Global confectionery giant, Hershey, has announced encouraging
sales and rising profits - thanks to a strong focus on product
innovation and seasonal marketing in the last year.
IndulgeInChocolate.com, an online gourmet chocolate business, has
extended its line of top-end products in order to tap growing
demand for quality treats.
Chocolate and drinks group Cadbury Schweppes will spend A$24.5
million (€14.3m) on an expansion at its chocolate factory in
Tasmania, it announced last week, citing growing demand for its
chocolate bars in Australia
This month's All Candy Expo in Chicago saw an impressive range of
dark chocolate launches, suggesting that innovation is still
possible in this well-established segment.
Hershey's expansion of its health and nutrition initiative
underlines the extent to which chocolate makers are keen to tap
into consumer health concerns.
Palsgaard, which has launched a range of ingredients designed to
ensure the stable production of low-fat and cost-effective ice
cream coatings, explains why emulsifiers are so important.
Iconic chocolate and snacks brand Hershey has announced
disappointing sales figures, but posted a seven per cent rise in
quarterly profit as the company works on product innovation and
cost minimisation.
A French chocolate industry body has recognised CIRAD for its
pioneering work within the cocoa commodity chain and its
groundbreaking research into cocoa.
Seasonal Easter sales helped sell more than a quarter of America's
gourmet chocolate last year, and during the next four years will
help drive overall sales to nearly $1.8 billion, according to a new
report.
The UK is unlikely to lose its place as one of the world's major
consumers of confectionery despite coming under increasing pressure
as a relatively `unhealthy' food.
Chocoholics rejoice: 2005 was the year it became clear chocolate
really is good for you. But before Christmas ushers in a race to
cram the candy, reflect a moment on where the benefits truly lie,
and where they don't.
Fresh from airing its photographic chocolate technology on the
BBC's Dragons Den, Chocpix looks to have more innovation up
its sleeve. At the ISM show next month, it will be unveiling the
world's first edible comic.
ADM Cocoa hopes to enable manufacturers to differentiate products
and deliver uniquely attractive foods through the launch of a
bright red cocoa powder.
After two years of development ChocoMed, a subsidiary of House of
Brussels Chocolates, is launching its first health and wellness
products using chocolate bars as the delivery medium.
Dark chocolate made with flavonol-rich cocoa may help prevent
diarrhoea, say scientists who have found cocoa compounds to limit
the development of fluids that cause the condition.
The level of antioxidants commonly available in chocolate is
directly linked to the level of natural cocoa contained in the
product, says a new study from the US.
Confectionery companies could always count on consumers to boost
sales at Christmas and other holiday seasons, but a report
published by Mintel adds more support to the notion that consumer
trends are changing.
Seasonal chocolate sales in the US are forecast to reach $3.3bn
(€2.6bn) in 2005, marking a substantial decline over the past five
years, according to a new report published by Research and Markets.
Key to successful premium chocolate product development is an
understanding of the varying consumer habits, expectations and
behaviour in different countries, according to leading Swiss
premium chocolate manufacturer Lindt &...
Leading premium chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli has
reported record first half results on the back of increased demand
for premium products in an otherwise slow-moving European chocolate
market.
British chocolate maker and retailer Thorntons has announced that
its chairman Christopher Burnett is considering making a buyout
offer to the company.
US confectionery company Hershey is marching along the acquisition
trail, announcing this week that it has bought another premium
chocolate firm, Californian-based Joseph Schmidt Confections.
Leading US confectionery firm Hershey announced last week its plans
to acquire Californian-based chocolate maker Scharffen Berger in a
deal which the company hopes will allow it to break into the niche
premium quality dark chocolate...
Our journalist Angela Drujinina brings you the latest
research on Russia¡¯s chocolate market, including producers¡¯
concerns, the market situation and market leaders.
Confectionery makers continue to tap into consumer weight and
health concerns in a bid to boost stagnant sales as UK confectioner
Cadbury launches a new range of chocolate bars with under 99
calories.
British confectioner Cadbury is to enter the flourishing organic
chocolate sector for the first time, after acquiring Green and
Black's - the company behind the UK's fastest growing confectionery
brand, Tom Armitage reports.
Cadbury Schweppes, the world's number two confectionery
manufacturer, is to revamp its famous Bournville chocolate-making
facility, as demand for its Dairy Milk brand continues to soar,
Tom Armitage reports.
Barry Callebaut has developed a new process designed to preserve
the valuable polyphenols in cocoa beans during chocolate
production, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Evidence backing the antioxidant powers of natural cocoa could
bring new opportunities for confectionery firms looking to boost
slacking sales in a saturated market, reports Lindsey Partos
.
Eating dark chocolate improves glucose metabolism and decreases
blood pressure, reveals fresh research, bringing new leverage to
the market potential of chocolate for food makers,writes Lindsey
Partos.
Swiss chocolatier Lindt and Sprüngli has announced record sales
figures during 2004, on the back of improved export sales and
burgeoning consumer demand for premium chocolate products in
Western Europe, Tom Armitage reports.
Mars, one of the most recognisable chocolate confectionery brands
in the world, has confirmed that UK production of its Twix and
Starburst brands is to be outsourced to Continental Europe, ending
weeks of speculation and axing 700...
Democrats Tom Harkin and Eliot L. Engel wrote a hard-hitting piece
in the LA Times on Monday about the human cost of the chocolate
trade, but the cocoa industry has hit back by reaffirming its
commitment to responsible farming.
Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli has reported its
highest-ever rate of organic growth for 2004, with its focus on
premium products allowing it to buck the general trend towards
reduced consumption of chocolate in favour of healthier...
Mars, one of the most recognisable chocolate confectionery brands
in the world, could soon have its UK production outsourced to
Europe following increasing competition in the domestic
confectionery sector and flagging overall sales...
Chocolate consumption in the UK is slowing down as health and diet
concerns impact sales, a trend which has created opportunities for
major players to roll out sugar free and low carbohydrate products,
according to market analysts...
