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”.
Barry Callebaut has recorded a 4.9% drop in net profit for the fiscal year 2012/13 as it integrates Petra Foods’ cocoa business and experiences capacity constraints.
France’s leading private label chocolate maker Cémoi sees little growth in the European chocolate market and hopes instead to promote its branded goods in Asia and in the developing US private label market.
The tonnage of cocoa beans processed in Europe in the third quarter by the likes of Barry Callebaut and Cargill has risen by 4.7%. Euromonitor says the industry is playing catch up and rising cocoa butter prices may led to more expensive chocolate for...
Natra Cocoa and Chocolate has reported flat sales in its first half results due to weak consumer spending in Europe and a blip in chocolate consumption in its growth driver Asia.
ADM Cocoa has introduced a low fat cocoa powder that it claims is well suited to nougats and other protein foam based confectionery that lose structure in the presence of fat.
A great deal of research and development is needed before the industry is able to reliably replace cocoa butter with an ingredient that completely matches it, warn researchers.
Nestlé has followed in the footsteps of Mondelez by coming up with its own non-melting chocolate, which could prove a game changer in emerging markets with hot climates.
Russian fats and oils supplier EFKO Group has reported rapid sales growth in cocoa butter substitutes in its first quarter (Q1) results as the domestic confectionery market picks up.
Cocoa butter is estimated to be the fat source for around 40% of chocolate bars compared to 5% for cocoa butter equivalents (CBE) – but the balance could be shifting.
The North American cocoa grind has risen 5.77% in the first of quarter (Q1) compared to last year, leading one analyst to say there is still room for growth in the US chocolate market.
A non-melt edible chocolate toy that can be used like playdough is braced for international markets after a successful spell in toy stores in the UK, according to distributors of the product.
Sweden-based vegetable fats firm Aarhuskarlshamn AB (AAK) has reported increased operating profit for the fourth quarter, although volumes were hit by hurricane Sandy in the fourth quarter.
Netzsch has claimed that it offers an energy efficient chocolate production process as its grinding and liquid-conching processes run simultaneously in different equipment.
Consumers are likelier to have lower expectations of ‘reduced-fat’ labelled chocolate creating a cause for concern for chocolate makers, according to a study.
Cocoa products do not represent a major source of the potential carcinogen ochratoxin A in the diet, but may still requite monitoring, according to a new analysis of the supply chain.
Global decline in cocoa butter quality, coupled with growing demand for high quality cocoa butter mean that more robust but flexible refining technologies are required, say researchers.
Cargill has added a center of expertise to its cocoa processing facility in Wormer, the Netherlands and automated warehousing at the Port of Amsterdam following a €57m ($82m) investment.
Cargill has announced plans to invest €20m in two cocoa and chocolate production facilities in Germany as it looks to boost its presence domestically and in Eastern Europe.
German supplier Sternchemie claims recent in-house trials demonstrate that sunflower lecithin is a viable alternative to IP soy lecithin for chocolate manufacturer, but greater dosages are required to achieve the viscosity and sensory properties of soy...
Surging cocoa supplies did little to prevent front month prices for cocoa (cocoa futures) creeping up by 4 per cent throughout August, according to Euromonitor. “The big surprise has been that this rise has taken place on the back of strong supply projections,”...
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has announced that it will expand its cocoa processing capabilities at its facility in Singapore to enable it to keep pace with growing demand for cocoa and chocolate products from Asian markets.
Children and parents can say goodbye to sticky faces and fingers and stained clothes thanks to the globe’s first non-melting chocolate, claims confectionery manufacturer Choc-o-Bloc.
Leading industrial chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut has opened its first cocoa pilot plant in North America, a move that follows its reported objective to grow its chocolate volume sales by between 6 to 8 per cent up to 2013.
Italy has lost a long-running legal battle after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the nation's chocolate producers were guilty of breaking union regulations relating to pack labelling.
A new cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) blend claims to cut costs and ease “processing complexities” for confectionery manufacturers, said Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM).
Barry Callebaut plans to expand its strategic partnerships with local food manufacturers in order to “tap into the full potential” of emerging markets.
Sustainable, healthy, cost-effective cocoa butter equivalents may be produced from enriched sunflower oils, and enable formulation of chocolates with higher melting points.
Specialist fat supplier reports strong growth in cocoa butter alternatives, sustaining an increase in operating profits in spite of growing market uncertainty.
Healthy hydrogenated trans-free and short chained fatty acid-free solid alternatives to cocoa butter for chocolate production can be produced from sunflower oils enriched in stearic and oleic acids by means of a solvent fractionation method, claims a...
Partial substitution of cocoa butter in confectionery products may be achieved with tea seed oil, a by-product of tea processing, says new research with the potential to help chocolate makers cut costs.
Equipment that separates liquid chocolate from solid rework components by centrifugal force helps eliminate food waste by enabling the chocolate to be reused in product manufacturer, claims its German developer.
Innovative emulsions containing up to 60 per cent water may reduce the fat content of chocolate and offer low-fat formulations, suggests new research from the UK.
Government officials in Ghana have announced plans to transform the country’s shea nut production to echo the success of its cocoa industry, according to reports.
The high price of cocoa butter has led to greater demand for AAK’s cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) from specialty vegetable oils, and in turn has yielded strong growth in its confectionery fat business area.