section is any baking products.

That’s where Ghirardelli comes in. Ghirardelli is definitely the go-to brand for home bakers when it comes to chocolate products, including chocolate chips, baking mixes, melting and coating wafers, ground cocoa and more. Non-baking specialty items are limited, though.

Ghirardelli does offer a wide array of affordable gift options, though, including gift baskets, boxes, custom arrangements, seasonal items and gift items. However, the sense of luxury just isn’t there when you compare the brand’s gifts to Godiva’s.

Godiva vs. Ghirardelli: Taste

Of course, everything, in the end, comes down to taste. Which tastes better? Godiva or Ghirardelli?

In this instance, it all comes down to personal preference. The two brands use much of the same ingredients. They do have differing flavors, though, which could influence your opinion. They also offer chocolates in varying textures and shapes, something that could likewise impact your overall consumption experience; munching on a square of chocolate is very different from biting into a smooth truffle.

Godiva vs. Ghirardelli: Which is Better?

It’s all about what you’re looking for. An upscale or impressive gift? Go to Godiva. Baking? You’ll want Ghirardelli.

Snacking chocolate? Also Ghirardelli.

A sweet treat that’s going to be a bit of luxury? Go with some Godiva truffles. Want a chocolate-covered item versus chocolate? Also, go with Godiva. And, when in doubt — just buy both.

Like this post? Check out our comparison of another favorite sweet snack, Red Vines vs. Twizzlers