For a festival, a hot chocolate powder with 70% cocoa is a good choice if you want a sweetened recipe that you can prepare with milk, while prioritising a high cocoa content. Unsweetened 100% cocoa gives you more control over the recipe, but you’ll need to provide the sugar and plan the preparation. A large 32% cocoa pack is better suited to prioritising ease of serving. Check the exact product, particularly its ingredients and allergen information, before choosing.
If cocoa content is your top priority for the drink you serve, check the stated percentage rather than relying on the word ‘intense’ alone. Carambar & Co states that Poulain Grand Arôme Intense contains at least 70% cocoa, compared with at least 32% for Carrefour Classic’ Intense powder, according to Carrefour France.
If you want to choose the sugar and liquid separately, unsweetened cocoa gives you that flexibility. However, Auchan’s 100% cocoa requires you to organise the preparation at your stall.
When preparing several portions, pack size and preparation method matter too. Carrefour France lists its Classic’ Intense powder in an 800 g tin, with at least 32% cocoa. This format meets a different need from pure cocoa.
To organise your service, first decide whether your priority is cocoa content, control over the recipe or ease of preparation.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa content | Compare the percentages for the exact product: Carambar & Co states at least 70% for Poulain Grand Arôme Intense; Carrefour France states at least 32% for Classic’ Intense. | If I’m looking first and foremost for a drink with a pronounced cocoa flavour, the product name alone isn’t enough to help me choose. Around 36% of consumers would put cocoa content at the top of their list of priorities. |
| Sugar and recipe | Check the ingredients list to see whether sugar is already included: Auchan France describes its 100% cocoa as unsweetened, while its 32% Intense powder contains sugar. | If I want to adjust the drink myself, I prefer to measure out the sugar separately and plan for the ingredients I’ll need. This would be the priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Serving arrangements | Consider the pack size alongside the preparation method: Carrefour France lists Classic’ Intense at 800 g; Auchan France sells its 100% cocoa in a 250 g pack, and it needs to be heated during preparation. | When several drinks need to be prepared at the stall, I mainly want a method and pack size that suit the service I have planned. Around 28% of consumers would put these practical arrangements ahead of other criteria. |
The name doesn’t tell you the percentage: Carambar & Co states at least 70% cocoa for Poulain Grand Arôme Intense, while Carrefour France states at least 32% for Classic’ Intense.
Check the cocoa percentage on the product page or packaging for the exact product you plan to serve.
With unsweetened cocoa, you can measure out the sugar separately. If the hot chocolate powder already contains sugar, factor in its recipe before adding anything else.
Compare the ingredients and sugars per 100 g of powder, then work out how much to use in the prepared drink.
Some of the products featured here may contain traces of milk, but the wording varies by product. For drinks prepared and served to the public, the DGCCRF reminds businesses that allergen information also applies to non-prepacked foods.
Keep the packaging for every product you use and check the allergen information before passing it on to customers.
A RappelConso notice dated 30 September 2026 concerns a specific Van Houten cocoa product, not all cocoa powders.
Before serving, check the relevant notices and compare the brand, product code, batch and best-before date with the details on your packaging.
Grand Arôme Intense 70% is a sweetened hot chocolate powder that you prepare with milk.
The retailer offers both 250 g of unsweetened 100% cocoa and 500 g of 32% cocoa Chocolat intense powder.
Carrefour France lists its Chocolat en Poudre Intense powder in an 800 g tin.
E.Leclerc offers 250 g of unsweetened cocoa powder, made from cocoa powder and an acidity regulator.
Banania Original is a hot chocolate powder containing cocoa and cereals, among other ingredients. It’s included here for comparison, not as a high-cocoa option.
This selection features a 400 g Poulain hot chocolate powder for making drinks. If you’re considering serving it at a festival, check the recipe and preparation method. It is not the Grand Arôme Intense 70% product.
Image unavailable
An option for making a chocolate drink if you’re happy to use a powder that already contains sugar. Joybuy France states that this 400 g product contains at least 47% cocoa. Don’t confuse it with Grand Arôme Intense 70%.
Before serving it to the public, check the dosage, preparation method and allergen information on the packaging for the product you receive.
No. According to the DGCCRF, nutrition declarations are generally compulsory for the relevant prepacked foods, while the Ministry of the Economy confirms that displaying Nutri-Score is voluntary. Compare the nutrition information per 100 g, ingredients and cocoa content for each product, whether or not it displays a Nutri-Score.
No. You can’t assume it applies simply because the product is a dry powder. Article 1613 ter of the French General Tax Code, published on Légifrance, covers drinks and liquid drink preparations under the conditions it sets out. If you prepare and sell drinks at a stall, have the recipe and sales arrangements reviewed before reaching a conclusion about tax.
Carambar & Co recommends 15 g of Poulain Grand Arôme Intense 70% with 200 ml of hot semi-skimmed milk. For its unsweetened 100% cocoa, Auchan France recommends adding 10 g to milk and heating gently for five minutes, stirring as you go. You can then add sugar separately if you wish.
For drinks prepared and served without prepackaging, make sure you have accurate allergen information for the ingredients used. The DGCCRF reminds businesses that this also applies to non-prepacked foods. Check the information on each pack and confirm the requirements for your activity with the event organiser and the relevant authorities.