Exclusive: Corbion set to place spotlight on ingredients trends at World Confectionery Conference
World Confectionery Conference Brussels - 12 September 2024
Progress on our World Confectionery Conference 2025 edition is fast gathering pace, with a dynamic programme forming up. Editor Neill Barston interviews Willy van Arkel-van Arendonk, director of product management and business development at Corbion ingredients group, on her return as a speaker to our must-attend event this autumn
With the confectionery sector undergoing more than its fair share of pressing challenges in terms of supply chains, the global ingredients market is no exception as regards disruptive events.
This spans everything from cocoa skyrocketing in price due to international deficits, through to sugar supplies continuing to be equally challenged within Europe and also in the US.
So, this is presenting savvy industry solutions providers with opportunities to unveil inventive, alternative and sustainable ingredients offerings that are both innovative and serve a functional purpose amid testing times for the broader sector.
For its part, the global Corbion group is putting forward management director Willy van Arkel-van Arendonk return to present at our conference, discussing latest trending applications targeting confectionery. (see our exclusive video with Corbion below.
As an experienced sector practitioner, she has spent more than two decades working with her present company across a range of innovation and product development roles.
With its headquarters in Amsterdam, the forward-thinking company has continued to deliver a broad array of applications for the wider food and drink sector, including for confectionery and snacks.
Willy’s presentation this year at our event on September 11 at the Marriott Hotel, Grand Place,Brussels, Belgium, comes at a period when the market segment is especially focused on delivery of alternative flavour, taste and texture options.
As Corbion has previously noted to our title, there have been some continued prominent trends in the past couple of years that it has markedly responded to, including meeting heightened demand for sour sugar confectionery products in gummies and jellies.
Also, according to the business’s additional market research, the medicated confectionery market is growing at a rate of 11.4 per cent for the most part of the last five years, which has also seen notable category growth.
Consequently, Corbion is producing categories of functional ingredients for confectionery manufacturers. This includes Mineral fortification, in the form of Ca, Mg, Zn, Na, K lactates and Acerola and Natural Vitamin C. Among its recent offerings has been a Zn lactate in chewing gum, and acid sanding (malic acid, malate) of CBD candies.
For her part, Willy’s lively and engaging presentation last year was among the highlights of the event, which came amid a backdrop of the company showcasing its flagship Purac powders, which have provided sourness for products, and heightened shelf stability.
“I really liked last year’s World Confectionery Conference, it was nice to be there, with key customers present, as well as third parties that are involved in confectionery, which is very good. We also had time for networking during the day, and it felt big enough while being able to still have the opportunity to talk with people there,” reflects the Netherlands-based expert.
She says it’s been especially rewarding to be part of a wide-ranging firm that has evolved a specialist area within confectionery of bringing sourness to flavours among its broad portfolio.
pic: Corbion
Major industry experience
Having spent more than two decades working across Corbion, she has gained invaluable insights into major processes, trends and produce development within confectionery and wider markets.
As she acknowledges, during that time, there have been numerous changes in the sector, noting one of the most significant evolutions is in terms of the speed of which new lines are reaching markets. This is more rapid than ever before, as younger generations, inspired by the likes of TikTok, Instagram and Youtube are keen to engage with fresh novelties on a regular basis.
Such factors certainly make Willy’s role an interesting and dynamic one, which she continues to greatly enjoy.
She says: “I have been working for Corbion for quite a while, and started out my career within beverages, but then moved more into confectionery applications, and that made me really enthusiastic. Because when you are talking with customers, you can see that we have quite a background with the assets and tools that we have for speeding up research and development that has allowed us to bring unique solutions for our customers, which is very energising,” noting that working hand-in hand with its clients has proved especially satisfying in seeing the results on the ground in delivering individual solutions to a great array of companies. (Corbion’s presentation last year was a joint one, highlighting its portfolio potential for confectionery).
World Confectionery Conference Brussels – 12 September 2024
One of its core areas of focus for confectionery lies in terms of creating its core Purac powder series, devised for acid-sanded candies, has assisted with product stability. Its properties help prevent the loss of sour tastes – which have remained a major winner in the sweets and snacks industry in recent years around the world.
As we have covered in many of our publications, taste remains the key factor for most consumers. So, how challenging is it to meet those consistent flavour demands?
“Taste is number one, so we looking into this with our insights team. There is a lot going on the confectionery market, and it’s the sourness trends that is growing four times faster than other areas. When you look to consumers and see things happening on TikTok, these trends really pops out and you really want to be part of that – we want to be in there and our customers, and want to partner with them and what applications they are looking for.”
The march of AI
Significantly, Willy asserts that the emergence of digital tools including AI in recent years has been critical for the company. As she evaluates, this has taken a number of forms, but it seems that its greatest power is in aiding sustainability developments and data analysis.
She adds: “For tooling and modelling, using AI is really important in reducing
the time for development of new products. We have developed a confectionery sourness and stability calculator, which really helps to predict these area, including the PH levels. You always have to go to the lab, but now instead of making 15-20 different samples, you maybe only have to do two or three.
These resources are also online and available for customers, which can in turn also speed-up their own development of products.”
As the senior business analyst observes, in a rapidly-changing global market, there remain many challenges for the business, as well as wider industry at large.
These include examining how core consumer habits are shifting to exploring ranges that include potential health and wellbeing ranges, as well as ensuring that ingredients meet regulatory standards across Europe, the US and the entire globe.
As the senior director states, there are also numerous formulation tests that have kept its extensive R&D teams busy, but she says that investment into this aspect of the business has been one of its greatest strengths.
With so much at stake with her own work, it can be challenging to find much balance with events outside her day job.
To her, spending time with family is extremely valuable, enjoying a busy and active lifestyle, though it seems that even some of those moments away from business have an unexpected work angle.
“When you work in confectionery, whenever we go on vacation, my kids want to check out shops and what new things are out there in different regions.
“It’s always hard to keep the candy bags closed, but we enjoy our time as a family. I like to take them out and they like to smell and taste different products, and are fans of sourness and trying new experiences, especially if they’ve seen something on TikTok,” she explains of her life in times inhabiting our rapidly-evolving confectionery world.
Nominate your business for a World Confectionery Award
For the past four years, we have been proud to celebrate the best and fascinating developments across our industries within finished products, equipment, system and ingredients.
World Confectionery Conference Brussels – 12 September 2024. The Cama Group and Kruger & Salecker were both highly commended for last year’s event.
So, don’t miss out on the chance to see your company shine at our 2025 honours, which are entirely free to enter and are designed to place a spotlight on deserving talent within the sector.
To date, we have sought to shine a light on some of our sector’s brightest talents, which in some instances would otherwise go unsung. From speaking to a wide range of companies that have claimed awards over the past four years, they have greatly welcomed the clear boost that gaining
recognition from their peers has provided. They are judged by highly experienced editorial board, along with Confectionery Production, which has ensured the independent integrity of these accolades in offering a genuine platform for celebrating excellence in the industry.
This year’s awards are once again ranged over six specific categories, and you’re free to enter any of them.
These include: Sustainability initiative of the year, open to any innovation across our confectionery and snacks industry.
The Finished product category has been among our most fiercely contested (you will need to send a small sample for this), with entries within chocolate confectionery and sweets being at the core of this accolade.
Thirdly, the Equipment innovation of the year title has also previously attracted significant interest, with the Team of the Year award being closely linked to this.
For its part, Ingredients innovation of the Year has also proved hotly contested, as has our final category, Emerging Enterprise of the Year, especially given the strength of new businesses across the wider sector in recent times.
Honours will be presented in the afternoon of the conference at the Marriott Grand Place hotel, and as with previous years, we will be championing sustainability, innovation and technical excellence across the sector, with our accolades being closely judged by our highly experienced editorial board, and ourselves.
Entering these accolades is entirely free, with previous winners having been from right across the full spectrum of the industry, from small independents, to major corporations.
Each business is allowed to nominate a maximum of one company. As ever, we welcome entries from around the world, and the accolades offer a key chance to see your business recognised as part of what has become a popular and engaging part of our overall conference.
We will be encouraging companies to send entries until August 10, via the World Confectionery Conference website at confectioneryconference.com/awards/ Entries should include a description of why you believe the nominated company should receive an accolade, which should be a minimum of 200-words, but no more than 500 words. Each entry should describe how you feel your business has made a notable impact in the past year.
