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Fika Time: The Scandinavian Coffee Break Trend
The Fika Trend: How Cafés and Bakeries Can Boost Profits with Coffee Break Culture
If you haven’t come across the Swedish concept of ‘fika’, then you soon will, as it’s a growing trend across the UK. Another Nordic import, like the ‘hygge’ trend that swept the nation in 2016, ‘fika’ is a way of embracing a slower pace of life, enjoying a daily coffee and pastry with friends or colleagues.
Keep reading to discover how you can bring a little Nordic culture into your business and give your customers the gift of ‘fika time’ with delicious viennoiserie.
by Lyndsey Hall
20 March 2026
What is Fika Time?
According to Visit Sweden, fika is named after the Swedish slang for coffee, being an anagram of ‘kaffi’, the old spelling of coffee in Swedish.
In Sweden, the fika experience involves taking a break from work mid-morning or mid-afternoon (or both), for anything from ten minutes to half an hour or more. It usually involves freshly brewed coffee, a sweet treat, and a few minutes of chatting with colleagues.
Fika culture is more about the deliberate pause, the company you choose and the conversation than the coffee and cake – but these are still essential to the experience! There are even certain baked goods that are common to fika, such as cinnamon buns, Princess cake (Sweden’s national cake, like a Victoria sponge encased in green marzipan), or seven types of cookies – a tradition that dates back to the 19th century, when seven was considered the ideal number to serve at a social gathering.
Nowadays, the patisserie culture in Sweden is booming, in no small part thanks to the ingrained tradition of fika.
With the highly publicised rise in feelings of loneliness and isolation affecting people of all walks of life, there’s never been a better time to introduce ‘fika time’ in your bakery, café or coffee shop.
Valrhona Viennoisery: Fika Like the French
Croissants and pains au chocolat are staples of every bakery in the UK, but Valrhona’s new Viennoisery range is here to elevate your classic pastries to something extra special. If you’re a fan of their original Valrhona Dark Chocolate Batons then you’ll love these two new additions to their collection of chocolate sticks.
If you want to create an indulgent chocolate and hazelnut flavoured pastry, then you definitely need to try Valrhona Gianduja Style Croissant Stick. These milk chocolate batons contain 25% hazelnuts and give your viennoiserie and patisserie the flavour of a rich gianduja with every bite.
Bring your pastries bang up to date with innovative fruit couverture that tastes like raspberry jam. The new Valrhona Raspberry Inspiration Croissant Stick is perfectly designed to melt into your laminated pastry and create a pop of vibrant red-pink colour and a mouthwatering raspberry flavour.
Paired with a cup of rich, earthy coffee (French press cafetière optional), these decadent filled pastries are bound to capture your customers’ attention, while commanding a higher price point.
| Cost per stick (recommended to use 2 per pastry) | Price suggested per pastry | Uplift on a plain croissant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain Croissant | – | £2.50 | – |
| Dark Chocolate Batons 5.3g (approx. 300 pieces per box) | £0.08 | £3.50 | 40% |
| Gianduja Style Croissant Sticks 7g (approx. 228 pieces per box) | £0.22 | £4 | 60% |
| Raspberry Inspiration Croissant Stick 7g (approx. 228 pieces per box) | £0.26 | £4 | 60% |
Introducing Villars Swiss Chocolate Sticks
If you’re looking for exceptional chocolate sticks for your premium pastry range, then you’ll be delighted to discover Villars. This Swiss chocolate brand has been producing fine quality chocolate in Fribourg since 1901, using authentic Swiss Alpine milk and traditional manufacturing methods.
Thicker and more indulgent than your average croissant stick, Villars’ batons come in four unique flavours and allow you to create an elevated range of viennoiserie that your customers won’t be able to resist, from single flavour croissants to trio pains au chocolate.
Whip up a white chocolate pain au chocolate – simple but incredibly moreish – with Villars White Chocolate Croissant Sticks.
Try the Villars Milk Chocolate Croissant Sticks Filled with Hazlenut Praline for a creamy, nutty hit of chocolate in your pastry. Or, for a bolder flavour that will perfectly complement a hot beverage, choose Villars Dark Chocolate Croissant Sticks Filled with Coffee.
For a uniquely modern option, fill your croissants with Villars Blond Chocolate Croissant Sticks, giving your pastries the taste of caramelised white chocolate.
And for a truly premium pastry, create a croissant or pain au chocolat with any combination of these, from duos to an incredibly decadent trio.
| Cost per stick (recommended to use 2 per pastry) | Price suggested per pastry | Uplift on a plain croissant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain Croissant | – | £2.50 | – |
| White Chocolate Sticks 11g (approx. 234 per box) | £0.28 | £4.50 | 80% |
| Dark Filled with Coffee 10.5g (approx. 234 per box) | £0.29 | £4.50 | 80% |
| Milk Filled with Hazelnut Praline 11g (approx. 234 per box) | £0.31 | £4.50 | 80% |
| Blond Chocolate Sticks 10.5g (approx. 234 per box) | £0.32 | £4.50 | 80% |
Fika Time for Chocolatiers
Looking for a delicious way to introduce the fika trend in your chocolate shop? Our brand new Croissant Chocolate Mould is the perfect way to bring a little viennoiserie into your business, without having to learn how to laminate pastry.
Shell with Valrhona Dulcey Blond Chocolate and fill with a sumptuous almond flavoured ganache for that classic almond croissant style. Pair your croissant bonbons with Dark Chocolate Hollow Cream Cups filled with a white chocolate and coffee flavoured ganache, topped with a sprinkle of Botanical Décor Cacao cocoa powder for a cappuccino effect.
Embrace fika like a true Swede with our selection of quality chocolate sticks for croissants from Valrhona and Villars. We can’t wait to see what you create with these versatile batons, so there’s only one thing left to say. Fancy taking a fika break?
Lyndsey is a marketing executive, writer and lover of books and chocolate from Sheffield.
Her favourite bake is a gooey chocolate brownie.
