Private label chocolate is no longer a cheap replica of branded products and regular audits from supermarkets are helping quality grow, according to the CEO of UK private label chocolatier Ashbury Chocolates.
Switching to natural colours can be an important product differentiator, as consumers around the world will always choose a natural product when given the option, says ingredient firm Chr. Hansen.
Working from beans to chocolate or farmer to consumer brings with it a lot of advantages – including strong sector knowledge and the ability to identify and respond to market trends, says Cémoi.
Flexibility was the aim behind Carle&Montanari-OPM’s new launches for chocolate preparation and primary packaging that it showcased at ProSweets, its sales and marketing manager said.
Taura Natural Ingredients’ newly launched gourmet fruit inclusion range plugs convenience, shelf-life and health for the artisanal baker, its marketing manager says.
UK premium chocolate firm Thorntons has restored sales growth in its second quarter trading update as its focus shift from own-stores to commercial sales pays dividends.
Lindt & Sprüngli recorded strong sales growth in 2012 and could prove an attractive “end game” acquisition for fellow Swiss confectioner Nestlé, according to one analyst.
Which confectionery brands rank highest on Facebook? Data from SocialBakers.com breaks down the countries where fans are based, giving candy makers valuable insights into product popularity in global markets and a point of comparison to rival products.
Ferrero UK has lined up a flurry of seasonal promotion totting up to £6m ($9.6m) that it says puts it in second spot for food media spend this year, just behind Coca Cola.
Czech confectioner POEX has increased its pack capacity by 88% by shifting from linear weighers and volumetric fillers to an x-ray and check weigher combination from Ishida, it claims.
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Wilmar International Limited have launched Olenex, a joint venture for the sale and marketing of refined vegetable oils and fats in Europe.
Kraft Foods’ global snacks spin-off Mondelez International will focus on penetrating the Chinese market and will introduce lower price points for gum as it looks to reinvigorate the ailing gum and candy segment.
Consumers are likelier to have lower expectations of ‘reduced-fat’ labelled chocolate creating a cause for concern for chocolate makers, according to a study.
Nestlé has reported declining profit margins for its confectionery business in its half-year results due to the turbulent European economy, but grew sales in the segment thanks to its Kit Kat brand and new innovations.
UK confectioner Zetar plans to shift its focus on seasonal products to branded and private label sales after suffering a 17.5% profit decline in 2012. Its chairman also plans to stand-down.
US confectioners Farley’s & Sathers and Ferrara Pan have announced plans to shut a manufacturing facility and a packaging and distribution plant following the two firms’ merger to become the Ferrara Pan Candy Company.
The Australian confectionery market has remained resilient in the face of economic struggles due to investment in product development from the industry, accoding to a report.
Demand for more ‘personalised’ chocolate aimed at individuals is a major trend confectionery manufacturers should tap into in the near future, according to Datamonitor.
Swedish-based firm AarhusKarlshamm AB (AAK) has recorded its highest ever first quarter (Q1) results driven by its food ingredients arm and its Golden Foods/Golden Brands acquisition.
Norwegian firm Orkla Brands has acquired a 100% stake in Polish bakery and confectionery ingredients sales and distribution company Kobo as it plans to modernise a plant in Poland.
New product launches for Easter have soared on last year, but consumers are favouring familiar brands in their Easter confectionery choices, according to an analyst at Mintel.
FoodProductionDaily.com caught up with Dr Ian Davidson of ExxonMobil at Anuga FoodTec in Cologne last week to talk about new energy saving claims the company is making for its range of food-grade lubricants.
The Uk’s Advertsiting Standards Authority (ASA) said Mars did not breach marketing regulations in its Snickers twitter campaign featuring footballer Rio Ferdinand and glamour model Katie Price.
Israel’s antitrust authority has received a complaint alleging that the country’s number two food manufacturer The Strauss Group is exploiting its monopoly on the domestic chocolate market by overcharging consumers.
UK chocolatier Thorntons has suffered a 63% decline in profits in its half yearly report and intends to close almost half of its own stores and focus on commercial retail sales.
Swiss chocolatier Lindt has recorded sales below market expectations and could be subject to a takeover from Nestle, according to an analyst from Kepler Capital Markets.
Wrigley UK has appointed US Coca-Cola global marketing director for sports & energy, Daniela Campari, as UK marketing director to ‘re-invigorate’ its brands.
Hershey clocked a profit for the first quarter of 2011, with it citing new product launches, expansion outside the US and a 30 percent increase advertising spending as key to the positive financials.
A new stretchable paper may signal the beginning of the end for thermoform plastic trays, Billerud told FoodProductionDaily.com at the Emballage show in Paris last week.
Cargill’s sweetener experts have further enhanced its reduced calorie chocolate prototype that was shown at FIE in November 2009, with the commercial product set to hit the market at the end of 2011, said the company.
Chocolate products are smashing through the recessionary gloom in the US with sales expected to top $19bn within four years, according to the latest report from research group Packaged Facts.
UK Media watchdog Ofcom has found that children are exposed to less high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) products through TV advertising since 2005 and it sees no need to tighten the current regulations.
Strong performance in the Americas, particularly for bakery ingredients, has seen Associated British Foods (ABF) post an operating profit up 25 per cent.
The confectionery division of impulse snack and confectionery foods group Glisten, reported an increase in sales by three per cent to £16.2m, with operating profits also up seven per cent to £1.5m in its interim results announcement for the six months...
Brain scans could allow food marketers to learn about a product’s appeal – or lack thereof – while it is still at the design stage, according to analysis published in Nature Review Neuroscience.
Branded food manufacturers should start preparing now to win back customers from store brands when the economy improves, advises a new report from market researchers The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research.
Factors such as ease of opening and resealable closures rather than sustainability of materials are driving upcoming packaging developments, claims Mondi Consumer Flexibles.
Bemis said a gradual improvement in demand for flexible packaging, especially for shelf-life extension products, was a major factor in it posting better than expected Q4 and year end results.
The worst of the global economic crisis on chocolate is over but global market volumes will remain flat throughout 2010, predicts Barry Callebaut – which itself is expecting to outperform the market.