CATEGORY INSIGHTS: SWEET TREATS

SWEET TREATS

Fresh flavours, fun, share packs, indulgence and premium products are some of the key trends in chocolate and confectionery this year.

Ken Davis, Senior Client Manager at DKSH told us that Lindt continues to drive the innovation in the Boxed Chocolate category with a fantastic new mainstream recipe. “Lindt Boxed Chocolates are growing at 9% ($ value QTR in TKA to 23/1/22 IRI data),” he says.

“Lindor Milk Salted Caramel launched on January 24th just in time for Valentine’s Day. But in March, Lindt will be launching into the super-premium blocks space meeting consumer needs with a new luxuriously indulgent range to improve the category average selling price.

“Consumers are looking for products that are sensorially rich to eat, leaving them feeling satisfied, like they’ve treated themselves with a high level of inclusions and texture on-trend,” says Davis.

Lindt Les Grandes blocks are an indulgent satisfaction of roasted nuts and Swiss Lindt chocolate. The Lindt’s Master Chocolatiers have created these masterpieces using whole nuts, roasted to perfection in-house for absolute freshness. The addition of caramelised nut pieces provides richness and crunch - blended with finest Swiss chocolate, absorbing the stunning roasted nut flavour, making this a true delight!

Davis says consumer feedback included: “These are amazing”; “My alltime favorites”; “OMG these are delish”; “Best EVER!!”; “Finally, a white chocolate nut option!”

The iconic Lindt Gold Bunny is also back in store now, celebrating his 70th birthday but be quick and “catch him before he’s gone,” says Davis.

Perfect for sharing... Queen Anne Chocolate Fish Bites

The success of the premium Queen Anne Chocolate Fish 50g range created an opportunity for a ‘bite sized’ chocolate fish, to add value in the Share Pack sector of the Chocolate Confectionary Market. Queen Anne Chocolate Fish Bites 170g launched strongly, with national distribution by the end of 2021, despite the challenges of a COVID impacted retail environment.

Appealing visual graphics on these boxed products support both Gifting and Impulse purchase. Queen Anne Chocolate Fish Bites offer the consumer several benefits: New Zealand made, gluten free and natural flavours and colours.

There are two variants in the 170g range - the #1 selling Dark Chocolate Raspberry Marshmallow Fish Bites and the iconic Milk Chocolate Strawberry Marshmallow Fish Bites. “The Dark Chocolate Raspberry Marshmallow Fish Bites 170g now has the highest ROS over all our everyday boxed products,” says Managing Director Sarah Adams.

“With the success of the Chocolate Fish Bites we are exploring range extension opportunities,” Adams says.

To facilitate the year-on-year brand growth, Queen Anne is moving into larger Christchurch manufacturing premises in mid-2022.

“Queen Anne continues to contribute to the confectionery category, growing more than four times faster than the category, at 11.1% in value vs 2.7% category growth (Nielsen MAT 02/01/2022),” says Adams.

Contact your local Alliance Marketing Representative for further information on the Queen Anne chocolate range.

Tony’s Chocolonely

Tony’s Chocolonely have a bold mission to make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate.

Launched in NZ in late 2020, the B-corp certified ethical Fair-trade chocolate has been embraced by Kiwis and Tonys’ Chocolonely can now be found on the shelves at Farro Fresh, New World, Four Square and Countdown stores around the country as well as smaller gift and boutique stores.

Local distributors Cook & Nelson have added a new flavour to the range - Dark Milk Chocolate Pretzel Toffee 42%, a rich, creamy dark milk chocolate dotted with crunchy salted pretzel pieces with a sweet toffee crunch all in a dazzling purple wrapper.

The Tony’s Chocolonely Festive (Christmas) bars were introduced in 2021 and sold out within weeks - keep an eye out for more exciting seasonal ranges throughout the year.

The Tony’s Chocolonely core range now has seven 180g bars:

• Milk chocolate caramel sea salt 32%

• Milk chocolate 32%

• Milk chocolate hazelnut 32%

• White chocolate raspberry popping candy 28%.

• Dark Milk Pretzel Toffee 42%

• Extra dark chocolate 70% (dairy free)

• Dark chocolate almond sea salt 51% (dairy free) Tony’s Chocolonely is distributed by Nick Brown and Becs Caughey from Cook & Nelson.

For trade enquiries please contact Becs Caughey on Rebecca@cookandnelson.com or 021886024. Minimum Order Quantity: 6 cases of 15 x 180g bars - whole cases can be mixed across SKUs.

Order details: Order by 10am weekdays for delivery next weekday Auckland, 1-2 days North Island, 2- 3 days South Island. www.cookandnelson.com www.tonyschocolonely.com.

Double D’s sugar-free confectionery

Pioneering healthier sweets for over 100 years by delivering quality products and taste sensations, Double D’s sugar-free confectionery range has something for everyone!

Brand Manager Aimee Tibbotts explains: “We pride ourselves to be market leader in sugar-free confectionery, appealing to consumers looking for healthier options. According to IRi Big Picture*, Double D is growing at 18.1% in value and 14% in units contributing 12.8% growth to the sugar confectionery category.

“With 100% naturally derived ingredients, it’s easy to satisfy your sweet cravings with Double D.”

Double D products are sugar free, gluten free and GMO free. Double D’s range includes sugar free marshmallows, fruit drops, fruit chews, chocolate drops, mints, gummy bears and butter candy (which uses New Zealand butter!).

You can shop Double D’s delicious sugar-free confectionery at your nearest Countdown and selected New World and PAK’nSAVE stores. For more information on Double D, please contact sales@houseff.co.nz.

Data source: IRi, MAT June 2021

News from ISM

A unique cocoa praline from Confiserie Vandenbulcke and vegan toffees from Arna Falco were among the top three Most Innovative Product awards at ISM in Cologne, Germany.

The New Product Showcase is a special exhibition on the Central Boulevard of the trade fair with 45 display windows, showcasing over 50 products from more than 30 exhibitors from 11 nations.

Easter chocolates on display at ISM

The top innovations were selected by an independent jury of experts from the industry, trade and science.

Confiserie Vandenbulcke from Belgium achieved first place in this year’s New Product Showcase Award as the jury was impressed by how holistically the whole cocoa fruit was brought to life in a praline. According to the jury, the Belgian chocolatiers succeeded in capturing the taste essence of a cocoa pod with all its nuances in a fruity, chocolatey way in the Cabosse filling, thus creating a new taste experience for pralines. By using the whole fruit organically, not only is there less waste, but the nutrients and minerals are also preserved, giving Cabosse its unique taste.

Winner of the Most Innovative Product awards at ISM.

From Easter gifts to sweet snacks and luxurious chocolates, ISM presented it all earlier this year, with around 1,100 exhibitors from 56 countries.

For more information visit https://www.ism-cologne.com/fair/ industry-trade-fairs

The FMCG Business team endeavours to produce a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients, plus a table of the freshest data available at time of print. If you wish to contribute news for upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz