Hot Chocolate Paper Cups

Cups for the Drink People Buy When It Gets Cold

Hot chocolate is a seasonal seller for most businesses, and that shapes how you should buy cups for it. Sales jump at the first cold snap, peak around the holidays and fade by spring. The cup needs to look like winter, hold a drink that is often topped with whipped cream or marshmallows, and stay comfortable in the hands of kids and adults standing outside.

The buyers we hear from are a wide group: holiday markets and Christmas tree lots, ski lodges and ice rinks, school fundraisers and Friday night football booster stands, bakeries running a cocoa bar, and coffee shops that add a peppermint or salted caramel hot chocolate in November. Each one wants a cup that feels made for the drink, not a coffee cup borrowed for the season.

Our hot chocolate paper cups come in 8 oz, 10 oz, 12 oz, 16 oz and 20 oz, with custom sizes available. Board runs from 12pt to 20pt, in white SBS, kraft or a colored base, with insulated options for drinks served steaming hot.

Sizing for Toppings, Kids and Outdoor Crowds

Cocoa is rarely filled to the brim. Whipped cream, marshmallows, a drizzle and a candy cane all need space above the liquid. When you plan your sizes, think about the finished drink, not just the ounces of chocolate.

For outdoor service, insulation matters twice: it keeps the drink warm in cold air and keeps hands comfortable. A double wall cup does both without a sleeve. If you sell to young children, a smaller cup filled a little lower is the practical choice.

Cocoa cups can also have handles, which help at sit-down events and with younger kids. If that is what you have in mind, look at our paper cups with handles for handle styles and sizes.

Designing a Winter Cup That Still Works in February

The biggest design choice is how seasonal to go. A cup covered in Christmas trees sells well in December and looks odd in late January, when cocoa is still selling. Many businesses split the run:

• A holiday design for late November through December, often with gold or red foil accents.
• A general winter design for January and February, with snowflakes, mountains or a simple cocoa illustration.
• A year-round brand cup for spots like ski lodges and rinks that sell cocoa in every season.
• A short event run, such as a tree lighting or school fundraiser, with the date printed on the cup.

Dark backgrounds suit cocoa well. Deep brown, navy and forest green look warm and hide drips from whipped cream better than white. On a dark cup, use white or metallic type so the logo stays readable. Gold, silver and rose-gold foil all print on paper cups and catch light under string lights at a night market. Embossing adds a raised texture to a logo for premium cafes.

If your holiday cup will double as a coffee cup, the Christmas coffee cups range shows designs built to cover both drinks in the same season.

Serving Hot Chocolate Smoothly

At a busy stand, speed comes from setup. Keep cups, lids and toppings in the order they are used: cup, pour, top, lid. Pre-stack the lids by size so a 12 oz dome does not end up on a 16 oz cup. If you top with whipped cream, add the lid right after so the cream does not slide down the side when the cup is handed over.

Store cups dry and keep cartons away from steam tables and kettles. Cold, damp outdoor storage, like the back of a trailer at a winter market, can soften board over a few days, so bring in what you need for each shift.

Groups at rinks and tree lots often buy four or five drinks at once. A paper cup carrier makes that easier and reduces spills on the walk back to the car.

How to Order Your Cocoa Cups

1. Choose the sizes you will sell, and whether you need a holiday design, a winter design or both.
2. Send your logo and any seasonal artwork. Our designers can build a festive layout from just a logo at no charge.
3. Pick board, wall type and any foil or embossing.
4. Approve the digital proof. Free samples are available if you want to test a dome lid fit.
5. Production runs 4 to 6 business days after approval, with rush options for last-minute holiday events.

The minimum is 100 cups, which makes a short event run easy. Shipping is free to the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. Order holiday cups early in the fall, since printing calendars fill up as the season gets close. For more seasonal options, browse our seasonal paper cups for holidays.