Lindt & Sprüngli has announced plans to double the size of its US headquarters to meet growing consumer demand in the US premium chocolate market, which it says is its biggest and carries the most potential.
Dispatches from the NCA State of the Industry Conference in Miami
US Valentine’s candy consumers are expected to spend more than last year, but many will seek products on offer, while the rich will buy richer with more premium offerings.
Hershey’s chief executive John Bilbrey says he is “very excited” about a mystery new product that will unveiled later this year, and believes fruit and choc snack brand Brookside could become a $500m global brand.
Despite the growing body of research extolling the health benefits of flavanols found in cocoa, chocolate product manufacturers have yet to fully embrace front-of-pack claims calling out these compounds—with many still opting for more general “antioxidant”...
A rise in the North American cocoa grind is a positive sign for the mature US chocolate market, but analysts predict health-concerns will challenge future growth.
Ben & Jerry’s - which voluntarily agreed to stop using the term ‘all-natural’ on its ice cream three years ago - has scored a legal victory in a case filed just before it axed the emotive phrase from its packaging.
Low-calorie products such as sugar-free chocolates will be the driving force behind modest growth in the US chocolate market in the next five years, according to market analysts Lucintel.
Hershey Netherlands B.V. has signed an agreement to acquire an 80% stake in Chinese confectionery and snack firm Shanghai Golden Monkey Food Company (SGM) - and the remaining 20% in 2015.
Hershey has committed to purchasing 100% traceable and sustainably-sourced palm oil by the end of 2014. Greenpeace has welcomed the move, but has reservations about timelines and terminology.
US consumers have voted for their favorite confectionery brands in five categories: chocolate, premium chocolate, gum, candy and cookies. Find out the results here.
The Hershey Company will make its single largest investment in Asia with a new factory in Malaysia, a country the firm says gives it a strong route to 25 markets in the region, including China.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has slightly reduced its cocoa deficit forecast for the current crop year and says there are ample stocks for chocolate manufacturers, but a deficit next year could raise prices.
FoodPairing - a Belgian firm blazing a trail in the culinary arts world by replacing guess work with flavor science to identify unique flavor combinations - is moving beyond food pairing (identifying a novel ingredient that ‘goes’ with strawberry) to...
A US startup part-funded by celebrities has ‘unjunked’ America’s favorite candy bars and says it is serious about taking on the industry's major players.
An anonymous Fortune 500 packaged foods company is looking for help in creating a chocolate enrobed cookie that can withstand high temperatures in warm climates.
The Archer Daniels Midland Company is holding discussions to sell its cocoa ingredients business - a business unit that saw profits plunge 24% last year.
Corporate sustainability programs do not go far enough to stamp out child labor on cocoa farms - only third party certification will do, says a new campaign.
At the Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago, new confection and snack products on display reflect what flavors, ingredients and categories candy consumers are hungering for.
Spanish-based firm Natra claims sales for its private label division in North America will double within three years after it agreed a deal to rent a production facility in Canada to spearhead growth.
Cocoa flavanols in dark chocolate may keep you calmer and content but no link has been established with enhanced cognitive performance, according to a study funded by Barry Callebaut.
Cocoa processing is increasingly moving to origin countries, particularly those in regions where chocolate consumption is rising such as Brazil and Indonesia, according to ADM Cocoa’s head of innovation.
Founded in the same year that Edison created the first functioning light bulb, Thompson Brands is one of America’s oldest chocolate companies. But it hasn’t stayed in business this long by resting on its laurels, CEO Gene Dunkin tells Elaine Watson.
This is the story of how an initiative from Oxfam prompted assurances from leading chocolate companies to improve the lives of women cocoa farmers. How did each firm react? Were they quick and effective enough?
The North American cocoa grind has risen 5.77% in the first of quarter (Q1) compared to last year, leading one analyst to say there is still room for growth in the US chocolate market.
The US’s largest natural foods retail cooperative PCC Natural Markets claims it has become the first grocer in the nation to sell chocolate made only from ethically sourced cocoa.
Brazil has one of the largest markets for Easter confectionery and has had more Easter launches than anywhere else, but the Chinese have yet to look beyond the religious nature of the season as they have for Christmas, according to an analyst.
New Jersey-based Candy Treasure has overcome a US ban on toy-filled chocolate eggs dating back to 1938 after its Choco Treasure surprise eggs were deemed safe for sale.
Barry Callebaut has developed a formula to reduce the bitterness of high cocoa chocolate using green coffee that doesn’t give a coffee taste and ups antioxidant content.
Oxfam has called on the three biggest chocolate manufacturers to conduct independent audits on conditions for women on cocoa farms supplying their factories after finding evidence of unequal pay, discrimination and hunger.
Hershey gained market share in every category in the fourth quarter but admits it is still struggling to excite US consumers with Air Delight - the aerated chocolate range it launched in 2011.
Good Cacao CEO talks to ConfectioneryNews.com about boosting the appeal of healthy chocolate, the functional ingredients to look out for in 2013 and challenges in formulation.
Lindt & Sprüngli's US subsidiary Ghirardelli Chocolate is facing a class action lawsuit over allegations that five of its products purported to contain white chocolate mislead consumers by containing none.
Mondelez International-owned Cadbury has filed a patent for a chocolate that can tolerate hot climates by re-refining the chocolate after the conching step.
The “communication messages” around Air Delight - the aerated chocolate range launched by Hershey last summer - still need some work, bosses have admitted.
The Hershey Company has reported a profit drop in its third quarter (Q3) results after tax rate rises, commodity costs and charges related to supply chain efficiencies hit the company’s results.
