As Americans start to plan their winter holidays, chocolate and candy companies are set to meet the demand for special treats with news that half of consumers plan to celebrate the season by gifting confectionery products.
Hershey has announced its holiday lineup for winter 2022 with classic festive favourites including Grinch-themed Hershey’s KISSES and Reese’s Peanut Butter Trees returning once again, and brand-new treats such as Hershey’s Hot Chocolate Bombs.
While consumer spending on groceries has yet to dramatically slow in the face of rising prices to offset inflation, some CPG companies – including Hershey – are bracing for an eventual pushback, even as they continue to pass additional costs through to...
Mondelēz International is investing an additional $600m by 2030 in its cocoa sustainability program, Cocoa Life, for a total investment of $1bn since the start of the program 10 years ago.
Mondelez is ready to go all in on core chocolate and biscuits with plans to divest most, if not all, of the 20% of its business that falls outside of the categories in the next two to five years while simultaneously pursuing acquisitions in the spaces...
More than four years after Nestlé sold its US confectionery business to Ferrero, the CPG giant is dipping a toe back into the bite-sized sweets segment but through a better-for-you “snacking” lens with the national rollout of Rallies Nut Butter Bombs.
Taste and flavour are the product characteristics highly desired by chocolate consumers in North America when buying chocolates, according to the latest research by Clootrack.
Mars is dipping its toes into the emerging animal-free dairy space with the launch of a lactose-free milk chocolate brand called CO2COA featuring Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa and Perfect Day’s non-animal whey protein, which is made by genetically...
Chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut has signed a long-term agreement with Colombian food ingredient supplier Levapan to expand its distribution to key parts of Latin America.
The Hershey Company has filed a patent application covering the substitution of dairy solids with roasted grain flour, which it says yields ‘improved organoleptic and rheological properties’ over known dairy-free chocolates.
Consumers are taking a more mindful approach when it comes to chocolate consumption by balancing their cravings for indulgence with a growing interest in various better-for-you attributes whether it be health related or environmental, says global chocolate...
The FDA has denied a request to exempt rare sugar tagatose from the total and added sugars declaration on the Nutrition Facts panel, three years after granting the same request for rare sugar allulose, a decision petitioner Bonumose has slammed as “contradictory...
Hershey’s higher-than-expected sales and market share gains in the first quarter is a double-edged sword for the confection and snack company – allowing it to raise its full year guidance but simultaneously straining inventory and increasing the company’s...
After forgoing large Passover and Easter celebrations for the past two years, Americans are eager to gather with friends and family beyond their households – driving up projected unit sales of confections and groceries despite higher prices, according...
Mars Wrigley is investing $175m into expanding its Topeka, Kansas, facility where the company produces its M&M's Peanut, Twix, Snickers, Milky Way and 3 Musketeers product lines.
Dream Pops is rolling out its latest plant-based indulgent extensions into the shelf-stable confectionery and sweetened syrups categories, which CEO and co-founder David Greenfeld says will challenge the likes of industry incumbents Hershey, Ferrero,...
Historically people have celebrated Valentine’s Day by sharing sweets with others they love, but the pandemic-fueled rise of ‘self-care’ means more people also will treat themselves this year – helping push confection sales leading up to the holiday beyond...
Taza Chocolate is celebrating the release of one million pounds of finished goods and its best year since it set out in 2005 to make “stone ground chocolate that is seriously good and fair for all."
Plant-based chocolate manufacturers have a new ingredient to add to their toolbox: Palsgaard AMP 4455, an emulsifier which Palsgaard claims is twice as efficient as lecithin and can reduce the amount of cocoa butter used in plant-based chocolate formulations...
Chocolate is one of the first places consumers turn to when they're looking to indulge, says global chocolate ingredient supplier Barry Callebaut, adding that future growth opportunities in the category will be centered around health, transparency,...
The green M&M is trading in her go-go boots for kicky low-rise sneakers and toning down her sexuality as part of a brand refresh by Mars intended to make the candies “more inclusive, welcoming and unifying,” but it appears to be having the opposite...
The trajectory appetite for sweet snacks and specifically for plant-based treats has called for the creation of a day to celebrate vegan chocolate, an event spearheaded by the entrepreneur known as the Vegan Willy Wonka.
DouxMatok, an Israeli firm that is shaking up sugar reduction with patented technology that heightens the perception of sweetness, is teaming with Blommer Chocolate to produce a ‘game changing’ portfolio of chocolate products with significantly less sugar,...
After upending the gum category with the wildly successful launch of plastic-free, all-natural gum in a sleek, thoughtful package, the makers of Simply Gum are hoping to strike lightening twice – or preferably thrice – with its recent “low-key” entrance...
Best known for its lightly-coated chocolate-covered almonds and other nuts, SkinnyDipped has evolved into a platform brand expanding into high-growth adjacent categories, said CEO Breezy Griffith.
Continuing to benefit from elevated at-home consumption of its core chocolate brands and growing snacks business, The Hershey Company reported $1.99bn net sales for Q2 2021 (12 weeks ending July 4, 2021) an increase of 16.5% compared to Q2 2020.
Oregon-based Honey Mama's and its truffle-like chilled cocoa bars made from five organic whole food ingredients is entering Whole Foods stores nationwide, where the brand is aiming to bridge the gap between the chocolate and wellness bar categories....
GoodSam Foods, a new brand of no-sugar-added, direct-trade chocolate launched by BeyondBrands, has entered the sugar-free chocolate confectionery category with products sweetened with emerging sweetener allulose.
Premium packaging and label design, unique brand backstories, and products that evoke novelty and excitement are highly-sought-after product attributes for craft chocolate consumers, according to research conducted by food scientists in Penn State’s College...
Sales of The Hershey Co.’s iconic chocolates and confections significantly outpaced the category during the company’s third-quarter thanks to targeted, nimble marketing that positioned the sweets at the center of socially distant and much needed get-togethers...
Cacao currently may be most prized by manufacturers and mainstream consumers for its beans to make chocolate, cocoa and cocoa butter, but the fruit and shell surrounding the bean also are packed with nutrients and potential, which famed chocolatier Oded...
Honey Mama's, a brand of truffle-like chocolate wellness bars made with whole foods merchandized in the burgeoning refrigerated bar set, has closed a $4.5m Series A round led by Amberstone Ventures, to fast track the brand to mainstream consumer...
Fourteen food companies made global data intelligence company Morning Consult’s 2020 50 Most Loved Brands list, which analyzed more than 150,000 consumer interviews conducted by the firm in June and July 2020.
Mars, Inc. has developed a packaged heat-resistant chocolate it says maintains taste, mouthfeel, and shape during transportation and handling in hot climates.
Subtle changes to Theo Chocolate’s packaging that debuted at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore earlier this month aim to better communicate the bean-to-bar brand’s commitment to fair trade and organic ingredients as well as help it standout in an...
Along with taste and smell, texture plays an equally important role in our like or dislike of specific food, according to researchers at Penn State University.
Russell Stover enjoyed years of market dominance when it first launched its seemingly 'too-good-to-be-true' sugar-free chocolate line in the '80s. But lately, its sugar-free chocolate sales have wavered as it fell out of favor with consumers...
When thinking of gut healthy foods, chocolate may not come to mind right away. However, Australian brand Gutsii is forging a spot within the functional foods market with its prebiotic chocolate line.
Swiss premium chocolate maker Lindt & Sprungli reported a 5% increase in organic sales, despite a 'challenging' environment in Europe and North America.
Sustainability-related claims on food products are popping up more frequently and while still just a small fraction of market, items mentioning sustainability outperformed the growth rate of total products in their respective category, according to Nielsen.
Responding to consumers’ increasingly fragmented dietary preferences, GoMacro revamps the packaging for its low-sugar Thrive bars to better communicate “how accommodating” the protein bars are for a variety of restrictions and needs, according to the...
Nestlé Japan will become the first confectioner to launch a product with Barry Callebaut’s ruby chocolate as it plans to introduce KitKat Chocolatory Sublime Ruby.
Hershey says launching Hershey’s Gold, a caramelized crème with peanuts and pretzels, could benefit its 2017 Halloween seasonal sales after delivering 'solid' Q3 financial results.
Barry Callebaut has expanded its protein product portfolio by launching its FortiPro brand, a chocolate coating that contains 15% to 20% protein per serving.
Boston-based Biena has raised $3.75m to expand its chickpea-fueled snacking empire from a series of high profile investors as it prepares to roll out its first major line extension: chocolate coated roasted chickpeas, new territory for pulse-based snacks,...
The National Confectionery Association (NCA) has announced the Most Innovative Award winners from nine major candy and snack categories, including chocolate, seasonal, gum and mints, at the Sweets & Snacks Expo this year in Chicago.
Mars Chocolate North America is recruiting ‘curators’ to host parties promoting a specially created range from Mars, which can be sold on an online store.
