The luxury dessert franchise with 45 UK stores and two further afield is turning to the land of the rising sun for inspiration for its newest mocktail menu.
Hotel Chocolat has unveiled another push into the Japanese market by signing a new deal with Tokyo-based Eat Creator Corporation to include 21 Hotel Chocolat-branded shops across the country.
Nestle Japan’s new KITKAT Snax – which was launched alongside its first officially-approved craft beer - is not targeted solely at alcohol-drinking adults, but for all consumers looking for a sweet and salty snack, the firm has clarified.
Premium British sweet brand Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls has seen sales surge in Japan and is busy supplying an urgent order for 1,200 packets and 672 tins of traditional mint balls and 720 packets of sugar free mint balls after consumers fell in love with...
Japan is still in the early adoption phase of sustainable confectionery, but there is plenty of potential for it to go mainstream, according to consumer research from Barry Callebaut.
The popularity of ruby chocolate is skyrocketing amongst local and international confectionery and bakery companies alike in Japan, with a further boom expected ahead of Valentine’s Day .
Japanese start-up True Food & Design is developing a healthy, natural, vegan chocolate product that contains zero sugar, sugar alcohol and artificial sweeteners.
Nestlé has launched its first product to use a unique chocolate made entirely from the cocoa fruit, using the iconic KitKat wafer to test consumer reaction in Japan.
Morinaga America, a subsidiary of the 120-year-old Japanese confectioner, has capitalized on real fruit flavors, lively branding, and America’s obsession with chewy candies after quietly launching Hi-Chew in the US in 2008.
From ice cream on a roll, to high-cocoa content chocolate, here are four trends currently shaping Japan’s confectionery and dessert categories as seen at the recent FoodEx Japan show
Allergen-Free Foods, an arm of Nikkoh Co., is targeting growth with free-from chocolates after establishing an independent factory to develop products that do not contain 27 types of allergens.
Japanese confectionery giant Meiji is expanding production of health-focused chocolate in response to the growing consumer demand for cocoa’s purported health benefits.
European confectionery association Caobisco fears rules of origin on sugar may harm its export competitiveness to Japan despite improved market access through a new trade deal.
DuPont in Japan says it is striving to spur innovation in the supplement and functional food space for the ageing population by launching 11 ‘smart ageing’ concepts at this week’s HI Japan show.
Belgian luxury confectioner Fairy Chocolates has introduced a mini version of its éclair praline fusion Cho’clair as it concentrates on expansion in Asia.
Functional chocolate is poised to contribute to market growth in Japan based on the success of Lotte’s Sweet Days chocolate, says market analyst Canadean.
British food firm Chaucer has been sold to Japanese manufacturer Nagatanien in a £102.8m (€122.8m) deal which the freeze-dried food manufacturer says will help it expand into the US and Asia.
Japanese consumers are eating more dark chocolate at the expense of milk varieties as interest grows in cocoa polyphenols, says leading domestic chocolatier Meiji.
Belgian startup Fairy Chocolates plans to gradually introduce its éclair praline fusion Cho’clair across Europe after bagging an innovation award at ISM.
By Shane Starling at Health Ingredients-Japan in Tokyo
Japan’s innovative but restricted €25bn functional foods and food supplements sector is about to be handed a set of game-changing marketing keys by the government, industry players told us at Health Ingredients-Japan in Tokyo today.
Japan has a reputation for food innovation, and a new initiative by Nestlé will transform one of its iconic chocolate bars into currency for train travel while at the same time promoting a crisis-hit part of the country.
Cargill says that chocolate manufacturers can now make the switch from soy lecithin to the “more sustainable” sunflower lecithin after Japan became the last country to approve the emulsifier.
Belgian chocolatier Duc d’O has rebranded its flaked chocolate truffles to appeal to Chinese and Russian consumers looking for authentic handmade chocolate.
A great deal has changed in Japanese society since Nestlé opened the doors to its Far East division for the first time 100 years ago. And as the company moves into its second century, Japan now faces a raft of issue brought about by a chronically ageing...
Japan’s second biggest confectioner Meiji Holdings has reported a steep decline in its first quarter (Q1) confectionery profits as its chocolate sales fall and it suffers from a “shrinking” gum market.
Market Expansion Services group DKSH has opened a new innovation centre for confectionery and bakery ingredients in Taiwan to cater to the unique flavour preferences in the country.
The Japanese confectionery market offers limited opportunities for foreign players due to the nation’s ageing population and preference for functional foods, according to analysts from Leatherhead Food Research and Euromonitor International.
The chocolate category still accounts for over half of new confectionery product launches in Japan, but the functional segment is beginning to steal some of the limelight, according to a new report from market researchers Datamonitor
Drinking several cups of green tea every day could cut peoples'
risk of death from a range of diseases, but does not appear to
lower the chances of getting cancer, says a Japanese study.
South Korea's leading confectionery maker Lotte has bought a
Shanghai-based chocolate company, as it seeks to expand in the
fast-growing Chinese market.
Europe and the US continue to dominate demand in the €4.5 billion
flavours market, but Asia Pacific region is quickly catching up
thanks to high single-digit growth, reveal figures from a new
report.
Manufacturers of sports supplements may need to reduce sugar levels
in certain products as new research from Japan shows that
preference for sweetness decreases after exercise.
Japan's number one producer of instant noodles says it has reached
the initial stages of an agreement to form an alliance with the
Hebei Hualong Food Group, a major Chinese food processer.
