The wave of health and wellness comes ashore for chocolate makers,
with latest figures from Mintel showing the fresh healthier image
for dark chocolate has brought a much-need, and strident, upward
shift in sales for 2007.
Barry Callebaut today opened its first innovation center in the US
to focus on the development of new chocolate products meeting the
preferences of American consumers.
New outsourcing contracts for industrial cocoa from new and
existing chocolate makers boost volume growth for cocoa supplier
Barry Callebaut, helping to offset harmful exchange rates, energy
prices and inflation.
Cadbury is Britain's most trusted chocolate and confectionery
brand, according to a 2008 Reader's Digest survey, despite
Cadbury-Schweppes being fined £1m last year for allowing the sale
of salmonella-contaminated chocolates.
Confectionery makers will welcome the latest study to proffer the
potential health benefits of chocolate as US researchers report
that pregnant women who consume ample servings of this popular
confectionery may reduce the risk of...
Swiss chocolate company Barry Callebaut is to purchase a 60 per
cent share of Malaysia's KL Kepong Cocoa Products in a move
designed to increase its sourcing capacity in Asia.
Four hybrid cocoa species developed in Ghana to have improved
resistance to pest damage during storage have similar nutritional
properties to conventional cocoa, says a study that topples a
barrier to commercial trade.
While most consumers agree that ethically-sourced cocoa is no bad
thing, an ever increasing number of different schemes risks
muddying the issue and puzzling chocolate fans.
Cadbury today launched a fund to aid its cocoa suppliers
in Ghana, after research suggested that average production in
the region is now 40 per cent lower than the potential yield.
Manufacturers will increasingly turn to unusual confectionery
flavours such as pomegranate, eucalyptus and goji in order to make
their products stand out from the competition on supermarket
shelves, according to a new report.
Barry Callebaut has reported growth in full year 2006/7 that
outstrips the chocolate sector at large, largely driven by sales to
food manufacturers with which it has several big new deals.
A chocolate emulsifier ingredient from Palsgaard can now be used by
US manufacturers to replace the commonly-used soy lecithin,
following its recent approval by the nation's regulator.
The future of research into the potential health benefits of cocoa
should focus on the mechanisms and active compounds, with well
defined clinical trials key to this burgeoning segment, says a new
review by Nestlé.
A new aerated chocolate ingredient claims to allow manufacturers of
baked and dairy goods to cut costs and calories by reducing the
total amount of chocolate in their products without affecting taste
or visual appeal.
Swiss based Barry Callebaut will start delivering chocolate to
Hershey in North America within the next few months, following the
completion of the partnership this week.
Leading cocoa producer Barry Callebaut has discovered the specific
bacteria responsible for flavour creation during extensive research
into cocoa bean fermentation - enabling the company to produce
better quality chocolate in the...
Chocolate giants Hershey and Barry Callebaut, have teamed up for a
landmark partnership which will see the Swiss cocoa producer
providing the raw material for Hershey's chocolate products and
expanding facilities in South America.
US based cocoa producer Cargill has developed a new method of
processing cocoa which allows for reduced fat content and greater
dispersibility in cocoa powder.
Chocolate giant Mars has filed a lawsuit against Natraceutical,
alleging that the Spanish company is infringing its patents on
polyphenol-rich cocoa extracts by selling CocoanOX extracts in the
United States.
The trend towards food manufacturers outsourcing their chocolate
ingredient needs translated into impressive volume and sales growth
for Barry Callebaut's industrial business segment for the first six
months of the fiscal year.
Chocolate producers Nestlé and Barry Callebaut have joined forces
to improve their respective positions in the competitive European
market as the maker of Smarties chocolate hands over facilities and
a supply contract to the Swiss...
Barry Callebaut has produced a new website entirely devoted to
promoting the nutritional benefits of cocoa in an effort to
counteract the increasingly unhealthy image of chocolate products
and their unpopularity in a health-conscious...
The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has revised its gloomy
cocoa estimate of a 5,000 tonne deficit to predict a global surplus
of 80,000 tonnes of cocoa in the coming year, assuring
manufacturers of a steady supply.
European ingredients firm Puratos is the latest company to tap into
the trend towards product traceability with a new range of
origin-specific chocolates hailing from prime cocoa growing areas.
The burgeoning organic chocolate market is taking off thanks to an
increase in ethical consumerism and the willingness of
confectionery makers worldwide to exploit the trend.
Europeans are more clued up than their American counterparts when
it comes to the benefits of dark chocolate, according to a US
company educating the market through their range of functional
health-boosting cocoa products.
Chocolate manufacturers suffering from a dip in sales of seasonal
products should consider introducing products for lesser holidays,
including traditionally ethnic celebrations, according to Mintel.
The sugar alcohol maltitol is the most promising polyol sweetener
to replace sucrose in chocolate, says new research from Turkey, a
result that could lead to new types of sugar-free chocolate to the
booming "diet" candy...
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.
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.
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.
Our journalist Angela Drujinina brings you the latest
research on Russia¡¯s chocolate market, including producers¡¯
concerns, the market situation and market leaders.
Encouraging signs for chocolate makers in Western Europe as a new
report suggests sales of chocolate tablets could be picking up
after a dip in recent years.
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.
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.
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...
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...
Evidence backing the health promoting benefits of chocolate
continues to mount, bringing dynamism to slacking sales, reports
Lindsey Partos. Researchers from Spain have discovered that
polyphenols found in cocoa extract influence...
Squeezed margins from 'fierce competition' have hit profits at
Swedish oils and fats firm Karlshamns, which this week announced
job cuts in the context of a cost saving programme.
