Caramac’s back and tapping into a wave of confectionery nostalgia
pic: Neill Barston
Much to many fans’ delight, Nestlé has revived its classic British caramel flavoured bar, the Caramac, which is seemingly going to be on a temporary basis after being surprisingly discontinued at the end of last year.
The move sparked quite a reaction, including online petitions demanding its revival, and a slew of major national newspaper focuses, highlighting cases of fans seeking to stockpile on the creamy chocolate that has been a favourite for decades.
However, according to the company, its move to wind down production of the classic treat had been based upon a dip in sales – perhaps we had all just got too used to them being around on the shelves over the decades, they had maybe been taken for granted a little?
Well, all that changed this month with the arrival of special multi-packs, as well as a new button variety for the Caramac, which suggests that this may potentially be more than just a limited run, if sales volumes suggest that the wave of nostalgia can deliver in sales terms.
But it’s exactly this kind of sentiment that drives many manufacturers, with delivering treats that have a strong family connection, or ranges that cans conjure up summer days on the beach or on a social outing that play a big part in many consumers shopping decisions. Nestle is far from the only company bringing back old favourites, but its nice to see the return of some classics of yesteryear.
While it is fair to say that on a global level, the confectionery sector has clearly thrived on new novelties and innovation year upon year, but as the likes of research group Mintel have highlighted, this has been negatively impacted in recent years amid high ingredients prices, and heightened costs of research and development that has prompted many businesses to focus on their core lines.
Clearly, innovation is going to be needed in spades to meet the demand for healthier on-the-go options that are presently flavour of the month, as well as further exploring product development of the seemingly elusive ability to create lower sugar chocolate series that gain broader public approval. While innovation is critical, taking some inspiration from the past, as with brands like Caramac, still holds plenty of value within the industry.
Neill Barston, editor, Confectionery Production
- keep in touch at [email protected] or via our social media @confectionprod and our Linkedin pages
