You found our list of fun virtual chocolate tasting ideas for team building.
Virtual chocolate tasting classes are online events where teammates meet up on a video call and sample chocolates together. For example, online chocolate and wine pairing tasting and Zoom chocolate bar making classes. The purpose of these events is to give groups an activity together remotely and time to socialize to foster camaraderie. The kits can also double as a sweet reward and treat for team members.
These experiences are a type of remote team building activity and are similar to virtual beer tastings, virtual coffee tastings, virtual tea tastings, and virtual wine tastings.
This list includes:
- online chocolate tasting classes
- Zoom chocolate tasting parties
- private virtual chocolate tastings
- corporate virtual chocolate tasting experiences
Let’s dig in!
List of virtual chocolate tasting classes
Here is a list of hosted online chocolate tasting experiences for teams, most of which include kits.
1. Gourmet Boutique
Ideal for: Client meetings, retreats, special events, executive team building
Gourmet Boutique has some of the best corporate virtual chocolate tasting experiences. The company offers dozens of interesting chocolate tasting themes such as unusual flavor pairings, tea and chocolate tasting, tequila and chocolate pairing, European vs American chocolate, and a women in chocolate storytelling experience. The curated boxes are beautifully packaged and can double as corporate gifts. The Zoom sessions last one hour and are led by knowledgeable food experts that share stories about the history, industry secrets, and tasting best practices.
Learn more about Gourmet Boutique.
2. Cocoa Runners
Ideal for: Small groups, virtual happy hours, gourmets, UK-based teams
Cocoa Runners offers remote chocolate tasting experiences that cover the basics of cocoa-based confections. Participants can join public online tasting sessions for free with an option to buy a box and follow along, and small groups can set up private tastings. The classes focus on flavor and teach students how to optimally experience chocolate. Each session is led by an expert and dives into the fundamentals of enjoying chocolate. The company currently offers less than a dozen class options, yet provides interesting options like a vegan chocolate tasting, chocolate and whiskey pairing, and a seasonal chocolate and figgy pudding cooking class.
Learn more about Cocoa Runners.
3. Not Boring Events
Ideal for: Mid-size groups, foodies, multicultural groups
True to its name, Not Boring Events provides fun online chocolate tasting classes. The company founder is a trained chef who curates each tasting kit with an emphasis on quality. The virtual chocolate tasting session includes a kit 2 to 3 full sized bars and 5 chocolate squares from a variety of the top chocolate growing regions. Attendees learn about the geography and culture of the chocolate’s origin while getting to sample the product firsthand. Each online event lasts for one hour and can accommodate up to 100 guests. Not Boring Events also offers virtual coffee, wine, and cheese tastings.
Learn about Not Boring Events.
4. Ethel M Chocolates
Ideal for: Virtual Valentine’s parties, online team outings, client outreach, employee appreciation
Ethel M Chocolates offers private online chocolate tastings for groups of various sizes. Each session is led by a chocolatier, and bookers can secure the chief chocolatier to lead the event for an additional fee. Booking this event includes craft chocolate samples with gourmet flavors like lemon satin creme, pecan caramel rapture, and kona espresso truffle, along with pens, totes, and tasting mats. The kits are available in 5 or 12 piece varieties, and there is a nut-free version available for allergies.
Learn more about Ethel M Chocolates.
5. Theo Chocolate
Ideal for: Organic eaters, manufacturing or retail teams, large groups, snackers
Theo Chocolates hosts remote tasting sessions centered around organic fair trade chocolate bars. Guests receive goodie boxes containing 6 bars, peanut butter and jelly cups, and cocoa nibs, with vegan options available. A Theo Chocolate team member leads an hour long Zoom experience that allows guests to virtually tour the factory, witness the tempering process, learn about brand and industry history and practices, and try out treats together. The event is interactive and includes a Q&A session.
Learn more about Theo Chocolate.
6. Delysia Chocolatier
Ideal for: Hospitality teams, top performers, employee gifts
Delysia Chocolatier offers one of the top private virtual chocolate tastings. The owner of the company is a chef and personally leads each event. Kits include all materials attendees need to participate in the experience, such as assortments of truffles, food pairings, or baking utensils. Offerings include truffle-making, trivia, and cheese and chocolate pairing, and the calls center around tasting techniques. Most tastings last one hour, and the kits arrive beautifully packaged.
Learn more about Delysia Chocolatier.
7. The Chocolate Genius
Ideal for: Short team building sessions, competitive teams, groups of all sizes, folks who fantasize about being on a cooking show
The Chocolate Genius throws one of the best Zoom chocolate tasting parties. The company offers two event options, a chocolate bar making experience or a chocolate pairing experience. Both experiences include curated kits, a chef host, and a trivia game with prizes. These online events are customizable for small groups or unlimited guestcounts, and have flexibility on event length ranging from 30 minutes to over one hour. The Chocolate Genius delivers an upscale experience with high production values and luxury chocolates.
Learn more about The Chocolate Genius.
8. Cococlectic
Ideal for: Ameteur enthusiasts, data and technical teams, mid-sized teams, quick team building
Cococlectic focuses on small-batch craft chocolates and offers a technical tasting experience. Virtual chocolate tasting kits include four full-size bars, how to taste guides and charts, and a tasting note sheet, and organizers can also choose to include a personal note in the package. Events last for 45 minutes and are available on the video conferencing platform of choice. During the call, a culinary professional provides information about the featured maker of the month, background about the production process, and tips on tapping into multiple senses to heighten the tasting experience.
Learn more about Cocolectic.
9. Chocolate Noise
Ideal for: Nonprofits and philanthropists, sales teams, diversity training, international teams
Chocolate Noise is a women-led business that champions ethically sourced artisan chocolate. The company was founded by a food writer, and a team of knowledgeable chocolate sommeliers take turns leading the remote team building tastings. Each event is informative, entertaining, and packed with fascinating facts and insights related to craft chocolate. The company offers basic chocolate tastings or pairings with wine or tea. Each tasting kit includes four chocolates and an invite to an hour long Zoom call. Plus, a portion of the proceeds of the events goes towards charity.
Learn more about Chocolate Noise.
10. Cao Chocolates
Ideal for: Corporate groups, orientations, public-facing employees, small business supporters,
Cao Chocolates is a small business located in Miami that specializes in bean to bar artisan chocolate. Booking one of the brand’s virtual chocolate tasting experiences directly supports a mom and pop business. Attendees get to meet the owner online and learn about craft chocolate while enjoying a sampler kit and bonding with coworkers.
Learn more about Cao Chocolates.
11. Chocolate Origins & Create with a Maker
Ideal for: Travelers, history buffs, scientists, detail-oriented types, budget-conscious teams
Chocolate Origins & Create with a Maker is an hourlong Airbnb online experience. The host is a former BBC news correspondent who highlights his home of Kingston, Jamaica. The presentation explores the rich history of cacao on the island and gives background information about the growing process. Attendees get to virtually tour a cacao estate, see pods up close, and learn about how these plants transform into bars. The event wraps up with a demonstration of how to create handcrafted chocolate bars. Participants can melt and make bars alongside the host, or can simply watch and learn. Because rates start at around $70 per group, this event is one of the most affordable virtual chocolate team building experiences.
Learn more about Chocolate Origins & Create with a Maker.
12. Hotel Chocolat
Ideal for: UK-based teams, virtual offices that prefer Microsoft Teams, humanists
Hotel Chocolat is a luxury British chocolatier that offers online tasting experiences for teams. Attendees learn about the background of the brand and insights on the chocolate-making process and enjoy a sampler of chocolates. Hotel Chocolat produces its own cocoa and is committed to ethical growing, and the event hosts are knowledgeable about the entire process from bean to bar to bite. Reviewers say that hosts are helpful and engaging and praise the company’s customer service leading up to the event.
Learn about Hotel Chocolat.
More virtual chocolate tasting ideas
Here are ideas for hosting a DIY remote chocolate tasting party on Zoom or similar video call platforms.
1. Cocoa Daredevil
Cocoa Daredevil is a Fear Factor-inspired chocolate tasting activity. First, send teams an assortment of unusual chocolate or a list of strange chocolates to prepare. Examples might include chocolate covered bacon, chocolate covered jalapeños, chocolate covered insects, or unexpected chocolate bar flavors like wasabi or pickle. Feel free to tailor the list to suit the daringness of your team. Then, meet up on Zoom to try the bizarre treats together.
Pro tip: Let teammates volunteer to try the treats instead of forcing team members to taste the weird foods. You can ask for at least one volunteer per team to try each item, or give points based on how many folks are brave enough to try the chocolate.
Also, take plenty of screen shots to capture the reactions!
2. Virtual Chocolate Making Classes
Zoom chocolate making classes combine tastings with a hands-on approach. Instead of merely sampling truffles and bars, participants learn how to whip up chocolates from scratch. Participants receive kits with ingredients or a shopping list of supplies. Then, the team meets up via video call, and a chef or chocolatier host gives step by step instructions for how to prepare the treats.
Here are more online group cooking classes for inspiration.
3. Virtual Hot Chocolate Tasting Hangouts
Some folks prefer to sip their chocolate rather than chew it. Holding a virtual hot chocolate tasting is a cozy way to hang out with remote teams during chillier months. First, find or make up hot chocolate samplers and send the kits to the teams. Feel free to include mix-ins like gourmet marshmallows, syrup shots, cookie straws, and crushed candy canes. You can also include a mug with the company logo in the pack. Be sure to send the packages at least two weeks before the event. When the time arrives, meet with your team, heat up water or milk, mix up the drinks, and try out the different flavors together. You can also find and book facilitated cocoa tasting experiences where a guide shares preparation and tasting tips and facts about the history of the drink.
4. Secret Chocolatier
Secret Chocolatier puts a sweet spin on Secret Santa. First, encourage teammates to sign up, then assign each participant a recipient. Each gift giver will buy a locally made box of chocolate and mail the treats to their partner. When the time arrives, the team meets up on Zoom to unwrap and try the goodies together. Or, teammates can indulge individually and send their sweet benefactor a thank you note.
Using platforms like Giftster or Elfster makes it easy to pair up participants and facilitate the swap.
Pro tip: You can do this exchange anytime throughout the year, however to avoid the risk of chocolates melting in the mail you should aim to avoid warmer weather months!
For tips, here is a guide to doing Secret Santa remotely.
5. Whine and Chocolate
Whine and chocolate is a remote team bonding activity where coworkers meet up on Zoom to vent about problems while eating chocolate. First, send participants boxes of chocolate or offer to reimburse the cost of a sampler or a couple of bars. Next, send a Zoom link and invite teammates to come together and share their worries and frustrations. It helps to set a couple of ground rules, for instance, that everything said within the meeting is confidential, no naming names, and keep each turn to five minutes or less. Team members can ask each other for advice, or find support and sympathy from peers. The activity encourages teammates to share their struggles and help each other with problems. We recommend ending the meeting on a positive note, such as sharing a motivational quote or a word of gratitude.
6. Chocolate Passport
This activity takes teammates on a cultural culinary adventure. Each country enjoys chocolate a little differently, and the chocolate passport celebrates that diversity. To prepare for this exercise, send participants a box of assorted international chocolates, or a shopping list of candies to get. Most supermarkets have international aisles with foreign chocolate brands like Milka and Cadbury, and you can find eclectic Kit Kat flavors in most Asian markets. The team then gathers on a video meeting and tastes the chocolates from around the world. To make the experience more enriching, you can research and share facts about each country’s chocolate traditions.
7. Movie and a Bite
This activity gives chocolate tastings a Hollywood theme. Each tasting centers around a different film, and participants try chocolates featured or inspired by the film while watching the flick together. Good movies to use for this activity include Harry Potter, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and Chocolat. The team can stream the films together by screen sharing during the meeting, or by using a program like Watch2Gether to sync video streams. For inspiration on food movie pairings, you can check out the Eat What You Watch cookbook or watch Binging with Babish.
8. Never Have I Ever
To turn a tasting into a full-blown icebreaker activity, play Never Have I Ever. First, gather your chocolates or mix up a cup of hot cocoa, then join a Zoom meeting with coworkers. Players start with ten fingers in the air, and take turns making statements that start with “never have I ever.” Folks who are guilty of the act must lower one finger and take a bite of chocolate or a sip of cocoa. The game continues until only one player remains, or until the first player gets out by lowering all fingers or finishing their chocolate.
Here is a list of safe for work Never Have I Ever prompts.
Final Thoughts
Virtual chocolate tasting classes are one of the most exciting remote team building ideas. This activity combines snack time with team bonding, and rewards participants for spending time with teammates with a delicious treat. These activities are a fun learning experience for employees, and share interesting facts about the world of chocolate while teaching participants how to savor the tempting desserts. Chocolate has been linked to stress relief, and when paired with social time with teammates, can be an effective way to boost work from home employees’ mood.
Next, check out this list of virtual date night ideas and this list of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day virtually.
Angela Robinson