Leading pod-to-pallet chocolate supplier, Barry Callebaut, is targeting manufacturers in the Americas with a stevia-based dark chocolate for use in multiple applications, including moulding, enrobing and inclusions. The company said it has replaced sugar in the chocolate with an all-natural sweetener solution consisting of dietary fibres, the polyol erythritol and stevia extract, and added that the formulation has been customised to suit the taste preferences of region Americas.

In support of its global brand strategy, Mars is consolidating all global brand creative with BBDO and DDB. BBDO and DDB already work with Mars and will now be taking over additional brands from TBWA and SapientNitro, which will be phased out as of September. 

SapientNtiro will, however, continue to work on digital strategy and support of the Mars corporate site. BBDO will continue global creative management of Mars, Snickers, M&M’s, Cesar, Sheba, Five, Orbit, Extra, Dolmio, Uncle Ben’s,...

The Indian subsidiary of the international confectionery company Perfetti Van Melle has entered the snacks business with the launch of a new range called ‘Stop Not’.

It is the first country in the Perfetti Van Melle group to diversify its product portfolio to include ready-to-eat, packaged salty snacks.

Sameer Suneja, managing director of Perfetti Van Melle India, says, “Salty snacks is a very exciting and challenging category to be in. The category has seen a lot of action in the las...

Pietro Ferrero, CEO of the Ferrero group, has died at 47 of a suspected heart attack in South Africa while cycling.

“Italy has lost a businessman who embodied the best qualities of our industrial history – the continual search for excellence, creativity, the determination to compete even in difficult moments to defend a brand and make it a symbol,” comments Italy’s foreign minister Franco Frattini.

Ferrero was founded in 1946 when Pietro’s grandparents transformed a small coffee b...

Mars UK has unveiled its 2011 Market Review and confirms that value and convenience are the keys to success for retailers. The report notes that the confectionery market was valued at £4.9 billion in 2010 and showing growth of 5.3 per cent, it is the most significant category in snacking. The Convenience channel will see increased footfall in-store with consumers making more frequent convenience trips per week. 

Bep Dhaliwal, trade communications manager of Mars, comments, “In 2011, we’...

The Ginger People, North America’s leading ginger brand, announced an expanded commitment to European and Asian markets during this week’s Natural & Organic Products Europe Expo, one of the food and beauty industry’s largest trade shows held in the UK. 

Following years of double digit growth in the North American market, the company appointed former Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Christie Pearson, to direct their strategic growth plans in Europe and Asia. Based in central German...

The Wrigley Company is launching a new calcium enriched gum in Australia and New Zealand, claiming its ‘on-the-go’ delivery system can help address the reported calcium intake deficiency among 90 per cent of the Australian population.

Lindt & Sprungli, the Switzerland-based chocolate manufacturer, has seen organic growth of 7.3% in local currency terms in 2010, resulting in substantial market share gains in practically all countries and segments.

The company also has realigned its management structure, expanding responsibilities for four executives under its newly-created “Extended Group Management.” The team includes Rolf Fallegger, who since 2009 has held country responsibility for France, the UK, Russia and Poland;...

Green & Black’s has announced that it is now the world’s largest organic and Fairtrade chocolate brand following Fairtrade certification across its entire block bar and beverages products. It is also increasing financial commitment to ensuring the sustainability of the cocoa-growing communities. 

Neil La Croix, the company’s head of sustainability, says, “Green & Black’s is a brand which was built on ethical principles. The decision to increase our commitment to Fairtrade and roll ...

UK Fairtrade sales jumped 40 per cent to an estimated retail value of £1.17bn in 2010 from £836m in 2009.

Sales of Fairtrade chocolate confectionery have more than quadrupled in 2010 to an estimated retail value of £342m, making chocolate the leading Fairtrade product by value in the UK, according to the Foundation. Sales of Fairtrade drinking chocolate have nearly trebled to an estimated retail value of £34m, it added.

Eileen Maybin, a spokesperson for the Fairtrade Foundation told t...

Cadbury India, as part of the Kraft Foods Group, is to introduce the Oreo biscuit brand to India. The introduction marks the entry into a new category in India. “Oreo is the number one biscuit in the world by value and enjoys market leadership in many markets including the US and China,” says Anand Kripalu, president, South Asia & Indo-China, Kraft Foods, and managing director, Cadbury India. He adds, “Introducing Oreo marks the beginning of our journey in this growing category. The Ind...

Confectionery targeting children is difficult to define as a category in its own right. This is because many confectionery products are consumed by adults and children alike. However, some categories, like pastilles, gums, jellies and chews, boiled sweets and chocolate with toys, are mostly targeted ...

A report from the European Cocoa Association (ECA) showed that cocoa bean processing by European based manufacturers has decreased to 342,713 metric tonnes in the 4th quarter of 2010. Grindings are a key indicator of demand for cocoa from the chocolate and foods industries and the ECA accounts for around two-thirds of European bean processing. But food analysts at Euromonitor International argue that the fall in cocoa grindings by 2.4%  in the 4th quarter of 2010 is not an indication of a rea...

The ACE awards, which were established by the State Department in 1999, are given to honor U.S. businesses that demonstrate good corporate citizenship abroad, an...

Chewing gum brands Wrigleys and Trident plan to launch new and developed functional gum products in early 2011, supporting the predictions made by Euromonitor that “strong growth” is predicted for the confectionery category over the next four years.

Health concerns are fuelling innovation in the Japanese functional confectionery market, according to research from Datamonitor.

The report: Product Insights: Confectionery in Japan claims that in 2009, Japan ranked fourth in terms of new product launches and fifth in terms of market value in the global confectionery market. According to Datamonitor, factors that contribute to the innovation include a the increasing number of working Japanese men and women who are becoming highly health-con...

Hershey considers to start selling its confectionery in the UK and Europe. Until now, Hershey has been mainly existing on the North American confectionery market. International sales are making up only 14 per cent of Hershey’s total revenues of $5.3bn in 2009. However, since 2009 Hershey has shown strong signs of expansion to Europe as well. Infact in August, the company has established a European subsidiary in London and last year Hershey has been named as  a potential bidder for Cadbury d...

The Japanese-Korean giant has publically stated its intenti...

The Spanish government has introduced new regulation to make chewing gum less sticky in a bid to reduce the high cost of street cleaning in the country. Following a cabinet meeting last Friday, the government decree, which was aimed at updaing 32-year-old legislation, will ensure chewing gum bases in Spain are derived from a copolymer of vinyl acetate and vinyl laurate. The Spanish authorities said that this copolymer has the benefit of making gum easier to remove from surfaces. Vinyl acetate...

Managing director Anand Kripalu said that capacity is a "challenge" for the firm and that Cadbury will be looking to "drive up volumes". Kripalu said the expansion will take place at the company's existing six facilities in India but declined to comment on investments and any additional output. Asked if Cadbury will be selling more products from Kraft portfolio, Kripalu said: "As of n...

"Mintel's senior food and drink analyst Vivianne Ihekweazu said that chocolate performed strongly during the downturn, with consumers turning to it...

Kraft said that the team at the new €10.4m gum and confectionery R&D facility at Eysins will work closely with researchers at its gum and candy centre of excellence in New Jersey to determine how to develop gum and confectionery products and packaging that adhere to taste and other preferences of consumers throughout Europe.

Laurie Guzzinati, a spokesperson f...

The chocolate category 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. The market for confectionery in Japan increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.9 per cent between 2004 and 2009, with the chocolate category taking a 52 per cent share.

Traditional categories such as sugar confectionery accounted for one third of the n...

Perfetti van Melle is set to increase capacity in a plant in southern India as its two year long marketing efforts pay dividends in terms of its gum and éclair market penetration, according to a report in the Hindu Business Line.

Current 17,000 tonne capacity of its Chennai facility will be bolstered by over 50 per cent, claims managing director of PVM India, Sameer Suneja, The current capacity for the company in India is 70,000 tonnes, with manufacturing bases in two other locations in No...

Sweets showed impressive growth, but in terms of other segments within sugar confectionery, gum suffered a dramatic loss of sales in 2009 and mints are in a long term decline, finds a new YouGov Sixth Sense report on the UK confectionery market.

In 2009 the value of the total UK snacking confectionery market reached £4.9bn, which was an increase of around 4 per cent on the previous year, notes the publication, with the market analysts predicting that further growth this year will take the ...

New research from the US shows that some flavours of chewing gum are effective in reducing the negative effects associated with nicotine withdrawal such as anxiety.

Two production lines from a Moscow plant owned by Nestlé are being transferred to its Confectionery Union Rossiya factory, in a move that will create 149 new jobs, said the Swiss group.

Nestlé has built up a strong presence in Russia over the past 15 years. The Swiss group operates 13 productio...

IRI Summary through June 13, 2010

In confectionery sales, all signs point up for the start of the summer selling season.
Candy and gum posted positive gains of 4.2% in FDMx for the fifty-two week period ending June 13, 2010. Unit sales for the same period were also up by 1% which means that with dollars and units both tracking upward, real candy consumption growth is happening. Four week sales capped at 3.4% while 12 week sales garnered a respectable 2.4% growth.  The biggest growth percent...

Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates, Halls lozenges and Trident gum, three Cadbury brands, make the list of 10 "power" brands getting the bulk of the marketing money in developing markets, said Sanjay Khosla, Kraft's president, developing markets and global categories. They join Oreo cookies, Milka chocolate, Lacta chocolate, Jacobs coffee, Tan...

Hrshey's Indian joint venture Godrej Hershey is reported to be introducing chocolate products into Indian confectionery market. The JV was established in 2007, and it was focused on mainly food and sugar confectionery products in India.Hershey holds 51% of the joint venture.  The JV has already introduced a chocolate syrup into the Indian market from Hershey's portfolio.

According to Euromonitor reports that the growing Asian economies and rising consumer affluence have resulted in consumer...

"The decision has been taken in order to adapt production capacity to global market demand, forcing the company to rationalise its industrial structure in Spain in order to ensure its competitiveness and thus to maintain production in the country," t...

Candy and gum sales posted strong sales for the four week period ending March 21st and continue the positive trend for the first quarter of 2010.  Dollar sales for the fifty-two week period grew 9.3% in Food, Drug and Mass outlets other than Wal-Mart.   Sales for the four week period reached an astounding 10.9% due in part to the Easter holiday selling season.

Again this month, non-chocolate out performed the other categories in the fifty-two week period with 10.5% growth; chocolate was cl...

US chocolate manufacturer, Hershey, said it is still open to international expansion and it claims acquisitions will be made easier by the fact that the global chocolate markets are still fragmented. Hershey CEO Mr.David West stated, at the manufacturer’s annual general meeting  that the company still sees opportunity to grow abroad due to recent consolidation in the sector. Industry analysts claimed Hershey would face a tougher global competitive environment following Kraft’s recent acqu...

Products such as confectionery, biscuits and juice products are experiencing double-digit growth in China and this consumer demand fuels an increase in the country’s sugar imports, according to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report. According to this report China's sugar imports, traditionally around the one million tonnes mark, are forecast to rise to 1. 5 million tonnes in 2010-11.

China’s economy has grown fast in the last few decades, and the food and drink sector has seen a b...

Kraft made clarification on selling Polish business to comply with the EU rule. A company spoesman has said that the plan is to divest only Wedel branded business. All non-Wedel branded sugar confectionery and gum business will be retained in Kraft according to this declaration.

The European Commission gave Kraft clearance in January for the acquisition of Cadbury with the condition that Kraft would have to sell the Romanian and Polish businesses of Cadbury to a third party as the takeover would cause competition concerns in those particular confectionery markets. Kraft’s major brands in Europe are Milka, Cote d...

The gum, mints and breath fresheners market has seen sales increase over 10% since 2007 in the US, despite the recession, according to a research from Mintel. Mintel expects this growth rate to continue through 2014. According to this reaseach, the main reason behind this recession proof  characteriscis of gum and mint is their low price point and consumers' wish to have  a reward for himself or herself without spending so much.

Mintel also concludes that  innovative packaging and unique flavo...

A statement released before the company's annual performance assessment meeting said food activities created 8.8 b...

US chocolatier Hershey has launched new chocolate gifts for the Easter period.

The Hershey range includes three varieties of chocolate bunnies; a 5oz Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Princess Bunny, Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Crème Bunnies and Hershey’s Bliss Milk Chocolate Bunnies with a Meltaway Centre.

A Cadbury range, for which Hershey holds the US licence, includes; Cadbury Clucking Bunny Plush Toy with a Cadbury Crème Egg, Cadbury Mini Eggs Candy and Cadbury Caramel Eggs.

In addition,...

Mr.Bond is promoted to president (markets) of Kraft Europe, giving him responsibility for the group’s individual national business units.Kraft’s UK and Ireland MD, Mr.Nick Bunker, takes over the combined UK business of Kraft and Cadbury. They will both report to Kraft European president Mr.Mike Clarke.

Mr.Clarke said retaining Bond reflected the “‘best of both�...

Investment funds buying of cocoa futures are forcing cocoa prices up and damaging chocolate makers, the association of German confectionery producers BDSI said on Thursday. "The BDSI condemns the speculative investment by banks and funds in agricultural commodities which the food industry needs for its production," the association said in a statement. "While this commodity is currently at its most expensive level in 30 years, the price competition in German retailing makes it difficult to pas...

Nestle consolidates its Russian chocolate operations. The company will transfer production of its Komilfo and Ruzanna brands, which are currently manufactured in the Ruza district of the Moscow region, to the company’s Perm and Samara chocolate factories.  Upon the completion of this project, the Samara’s factory will become one of Nestle's largest chocolate factories. . 

Nestle acquired the Komilfo and Ruzanna brands and Ruza confectionery factory in November 2007.

Source: just-food.com

Chocosuisse reports it was not able to grow its export business, which it partially attributes to the lowe...

Kraft Foods' purchase of Cadbury is likely to have repercussions throughout the cocoa supply chain as a newly created chocolate giant seeks to drive down costs. The new company will be the top player in the chocolate and confectionery industry by revenue, overtaking Mars-Wrigley. Accordingly, traders and analysts expect it to use its increased clout to achieve promised cost savings. The U.S. food group has targeted annual cost savings of at least $675 million a year.

Cocoa futures on ICE rose ...

The Hershey Company today announced sales and earnings for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009. Consolidated net sales were $1,407,336,000 compared with $1,377,380,000 for the fourth quarter of 2008. Reported net income for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $126,779,000 or $0.55 per share-diluted, compared with $82,155,000 or $0.36 per share-diluted for the comparable period of 2008.
For the full year 2009, consolidated net sales were $5,298,668,000 compared with $5,132,768,000 in 2008, a...

It is argued that after Kraft and Cadbury merge, Hershey's main U.S. market will become more competitive and as being  a pure confectionery player, Hershey...

In the U.S., sales demonstrated “above-average development especially in the sec...

The Swiss industrial chocolate manufacturer Callebaut reported a 7.2 per cent increase in sales volumes in the three months prior to 30 November 2009, to 362,973 metric tonnes. Sales in local currencies were up 6.3 per cent, but 1.5 per cent in its reporting currency, to CHF 1,429.1.

CEO Juergen Steinemann  expects the company will continue to outperform the market, based on its growth strategy and order book. Barry Callebaut’s three year growth targets through to 2011/12 are for an avera...

Nestlé  announced  yesterday that pharmaceuticals group Novartis had exercised its call option to buy a 52% stake in Alcon for around US$28bn in cash. Novartis has bought 25% of Alcon in April 2008 for $10.4bn and plans to buy the remaining 23% of the business, offering investors a 12% premium if they agree to exchange their Alcon shares for Novartis ones. The move will cost around $11.2bn

Nestle has also confirmed that it plans to invest GBP15m (US$24.2m) over the next three years to upgrade...

On last Monday, cocoa futures climbed to the highest level since 1985 in London, boosted by speculation that supplies from the world's leading producer Ivory Coast may start to dwindle soon as disease is affecting yields there.

London's March cocoa rose about one per cent, to a peak of £2,249 a tonne. It was similar in New York where the benchmark March cocoa contract crept up $2 to finish at $3,378 per tonne, according to the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO).

Cocoa production in ...

The fmcg giant has scored a publicity coup by gaining endorsement from the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.

“The next step is to make all other produce Fairtrade where possible – in particular my own favourite, the Yorkie,” he said.

“This will depend largely on the Ivory Coast producing the large quantity and quality needed for Nestlé ...

Barry Callebaut's chief executive said in an interview in a Swiss newspaper that the company still aims to dispose of its consumer chocolate business in 2010 following the failure of an attempt to sell to Spanish food group Natra earlier this year.

Barry Callebaut has taken a strategic decision to exit the consumer chocolate business and focus on its industrial operations. But a plan to sell its consumer interests, including the Alprose and Sarotti brands, to Natra in exchange for a 45-49 pe...

IRI reported flat dollar sales for 2009 Halloween candy sales (officially -0.07 percent). However, overall confectionery dollar sales have increased 3.6 percent for the most recent 52-week period.  Halloween candy and gum saw a late spike in sales during the four-week period ending November 1, 2009.  However, sales were soft in the early Halloween selling season this year.  This would be anticipated in light of the continuing difficult economic climate. 

For the most recent 52-week pe...

The confectionary giant Hershey has launched a new range of travel retail exclusive products including Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Nuggets chocolates and Reese’s and Hershey's Miniatures.

The conical-shaped Hershey’s Kisses will be packaged in multiple variants designed for formal and informal gifts. Four varieties of the product will be offered in both box and pouch packaging. Hershey’s Nuggets chocolates are now being sold in a travel retail exclusive format initially in one v...