The company has published its ‘Chocolate Foodprint’ for 2021-22, which leads the way for artisan brands in transparency and regeneration in the cocoa sector. We talk to Philipp Kauffmann, the company’s founder.
MIA, short for Made in Africa, is branching out from its base in Madagascar to work with cocoa farmers in West Africa. Co-founder Brett Beach tells ConfectioneryNews the reasons behind the move – and also provides an update on the situation on the island...
The recent global weather events has highlighted the real threat of climate change. In a special podcast Michael Gidney, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation, tells consumers about the impact of the climate crisis on its network of farmers and what they can...
Belinda Borck, Impact Editor at Tony's Chocolonely, talks to CN on the company’s latest impact report and why it is not driven by profit but by creating a fair price for the cocoa farmer and a transparent supply chain.
Scientists at Puratos claim to have made a breakthrough with a patent-pending ‘milk-alike plant-based chocolate,’ which has received praise from industry experts and consumers.
Dream Pops a fast-growing plant-based ice cream and frozen novelty brands in North America, is setting its sites on moving into the confectionery aisle in 2022, competing with giants such as Hershey, Mars, and Ferrero.
Alvin Lee was appointed chairman of the Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA) at the beginning of 2021 for a two-year term. He is also Cargill’s Cocoa & Chocolate’s Commercial Director for Asia-Pacific, and in our podcast interview, he gives listeners a...
The UK Government has introduced new rules for high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products that – when implemented in October next year – will affect the advertising of HFSS brands, volume promotions and the display of HFSS products instore.
Barry Callebaut’s latest innovation, ‘Elix’, is made from 100% pure cacaofruit and is described by the Group as the ‘first nutraceutical fruit drink’ with proven health benefits.
Earlier this year, The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) launched a new study to analyse data from various stakeholders’ Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS), with the aim of guiding improvements in their effectiveness at identifying,...
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, there is a growing demand for consumers to know where the ingredients in the products they purchase come from, says Philippe Bernay, Commercial Marketing Lead EMEA, Cargill Cocoa.
More than 450 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees traveled to the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis last week for one of the first in-person food and beverage tradeshows since the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020 to showcase two years of product innovations...
In our latest podcast interview, we talked to Freek van der Knaap, Van Houten’s Vice-President Vending & Beverages EMEA, about the launch of ruby as a chocolate drink powder, which is aimed at professionals working in the catering and confectionery...
Nate Saal is founder of CocoTerra, an all-in-one tabletop chocolate making machine that can produce real chocolate in the home, from conching to cooling in two hours, with the help of digital recipes and a guidance app. With the company now taking pre-orders,...
Ethan Budiansky, the World Cocoa Foundation’s Director of Environment, shares some of the findings from the CFI’s latest reports and explains why ‘getting more trees in the ground’ is important.
In its latest Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) Annual Report, Mondelēz International said it has distributed 712,771 trees across Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in the from October 2019 to September 2020, with a total of 975,848 trees planted as part of...
Paul Chibe, President and CEO of Ferrero North America, is the new Chairman of the National Confectioners Association Board of Trustees for a two-year term. In an exclusive ConfectioneryNews podcast, Chibe talks about his 30 years of experience within...
UPL, a global leader in sustainable agriculture products and solutions, announced it has joined the European Cocoa Association (ECA) as an associate member. We talk to Florent Clair, UPL’s Sustainability Co-Ordinator, about the company's long history...
With Veganuary in full swing and more popular than ever, Paul Morris, Luker Chocolate’s UK sales manager, chats to ConfectioneryNews about the 123-year-old family run company and its single origin Cacao Fino de Aroma.
A wide-ranging career in the food service industry has more than adequately prepared Tracey Hughes for her current role as managing director of UK ingredients distributor Henley Bridge. In our latest podcast, she talks about the business challenges imposed...
Olam International’s vice president and global head of environment has called for more support from the financial sector to help change the sustainability landscape in the cocoa supply chain.
“The chocolate industry is broken on two levels,” claims Tim McCollum, founder and CEO of Beyond Good chocolate, in CN’s latest podcast with influential players in the cocoa sector.
Cargill has reported it has made significant progress in achieving sustainable impact on land use, climate, water, farmer prosperity and human rights in the run up to the UN’s 2030 target.
The food industry is under massive pressure to reformulate products with less sugar. And in light of the voluntary target in the UK for manufacturers to meet a 20% cut in sugar by 2020 unlikely to be met, campaigners are increasingly demanding that mandatory...
COCO - The Art of Chocolate is an artisan chocolatier based in Edinburgh, Scotland, that places its emphasis not only on ethically sourced cocoa and fine couverture, but also the meticulous designs on its wrappers.
Jeff King, Hershey’s senior director of global sustainability and social impact, is the person responsible for the company’s Cocoa For Good sustainability program, which has committed to 100% direct-sourced cocoa in West Africa by 2025. He talks to ConfectioneryNews...
Bunge Loders Croklaan, one of the leading companies in edible specialty oils and fats production, has developed ‘Sweetolin’ that will enable up to 50% less sugar in the final confectionery product with ‘no compromise on taste experience’.
Former pastry chef and Nestlé senior confiseur publishes new book that bridges food art and science. He tells ConfectioneryNews about the idea behind his latest publication.
Determined not to let the ongoing COVID-19 crisis shelve plans, BakeryandSnacks virtually hosted the debate on snackification, originally scheduled to take place on stage at The Ingredients Show in Birmingham, UK.
Ethical and premium chocolate brand MIA, short for Made In Africa, has announced a multi-faceted tree planting program in Madagascar to offset sea freight carbon emissions, rebuild lemur habitats and provide local populations with forest fruits.
Divine Chocolate was established in 1998 by a co-operative of cocoa farmers in Ghana that owns 44% of the company and shares in its profit. Its cocoa is Fairtrade certified and 100% traceable.
Fair trade standards should become watchdogs instead of the benchmark for sustainability, argues the recently appointed head of sustainable commodities NGO Solidaridad.
Halloween is candy’s biggest holiday, and candy corn is at the center of it. ConfectioneryNews caught up with Peter Goldman, head of seasonal and Brach’s at Ferrara, to talk strategy, trends and good ol’ candy history.
On the eve of the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting in Berlin, ConfectioneryNews caught up with Antonie Fountain, managing director of The VOICE Network, which describes itself as ‘a watchdog and catalyst for a reformed cocoa sector’, for a special...
Until now, 70% of a cocoa pod was discarded as waste so ‘Cacaofruit Experiences’ marks the next generation of a food & drink category and it’s bang on the clean label trend. We talk to Pablo Perversi, Barry Callebaut’s chief innovation, sustainability...
Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life sustainability program aims to strengthen the company’s supply chain and the Cadbury maker’s on-pack claims are only to signal brands contain sustainable cocoa, says Cathy Pieters, the director of the program.
Emily Stone, co-founder and CEO of Uncommon Cacao, joins us in the CN podcast studio to discuss the organization’s recently released Transparency Report and to explain how it is disrupting the cocoa supply chain in the wake of ongoing industry challenges...
CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS is a regular Confectionery News podcast and online feature profiling influential people working in the confectionery industry. Our next podcast guest is Sarah Lynn, founder of Sweets in the City.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard on sustainable cocoa will help mainstream ethical cocoa, says the chair of the standard, while an NGO worries uptake will be limited.
The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) argues palm oil boycotts pave the way for unsustainable alternatives, but Greenpeace says that if the palm industry operates as usual, brands are left with little choice.
CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS is a regular Confectionery News podcast and online feature profiling influential people working in the confectionery industry. Our first podcast guest is James Cadbury, founder of ethical chocolate company Love Cocoa, and yes, a...
The World Cocoa Farmers Organization (WCFO) is asking Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to reconsider setting a minimum cocoa price, while the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) is suprised the price was not higher.
In this exclusive ConfectioneryNews’ podcast we talk to Kaylee Dugan and Laura Renaud, part of the company’s communications team, on what’s trending and how Hershey are managing to keep ahead of the competition.
A new exhibition at York Chocolate Story delves into the one of the world’s most popular chocolate bars. We speak to the man behind the exhibition, guest experience manager Bernie Fleck.
Rick Scobey, the president of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), outlines how cocoa outside sustainability programmes can be deforestation-free and what happens to farmers encroaching on protected areas.
Jen Shepherd, Fairtrade Foundation’s cocoa supply chain manager, talks to CN editor Anthony Myers on how the organization is working with its producer networks to address key issues such as climate change, gender empowerment and living incomes in the...
Ecuador’s efforts to create value at origin could be damaged by the EU’s recent regulation of heavy metal cadmium in chocolate, claims the president of the country’s cocoa export association.
