Do you have any idea of what to give for your someone’s special as a Valentine’s Day gift? Might think of giving a beautifully gift-wrapped chocolate, with special love message inside, you’d better read this on.

Have you ever heard of Baci chocolate? Baci, in Italian word, means kisses. Well, Italy is not only famous for its pizza and spaghetti, the typically traditional food of that country of which the taste has been known all over the world and become our everyday’s meal. Do you know that Italy is also the producer of chocolate, which has the best quality among the Delfi of Swiss or Cadbury of England. If you are fond of eating a loaf bread layered with Nutella, you are supposed to know that this yummy chocolate jam also comes from Italy.

Apart from Nutella, another Italian-made dairy product is Baci chocolate, which is produced by a chocolate factory named Perugina. This original Italian chocolate factory is located in a small town named Perugia, situated in the province of Umbria, which has the population of 157,842 pupils. In this town, a noble-descendant Giovanni Buitoni and together with his wife, a chocolate confectioner, Luisa Spagnoli, established a chocolate factory in the year of 1907.

When I visited that building with a couple of friends from the Italian language school University of Perugia for Foreigners, we were warmly greeted by Signora Nicoletta, the Public Relation Officer, and were shown the inside part of the factory. But before we went to the processing room, a documentary film on the history of the Perugina chocolate factory was screened in the audiovisual room where we were brought in.

The cacao seeds for the factory are imported from the countries outside Europe. And you need to know that Indonesia is also one of the biggest cacao exporters for Perugina, with the total amount of 450,000 tons every year! There are also Ivory Coast and Ghana with 1,290,000 tons and 590,000 tons of cacao seeds.

To make the Baci, the cacao seeds which have been through the process are then filled with hazel nuts, forming a small, round pellets. The idea of Baci was initiated by Luisa, who felt the desire to express her love in the form of the chocolate she made. She imagined a woman who was deeply in love wanting to perform it through the most romantic way. Therefore, in 1922, Luisa created the Baci chocolate which was packed by inserting a message of love in four languages. Baci which means kisses, symbolizes the passion and spirit of life which has been the characteristic of Italian people.

Besides Baci chocolate, Perugina also produces chocolate bars, sweet candies, biscuits and cookies. Other additional ingredients to enrich the flavor of their products are milk, almond, raspberries, and extracts of menthols. Perugina organizes short courses in chocolate making too. Interested in giving a try?

Now, Perugina has merged with the world’s biggest food and dairy products company from Swiss, Nestlé. Nevertheless people will always know that Baci chocolate is the real, original, Italian-made chocolate. If you have the occasion to visit Italy (maybe to celebrate Valentine’s Day?), don’t forget to buy Baci chocolates for your beloved friends and families in your home country.

How to Reach Perugina?

From outside the Perugia Railway Station, take the bus no.E45 to San Sisto direction. The Perugina chocolate factory and school is located in the Via Pievaiola, 06143 San Sisto, Perugia. Don’t forget to make a reservation before a visit or course to this number: +39075-52761.