Barry Callebaut reveals key areas for creating chocolate success
Barry Callebaut at a previous Sweets & Snacks Expo, with the company heading to the latest edition of the show next week. Pic: Barry Callebaut
With the confectionery market facing a notable array of tests, Swiss headquartered Barry Callebaut has devised its top-five manufacturers checklist of core areas for success in developing chocolate ranges, reports Neill Barston.
As the company asserts, one of the key topics for consideration is in engaging with alternative sources of cocoa that are now being lab-developed to supplement conventional supply chains, as well as delivering strong packaging designs and its golden rule of creating memorable tastes for consumers.
The business, which will be exhibiting at next week’s Sweets & Snacks Expo between 13-15 May (see our exclusive video preview below), is continuing to undergo a period of transformation as it has faced up to challenging trading conditions that has included elevated cocoa prices, and global economic challenges including the introduction of new US tariffs.
Rapid Evolution
As the company noted, the chocolate sector is undergoing significant changes as it contends with supply chain challenges that have resulted in cocoa deficits, yet consumer expectations are continuing to increase in terms of there being healthier options for their chocolate choices, as well as been sustainably produced.
Moreover, as the business observed, “the question is no longer why innovate, but how to continue captivating the modern consumer with exceptional taste experience,” says the company, with its number one consideration for product development being ‘delivering taste with every bite,‘ with the business noting that 65% of consumers buying chocolate last year, though what constitutes great tastes is not a constant factor.
Significantly, Barry Callebaut’s research found that 70% of customers expect functional benefits from chocolate confectionery, in a bid to meet demand for better-for-you chocolate with the business asserting that brands need to re-examine formulation strategies: preserve cocoa flavanols, scaling dairy-free and plant-based formats, as well as exploring protein options, which is increasingly being seen in product development patterns.
The company’s third area revolves around turning cocoa scarcity into a catalyst for innovation, through anticipating further supply deficits over the next year, which the Euromonitor organisation forecast would likely be the case, along with ICCO figures on crop projections. While there are hopes for improved yields, having had three lean years of harvests in the past three years in West African nations of Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Furthermore, the company also observed the strategic role of packaging, which it cited as integral to consumers perception of quality, sustainability and their trust of respective brands. To that end, it asserted that use of recyclable materials and alternative formats to cater for different occasions should be a core area of consideration for manufacturers.
Finally, the business also noted that accelerating innovation cycles remains of critical importance to drive interest in product categories, noting the continued investment in its chocolate academies for that purpose. As Confectionery Production has previously reported, though new innovations have continued to come to light at major shows including ISM and Sweets & Snacks, price pressure on manufacturers in recent years has impacted upon levels and variety of products being given large-scale commercial roll-out by the broader industry.
