Choose kano pastries if you want to hand out individual filled cakes during a shared coffee break. A box of chocolates is a better fit as a visible thank-you or when people will be helping themselves at different times. Before buying, compare the number of pieces with the number of people attending and check the allergens on the current packaging. Neither type of product is suitable for every group without checking first.
If you want to give everyone something with their coffee or tea at the same time, individual kano pastries are easy to count out. Pack sizes do vary by product: Jumbo’s product information lists five portions for its butter kano pastries, while Albert Heijn lists six cakes for AH BASIC Kano's.
If the treat should also be recognisable as a thoughtful gift, a box of chocolates suits a different occasion from a plate of filled cakes. The Merci gift box described by Albert Heijn contains 32 individually wrapped chocolate bars, so they don’t all have to be eaten at once.
If you’re sharing food with colleagues whose dietary requirements you don’t know, don’t choose on taste or presentation alone. The kano pastries and chocolate products we looked at vary in their ingredients and allergens. Keep the packaging with the treats so people can check the information for the product you’ve chosen.
First decide whether it’s for a shared coffee break or a thank-you. Then choose packaging to suit the number of people attending and what you know about their allergies.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Occasion and presentation | Do you want to put filled cakes out with the coffee, or give someone a box as a thoughtful gift? If you’re choosing chocolates, also check whether the pieces are individually wrapped. | If I want to thank someone at work, I look for something that clearly feels like a gift and lets people choose for themselves. This is the main priority for around 31% of consumers. |
| Portions and serving | Compare the number of pieces in the pack with the number of people attending; the stated weight doesn’t tell you how many portions you can serve. | For a coffee break, I want to know in advance whether everyone can have a piece at the same time. Around 31% of consumers give portion planning top priority. |
| Allergens | Read the label on the exact pack and keep the information available when serving. | If I don’t know which allergies my colleagues have, I want to check what’s in the treat first. This is the main concern for around 23% of consumers. |
| Packaging and availability | Check the contents of the product variant you’ve chosen and whether you can order it or find it in store in time. | When I’m organising something at work, I don’t want to have to look for a different pack just before serving. Availability and pack contents matter most to around 15% of consumers. |
Kano pastries are filled cakes with pastry almond paste or almond paste, not an assortment of chocolates. If you want to give a recognisable gift, they offer a different presentation and type of product.
Choose kano pastries for a coffee break and a box of chocolates for a thank-you. Put both out only if you want to offer both options.
The kano pastries and boxes of chocolates we looked at may contain milk, soya, wheat, egg or nuts, among other ingredients. Allergens vary by product and variant.
Where necessary, ask about dietary requirements in advance. Check the current label before serving and leave the packaging with the food.
A product page you can see online doesn’t tell you whether the pack you want will be available when you’re ready to buy. Some of the variants mentioned are only sold in store, too.
Check availability shortly before your planned office get-together, along with the contents of the pack you’re actually choosing.
If you have to find an alternative at the last minute, you’ll also lose time working out the portions again.
These examples can help you tell product types and pack sizes apart; a brand name alone won’t tell you which variant is right for your office get-together.
Albert Heijn provides product information about kano pastries and has a separate category for chocolate gifts.
Jumbo is a point of reference for butter kano pastries as a coffee-time treat.
PLUS describes a 275 g butter kano pastry topped with almonds and filled with almond paste.
Lidl Netherlands describes Sondey Kano's as butter cakes with almond-paste filling in a 325 g pack.
ALDI Netherlands lists 330 g Heerlijck Banket Kano's as cakes to enjoy with coffee.
Verkade is a point of reference for chocolate as a different type of product from kano pastries.
This selection includes chocolates for a thank-you. The other products are biscuits, wafers or cakes for an informal break; they aren’t kano pastries. Choose according to product type, pack contents and the label on the exact variant.
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A chocolate collection to give as a small thank-you at work. The pack contains 125 g; if you’re buying for several people, check the label for the number of chocolates and allergens.
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Chocolate biscuits for an informal coffee break, rather than a box of chocolates as a thank-you. The pack contains 150 g; check how many portions you can serve and read the allergens on the label.
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A chocolate wafer option for a break where you want to plan for ten portions. The title lists 10 × 12.5 g; as it’s a pistachio variant, check the current label before serving.
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A cake for an informal break at work, not a kano pastry or a box of chocolates. The pack contains 150 g; check the packaging for the number of cakes and listed allergens.
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Chocolate wafers with a caramel flavour to share during an informal break. The title lists nine pieces; check the packaging if individual portions and allergen information matter.
No. Kano pastries are filled cakes with almond-paste filling; a box of chocolates contains chocolate products. Choose kano pastries when you want to serve cakes with coffee, and a box of chocolates when the treat is mainly intended as a thank-you.
First count how many people will be having something at the same time, then compare that with the number of pieces in each pack. Jumbo lists five portions for its Kano's with Butter, while Albert Heijn lists six cakes for AH BASIC Kano's; the Merci gift box described by Albert Heijn contains 32 individually wrapped bars. The weight in grams doesn’t replace counting the pieces.
Keep the original packaging with the food and check the label for the product you’ve chosen. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information for prepacked food is shown on the label. If you know about any dietary requirements, ask people in advance what they need; don’t assume based on the type of product alone.
Use the product page to help you decide, but check the current packaging before serving. Albert Heijn says that product information may change; the label on the variant you’ve bought is especially important for ingredients and allergens.
Follow the storage instructions on the exact packaging. The product information we looked at for kano pastries says to store them in a cool, dry or dark place, while the information for the Merci gift box says to protect the chocolate from heat.
