Confiserie Vandenbulcke, Mitsuba and Arna Falco triumph in ISM 2022 New Product Showcase

ISM’s New Product Showcase has been the central platform for the industry's new products since 2009 and has established itself as one of the highlights at the show for industry decision-makers.

The special exhibition space on the Central Boulevard at Koelnmesse comprised 45 display windows and over 50 products from more than 30 exhibitors from 11 nations.

The top 3 innovations at ISM 2022:​

1. Confiserie Vandenbulcke with "Cabosse" from Belgium
2. Mitsuba with "Mitsuba Seaweed Crisps" from the Netherlands
3. Arna Falco with "Toffee Noir" from Spain

Confiserie Vandenbulcke from Belgium achieved first place in this year's New Product Showcase Award.

Oganisers Koelnmesse said the jury was impressed with Confiserie Vandenbulcke by how holistically the whole cocoa fruit was utilised in a praline.

According to the jury, the Belgian chocolatier succeeded in capturing the taste essence of a cocoa pod with all its nuances in a fruity, chocolatey way in the Cabosse filling, thus creating a new taste experience for pralines. By using the whole fruit organically, not only is there less waste, but the nutrients and minerals are also preserved, giving Cabosse its unique taste. 

Snack specialists Mitsuba impressed with a combination of sea salt, paprika or wasabi and without the use of palm oil and flavour enhancers in its spicy snacks.

Spanish toffee specialists Arna Falco came third with a wonderfully soft toffee that includs a deep chocolate note. This toffee, rolled in tender cocoa powder, is not only an experience for chocolate and toffee lovers, but also a great vegan alternative made from tiger nut milk.

Organisers said that due to cancellations caused by the pandemic, the field of participants in the Packaging category was not sufficiently representative this year to present the ISM Packaging Award powered by ProSweets Cologne. The jury decided to honour the following exhibiting companies as finalists of the ISM Packaging Award in the form of a certificate:

• bscg-group
• Chocal Packaging Solutions GmbH
• Energy Bullets

At the exclusive ISM Dinner, Italian confectioner Luigi Zàini was distinguished with the ISM Award for exceptional services to the industry.