General News
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The London Chocolate Forum is back
21 September 2018A host of major names from the confectionery industry will gather together on October 11th for what’s being voted as the most important event in the chocolate industry. Located at The Crystal, London Docklands on Thursday 11th October 2018, the aim of the event is to provide an outstanding networking platform across the entire section of the industry and enable delegates to tune into trends and NDP and get inspired! The LCF is now a well-established leading event in the industrial chocolate sector and now one of the largest of its kind in the world. There will be major suppliers showcasing world-leading packaging and processing and technology, along with ingredients and insights for NPD. Meanwhile while delegates can hear from a wide range of industry key note speakers and experts in the multi-million-pound lecture hall. Last year, the event welcomed over 275 attendees from 26 countries, and of these professionals, 92% of them made useful contacts and 72% voted it to be the best event in the industry. California Almonds return as event sponsors with Lu Ann Williams of Innova Market Insights, Innovia Market insights commissioned to present trends on clean labelling and ‘clean label chocolate innovation’. We are also pleased to welcome back key sponsors, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate with their speaker, Ilco Kwast, Marketing Director, who is really pleased to be presenting this year and is sure to provide some fascinating insights as they always do. Meanwhile Erik Bruun Bindslev, Managing Director, Europe, at Guittard Chocolate Company will be giving a very interesting paper on creating a chocolate brand that stays relevant and flexible in a world of changing consumer demand. On that subject, Angus Kennedy, Founder of the London Chocolate Forum also has, what he describes as a spectacular interview that will be staged live at the event with his special guest; a Nigerian King. 2018 is also sponsored by Fererro and Ritter Sport who will be making sure delegates will not be short of chocolate! And if that’s not enough, the LCF is also running and conducting their own chocolate consumer research in conjunction with Jenny Hearne, Head of Thinkers’ Thoughts, Watch Me Think, where we go right onto the street to see what consumers really think of chocolate. The organisers expect the event to be fully subscribed as its free to attend for trade only. There’s still time to register but will need to be quick. www.londonchocolateforum.com/register.
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What’s going on in the sugar industry?
17 September 2018Andrea Pluck, of Kennedy’s Confection chats to Ben Eastick, Director at Ragus, a leading supplier in the production of brown sugars, syrups and treacles, to get his views on the future of sugar.
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Kennedy’s explores $90,000,000 growth of Mzuri Sweets
07 September 2018After travelling 17 hours to Kenya, Kennedy’s Andrea Pluck explored Mzuri Sweet’s headquarters to find out what has driven the company to grow to be worth $90,000,000. Mzuri Sweets is a leading confectionery brand based in Kenya, which was formed in 1998, distributing its products across Africa. Ashish, Director at Mzuri Sweets, joined the company in 2006 which was $5,000,000 at the time. Over the next decade, Ashish and his three cousins, who are also Directors, have pushed the company to be worth nearly 18 times as much. Ashish said: “There are about eight confectionery production facilities in Kenya – four large and four small – Mzuri is one of the largest. “Everything started to change from 2006 onwards because we started to focus more on this factory. “We have another factory down the road making shoes and this was our primary business. “Nobody really took Mzuri Sweets seriously. Since 2006, we started to look at improving our equipment, facility and products, and here we are now.” Ashish has since bought 100 acres of land not far from his current location in Mtwapa, a local town located in Kenya’s Kilifi Country. With this expansion, Ashish and his cousins aim to become the number one confectionery brand in Africa.
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Big Bear to roll out Fox’s Limited-Edition Glacier Fruit & Spice
03 September 2018Big Bear Confectionery has announced that it will be adding new limited-edition Glacier Fruit and Spice to its range of boiled sweets this autumn. Fox’s, has used "warm flavours and aromas of autumn" to create the new 200g sharing bag. Made with no artificial flavours or colours, the new product contains a mix of three different flavours: Honey & Lemon, Apple & Cinnamon and Orange & Ginger and will be on-shelf from late September. Andrew Ovens, Marketing Manager at Big Bear Confectionery said: “Sales of our Limited Edition Glacier Tropical reflected the hot summer we’ve had, far outstripping expectation and we wanted to build on this demand for different flavours by giving retailers something fresh and interesting to help drive impulse purchases. “With Halloween on the horizon, we believe the new individually wrapped Glacier Fruit & Spice flavours will be popular with customers of all ages, giving interesting tongue tingling combinations, ideal for brightening autumn and winter days.”
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Kennedy's Editor calls for a ban on sugary cereals
29 August 2018According to recent UK National Diet Nutrition Survey school children in the UK consume more sugar from breakfast cereals at 29% than confectionery products at 21%. The report also identifies that now 30% of school age kids in the UK are overweight or obese. Angus Kennedy Author of Bittersweet and editor of Kennedy's Confection magazine is calling for a ban on certain food products that are allowed to be classified as a 'breakfast cereal'. Kennedy added. "Parents give their kids cereals trusting producers to provide a healthy start for their kids to the day. Some cereals have more sugar in them than confectionery products at 30g per 100g. That's Not a breakfast cereal in my opinion. That is a confectionery product. Cereals should not be alowed to be classified as a 'cereal' after they go over 30% sugar. Where is the regulation? Why isn't anyone doing anything about it? Is it any surprise kids are overweight? He added. "If a wine has more alcohol they must call it a spirit, if a food goes over 30% sugar is should be called confectionery. This is misleading and unfair on parents that are feeding their kids a glorified form of candy in the morning."
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Mondelez Launch Darkmilk in the UK
28 August 2018Cadbury has (over the weekend) launched on 25th August a brand new type of chocolate in the UK, (new to the UK) Cadbury Darkmilk; incorporating what they say is the 'richness of dark chocolate with the smooth and creamy texture of milk chocolate.' The chocolate is made with 40% cocoa, with a 'hit of rich cocoa combined with a deliciously creamy texture'. As we grow older, Cadbury tell Kennedy's, "tell us, our tastebuds change and we start to look at new and different food options. This is true for many things including items such as olives and coffee, but it is especially true for chocolate with many starting to look for a richer taste with a higher cocoa percentage vs milk chocolate.1 However, research shows that some Brits are not quite ready to take the leap into the world of dark chocolate, seeing it as too bitter.” Cadbury Darkmilk has been specially created to meet this consumer demand – providing a more grown up taste, and smooth texture to achieve. Benazir Barlet-Batada, Marketing Manager and Cadbury Brand Equity Lead at Mondelez said “We know our audience are looking for a new and more grown up taste when it comes to chocolate so we’ve introduced Cadbury Darkmilk to give a rich and creamy alternative for a delicious chocolate treat.” It has taken the chocolate experts at Bournville many years to create the perfect combination of ingredients found in Cadbury Darkmilk and everyone that has tasted it so far has absolutely loved it, so we can’t wait to hear what all of our fans think.” Cadbury Darkmilk is the perfect end of day treat, whether it’s after a long day in the office, a weekend of hosting family and friends or just a cozy night in with a loved one. New Cadbury Darkmilk and Cadbury Darkmilk Roasted Almond will be available as an 85g bar and will be available in Tesco stores with an RRP of £1.49*. See Angus Kennedy's more contemorary video review of the product here!
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Young confectioners to battle it out at iba 2018
21 August 2018The UIBC Junior World Championship of Confectioners will take place at iba for the first time and will see the best young confectioners in the world compete against each other. For two days (19 and 20 September), teams from Brazil, China, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Norway and Taiwan will show off their talents as they create “sweet masterpieces”. This will be available to watch at iba, Hall 3 Stand 228. The young confectioners will have to give their best under the utmost time and performance pressure. During the competition, they will have to fulfil several demanding tasks for a self-selected topic, such as creating a showpiece with pralines, a cake, sculptured figurines and a dessert plate. “Visitors to the trade fair will see the future of the confectionery trade, the young elite and certainly some of tomorrow’s stars here,” says Gerhard Schenk, Deputy President of the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners (UIBC) and President of the German Association of Confectioners (DKB). At their stand, the German Association of Confectioners is also organising an apprentice competition with elaborate cake designs and sweet presentations from apprentices in Germany. The winner of this competition will be decided by the visitors: they can assess and vote on the entries on location. The winners will receive their prizes on Tuesday 18 September. On the Wednesday of the trade fair, iba will offer an extended programme for the confectionery trade. In addition to the competitions, this day will feature some special contributions in the iba.FORUM, including with Royal Confectioner for the Swedish Court Guenther Koerffer and World Champion Confectioner Bernd Siefert, whom visitors will be able to watch in action during professional demonstrations. Throughout the duration of the trade fair, numerous exhibitors will show off their innovations and suitable solutions for confectioners – from raw materials and baking ingredients to machines, baking accessories and individual packaging solutions.
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Talk Radio Europe quizzes Angus Kennedy on his chocolate journey
13 August 2018Kennedy’s Editor, Angus Kennedy has recently returned from the US after appearing on 20 television shows following the success of his latest book, Bittersweet and is now taking over media channels in Europe. The book, which was published in the USA on 23rd July by Apollo Publishers LLC on chocolate, outlines Angus’ journey to becoming a leading chocolate expert and has sparked unprecedented interest in the USA. As a result, Angus has had extensive coverage over in America, appearing on several national shows with millions of viewers including: Fox 5’s Good Day New York, NBC’s Good Day Live, and the Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family show in LA (pictured). Many other regional channels wanted to try European chocolates with Angus, including ABC’s Tampa Bay Channel and another 20 various popular TV shows across the US, with a total audience of around 35 million. In addition, Bittersweet was featured on 12 radio shows and popular press has also been featured in Parade Magazine, which has 22 million subscribers. On his return, Angus was welcomed onto Talk Radio Europe where he spoke all about his journey to becoming a world leading chocolate taster. To hear about Angus’ fascinating journey, see below for his latest radio appearance with Presenter Jill Kenton on Talk Radio Europe.
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Nestlé opens new US headquarters
07 August 2018Nestlé has officially opened its new US headquarters in Virginia with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and culinary festival – the Nestlé Good Life Fest. The new location in Arlington, in the Rosslyn neighborhood is home to Nestlé USA’s corporate functions, its Beverage, Baking & Global Foods divisions, as well as its eBusiness team and Center for Marketing Excellence. Gerber Products Company, Nestlé USA’s sister company, will relocate to the same building next year, bringing the total number of Nestlé employees there to around 900. Commenting on the move, Steve Presley, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé USA, said: “Moving our headquarters across the country is a true catalyst for transforming our business as we create a new Nestlé. “We’re celebrating our drive to create a culture that embraces the speed, courage, agility and collaboration necessary to win in the marketplace. And relocating here to Arlington helps to fuel that drive.” Originally announced in January 2017, Nestlé’s relocation came to fruition through collaboration with state and local government officials.
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Bosch packaging reveals new online platform
02 August 2018Bosch Packaging Technology has revealed a new online information platform, which showcases its cartoning and case packaging solutions. The objective was to create a website with a user-friendly design and easy navigation, in order to get a quick portfolio overview and find a machine for every need. The website replaces the Kliklok-Woodman and Kliklok International websites and complements Bosch’s existing cartoning and case packing portfolio. Woodman bagmakers can now be found at www.boschpackaging.com/PAUS. Animated packaging on the home page illustrates the broad range of secondary pack styles handled by the Doboy, Kliklok, Sigpack, and Elematic cartoning and case packing equipment. Customers can learn about Bosch’s topload carton formers and closers, integrated topload cartoners, horizontal endload cartoners, wraparound cartoners (sleevers), product handling machines, and sideload, topload, and wraparound case packers. By clicking on the animations, visitors are guided to the right machine via a carton size range and speed comparison. If customers already know what they want, they can jump directly into the machinery section and choose a specific machine or use the search function. The website is developed with a clear structure, focusing on the main benefits of each machine, the key features, product information as well as technical specifications, accompanied by appealing machine pictures. Embedded videos complement the content by demonstrating each machine’s functions. Visitors can also download the latest brochures. To learn more about Bosch’s cartoning and case packing portfolio, www.bosch-cartoning-casepacking.com.
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