Belgian truffle maker Duc d’O has entered India through a distribution deal with Cosmo Fine Foods and hopes to target increasingly affluent Indian consumers.
Mondelēz International has upped the cocoa content and revamped the packaging of its Cadbury Bournville brand in India to appeal to the growing middle classes.
White packaging is on the rise globally, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out within the retail space, according to an industry commentator.
Special Edition: Consumer friendly confectionery packaging unwrapped
Big brands may be dipping their toes in the interactive packaging pool, but two analysts question whether consumers really want this technology and ask if if manufacturers can keep the technology fresh and up to date.
Lindt & Sprüngli has announced plans to double the size of its US headquarters to meet growing consumer demand in the US premium chocolate market, which it says is its biggest and carries the most potential.
Lindt & Sprüngli will open three retail stores in São Paulo this year thanks to a joint venture with Brazilian premium chocolate specialist the CRM Group.
Ecom and Armajaro maintain they did not fail to pay farmers for certified cocoa beans as Ecom’s trading license is suspended and a media hotchpotch of leaked documents and official positions ensues.
Private equity firms and Hershey are prospective suitors for up for sale Russell Stover, but America’s leading boxed chocolate firm could struggle to stay relevant, according to an analyst from Mintel.
Nestlé’s confectionery profit margin nosedive in 2013 was a consequence of higher cocoa prices and increased marketing spend that reflect faith in the category, according to the firm’s CEO.
US Valentine’s candy consumers are expected to spend more than last year, but many will seek products on offer, while the rich will buy richer with more premium offerings.
US consumers have a growing appetite for new tastes such as ethnic flavors and single origin chocolate, creating an opportunity for gourmet confectioners, according to the Sweets and Snacks Expo organizers.
Consumers are starting to view chocolate more as a cultured wine tasting and less as a sweet treat gone in seconds, according to a wine expert hired by Barry Callebaut.
Austrian confectioner PEZ International is hoping to take advantage of the vogue retro trend by re-launching peppermint candies for adults that were previously ditched in favor of child-friendly products in the sixties.
Researchers financially supported by the USDA and Lindt have developed a non-sensory method to determine when fine flavor cacao beans have become adulterated with inferior beans.
Belgian chocolate is profiting from a consumer trend for authentic and traceable products, according to industrial chocolate producer and ingredients supplier Puratos.
Thorntons reported sweet success over Christmas, with its second quarter results, for the 14 weeks to January 22, revealing sales in both fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and retail divisions ahead of some City analysts’ expectations.
Freeze drying could unlock the potential of red berries and citrus fruits as decorations and inclusions in chocolate while preserving the color and nutrients of the fruit, says supplier Chaucer Foods.
Not quite the choc-pocalypse, but retail prices for chocolate are expected to rise in the face of cocoa price hikes, which could see the taste, shape and size of chocolate change significantly in the year ahead.
The chocolate market will develop a marked divide between cheaper, lower quality products and higher end offerings that use cocoa blends allowing consumers to distinguish aromatic notes like a wine-tasting, says Cémoi’s R&D chief.
Lindt, Ferrero and artisanal chocolatiers could be set to profit from thriving demand for premium chocolate in Australia, market analysts Leatherhead Food Research say.
The European Cococa Association (ECA) is campaigning to exclude cocoa and cocoa semi-finished products from voluntary and mandatory origin labelling foreseen in mooted EU legislation.
Simply paying African cocoa growers more will not incentivize them to move away from the encroaching, more lucrative industries of palm and rubber, says Barry Callebaut.
Fruit may have its own stand alone functionality but Taura Natural Ingredients says fortification with milk and pea proteins, green coffee and grains will bring the ingredient into new areas.
The industry needs to think how farmers can be incentivized to grow organic cocoa because premiums do not currently compensate the productivity shortfalls from not using pesticides and fertilizer, according to Tradin Organic’s cocoa director.
Bean-to-bar chocolate maker Theo Chocolates has taken its first steps outside of the US by entering retail stores in Canada as demand for ethical products rises in North America.
An analyst has called Milka’s recent selective marketing a “masterclass” in how to implement cost-efficient, brand equity building strategies against a backdrop of an industry in “turmoil”.
The company behind Australia’s first single origin chocolate says the country’s cocoa is rich in polyphenols and is set for a big future. Its executive chairman, Cadbury veteran Barry Kitchen talks to ConfectioneryNews.
Scottish chocolate start-up, IQ Chocolate, has high hopes for its “raw” dark chocolate bars within the high quality, functional foods sector and is currently in the initial stages of preparing a dossier for a health claim.
The premium private label chocolate industry is becoming increasing interested in the subtleties of cocoa and is willing to sacrifice single origins for a flavorsome blend, according to French chocolatier Cémoi.
UK premium confectioner Thorntons has claimed consumer sentiment for gift chocolates is strong in spite of a troubled UK economy as it posts positive full year results.
Boxed chocolates, sugar-free candy and fair trade chocolate are likeliest to succeed in the increasingly premium Dutch confectionery market, according to an analyst at Leatherhead Food Research.
Lindt & Sprüngli intends to invest CHF 200m ($217m) in new production lines at existing plants in the US and Europe in response to rising demand in developed markets.
Lindt & Sprüngli has recorded a 40.2% rise in net profit in the first half of the year results driven by improved consumer sentiment in developed markets such as the US and Europe.
Branded chocolate makers could get a sales boost by cutting prices for fairtrade products in developed markets and making items more readily available, according to an analyst from Euromonitor.
For Justin Woolverton, founder and CEO of premium ice cream brand Halo Top Creamery, life had become too sweet and too sour at the same time. A dissatisfaction with his career path and a dietary restriction landed him in the freezer aisle.
Thorntons chief executive Jonathan Hart expects further growth from supermarket sales in the coming year, he told FoodManufacture.co.uk, after the company posted strong fourth quarter growth in the division including that area.
