October 21, 2007 - Halloween sales are going through the roof here in the United States. Sales have grown from
$2.9 Billion to $5.0 Billion between 2003 and 2007. As the Holiday goes from a children's affair to a Holiday for
adults sales keep increasing. Halloween is already the candy industries biggest day of the year with sales topping
two billion dollars. Euromonitor has analyzed the European confectionery scene and has come to some
conclusions about the five biggest players Cadbury, Kraft, Nestle, Mars and Ferrero. All five are jockeying for position
in both the European and expanding markets worldwide. In the United Kingdom the union Unite has announced
they will be taking a vote of their members to decide whether they will announce a strike against Cadbury. Cadbury
has recently announced they will be closing one factory and reorganizing another eliminating hundreds of jobs in
the process. They will also be shifting some manufacturing to Poland to take advantage of lower labor coasts. This
shifting of jobs is what has gotten Unite angry. Orion , South Korea's second largest snack food company signed an
agreement with Hershey in late August. Hershey had already signed an agreement with Lotte the largest company
in South Korea in the snack market. The contract extended Orion's previous agreement with Hershey to distribute
Hershey product in South Korea. Late August also brought the announcement of the winners of The San Francisco
International Chocolate Salon Winners of the Chocolate Tasting Panel. Some of categories were Best Dark
Chocolate, Top Artisan Chocolatier, Most Artistic Chocolate Designs, Most Luxurious Chocolate Experience, Best
Organic Products, and Best Comfort Chocolates. Winners included Amano Artisan Chocolate, Charles Chocolates,
L'Artisan du Chocolat, XOX Truffles, Poco Dolce, and The Xocolate Bar. Godrej Hershey Foods & Beverages Ltd
plans on launching a chocolate milk brand in India. In a preemptive move Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing
Federation Ltd (GCMMF) is launching 'Amul Koko' their own brand of chocolate milk. The San Francisco Chocolate
Factory has launched Tea Lover's(TM) Chocolates, which are designed to compliment Tea drinking. They've
released three different flavors. The flavors are 31% white chocolate for green teas, 38% milk chocolate for chai
teas and 55% dark chocolate for black teas.
October 18, 2007 - Jacques Torres has two appearances coming up. On October 20th he'll be at the Gourmet
Institute's culinary weekend with a demonstration in chocolate. For more information . He also will be conducting a
free chocolate demonstration at the Jacques Torres Chocolate Location at 350 Hudson Street. You don't need a
reservation just drop in at 11:00 am. While you are there pick up a bag of his Spooky Goblin Eyes, eight milk
chocolate eyeballs for $3.50. More companies are signing up to support small cocoa farmers and participating in
sustainability plans. In the Netherlands Utz Certified, Cargill, Heinz Benelux and the supermarket chain Ahold are
working on a code of conduct for cocoa imported from the Ivory Coast. Vosges Haut - Chocolat has three nice three
inch skulls available for your Halloween celebration. The flavors are Blanca: Venezuelan plain white chocolate, 33%
cocoa butter, Red Fire: ancho & chipotle chillies + Ceylon cinnamon + dark chocolate and Barcelona: hickory
smoked almonds + grey sea salt + deep milk chocolate. A new report suggests that chocolate consumption in
Asia is growing at a rate of 25% a year and the market is so new that it is an opportunity for companies that produce
it. India for example has a market that consumes $188 million worth a year while the US market consumes
somewhere between 15 and 18 billion dollars worth. As incomes in Asia rise and consumption of luxury items also
rises its only a matter of time before the market explodes. A study, published in the European Journal of
Neuroscience links chocolate craving brain activity to the same activity that provides craving in drug addicts. Hershey
is honoring racing legend Dale Earnhardt . In January 2008 they will release four different bars, two Hershey Milk
Chocolate, one Hershey with Almonds and a Kit Kat bar with Dale Earnhardt wrappers. The promotion will end in
May 2008. Phillips Candy House has added fresh baked cookies to their roster of items. They have a walnut
chocolate chip and a regular chocolate chip. If you're in Boston look them up. They've been in business since 1925
and we've enjoyed previous visits.
October 15, 2007 - John & Kira's has a new item for Fall. Salted Caramel and honey molded into cute little painted
bees. We've always been partial to John & Kiras and have no doubt that these are wonderful.
October 12, 2007 - Darrell Lea the Australian chocolate chain has been charged by the The Workplace
Ombudsman. The Company is accused of violating The Australian Workplace Relations Act and could face a
serious fine. Strauss Group Ltd., the parent company of Max Brenner, chocolate by the bald man, had operating
profit rise 21% in the last year. With two stores in NYC Max Brenner has been helping to fuel the growth.
October 11, 2007 - Palsgaard has received permission from the FDA to market ammonium phosphatide which
they sell under the name Palsgaard 4448. The product has been available in the United Kingdom for 40 years. The
ingredient is used as an emulsifier and can be used as a replacement for soy lecithin which is commonly used by
US chocolate manufacturers. A four year battle between Haribo and Ferrero has come to an end when a German
court ruled that Haribo could continue to use the word Kinder on its products. Ferrero felt that since they had
trademarked 'Kinder Surprise' and 'Kinder Bueno' they had exclusive rights to the word Kinder. The court ruled that
the word Kinder could be used by any manufacturer. If you've been thinking of making a quick trip to London
Chocolate Week starts October 15th. Pretty much everyone involved in chocolate in London gets involved in this
yearly event. This is a list of some of the participants Auberge du Chocolat , Chococo , Damian Allsop ,
Demarquette , Divine , Gorvett & Stone ,Harrods , Hotel Chocolat . L'Artisan du chocolat , La Maison du Chocolat ,
Malagasy , Melt , Organica Chocolate , Paul A Young Fine Chocolates , Rococo , Seventypercent.com ,Sir Hans
Sloane Chocolate House , The Chocolate Empire , Waitrose and William Curley . Vietnam is making a move into
the cocoa market. The government is pledging to put 3.5 million dollars into the cocoa industry to help fuel growth.
Hershey has announced
October 10, 2007 - Cadbury announced that confectionary revenues grew 10% in the Third Quarter. The company
has split its beverage business from its confectionary business and has found the candy side doing great. They
have experienced growth in all of the markets they serve. Cadbury is also sticking to its plan to reduce its carbon
footprint by 50 percent. Under their Carbon Disclosure Project they will also require the disclosure of the carbon
output of their hundreds of suppliers. Vosges Haut - Chocolat has announced their newest collection the Zion
Collection. The Collection is based on Jamaica and the culture of Rastafarianism. The pieces in the Collection
include LION - allspice berry + calabaza + dark chocolate + pumpkin seed , KAYA - hemp seed nut + milk chocolate
, ITAL - Blue Moutain Coffee + dark chocolate + fresh coconut , RASTA - Jamaican sorrel + fresh ginger + mango +
white chocolate + hibiscus flower and ZION - tamarind + scotch bonnet + dark chocolate + cocoa nibs. We've yet to
come upon anything from Vosges that we haven't enjoyed and these sound great. Barry Callebaut is launching
Acticoa a new chocolate that is high in flavanol. The product is a powder that can be used in a variety of ways.
Cadbury is moving its production eastward to save on labor costs. They are closing their Keynsham, England plant
in 2009 - 2010 and opening production facilities in Poland. Barry Callebaut is releasing a new chocolate product
that has sugar but yet has been given the Happy Tooth certification by the group Toothfriendly International. They
gave it that rating for instead of sucrose it contains isomaltulose, a natural constituent of honey and sugar cane.
Barry Callebaut is joining with Morinaga and this will allow them to have a larger presence in the Japanese market.
Callebaut will lease production facilities at the Amagasaki factory near Osaka. Nestle has been studying the health
benefits of chocolate and has come to the conclusion that future research has to be supported by clinical trials.
October 8, 2007 - Trois Crepes Patisserie, one of our favorite places, 501 East 75th, is carrying Marquise de
Sevigne chocolate bars. Try the Lemon or the Salted Caramel. De Brand has reintroduced their Caramel Apples. It
doesn't get much better than a Granny Smith dipped in caramel and then dipped in either milk or dark chocolate.
Regular visitors to this site know we have a lot of respect for De Brand and their products. Vermont's Lake
Champlain Chocolates have a cute selection of Halloween chocolates. The little chocolate cats are particularly cute
and make a nice little gift. Once again M & Ms is raising money for the Susan G Komen fund to fight breast cancer.
Purchase the Promise Blend on M & Ms website and 10% goes to this fine organization.
$2.9 Billion to $5.0 Billion between 2003 and 2007. As the Holiday goes from a children's affair to a Holiday for
adults sales keep increasing. Halloween is already the candy industries biggest day of the year with sales topping
two billion dollars. Euromonitor has analyzed the European confectionery scene and has come to some
conclusions about the five biggest players Cadbury, Kraft, Nestle, Mars and Ferrero. All five are jockeying for position
in both the European and expanding markets worldwide. In the United Kingdom the union Unite has announced
they will be taking a vote of their members to decide whether they will announce a strike against Cadbury. Cadbury
has recently announced they will be closing one factory and reorganizing another eliminating hundreds of jobs in
the process. They will also be shifting some manufacturing to Poland to take advantage of lower labor coasts. This
shifting of jobs is what has gotten Unite angry. Orion , South Korea's second largest snack food company signed an
agreement with Hershey in late August. Hershey had already signed an agreement with Lotte the largest company
in South Korea in the snack market. The contract extended Orion's previous agreement with Hershey to distribute
Hershey product in South Korea. Late August also brought the announcement of the winners of The San Francisco
International Chocolate Salon Winners of the Chocolate Tasting Panel. Some of categories were Best Dark
Chocolate, Top Artisan Chocolatier, Most Artistic Chocolate Designs, Most Luxurious Chocolate Experience, Best
Organic Products, and Best Comfort Chocolates. Winners included Amano Artisan Chocolate, Charles Chocolates,
L'Artisan du Chocolat, XOX Truffles, Poco Dolce, and The Xocolate Bar. Godrej Hershey Foods & Beverages Ltd
plans on launching a chocolate milk brand in India. In a preemptive move Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing
Federation Ltd (GCMMF) is launching 'Amul Koko' their own brand of chocolate milk. The San Francisco Chocolate
Factory has launched Tea Lover's(TM) Chocolates, which are designed to compliment Tea drinking. They've
released three different flavors. The flavors are 31% white chocolate for green teas, 38% milk chocolate for chai
teas and 55% dark chocolate for black teas.
October 18, 2007 - Jacques Torres has two appearances coming up. On October 20th he'll be at the Gourmet
Institute's culinary weekend with a demonstration in chocolate. For more information . He also will be conducting a
free chocolate demonstration at the Jacques Torres Chocolate Location at 350 Hudson Street. You don't need a
reservation just drop in at 11:00 am. While you are there pick up a bag of his Spooky Goblin Eyes, eight milk
chocolate eyeballs for $3.50. More companies are signing up to support small cocoa farmers and participating in
sustainability plans. In the Netherlands Utz Certified, Cargill, Heinz Benelux and the supermarket chain Ahold are
working on a code of conduct for cocoa imported from the Ivory Coast. Vosges Haut - Chocolat has three nice three
inch skulls available for your Halloween celebration. The flavors are Blanca: Venezuelan plain white chocolate, 33%
cocoa butter, Red Fire: ancho & chipotle chillies + Ceylon cinnamon + dark chocolate and Barcelona: hickory
smoked almonds + grey sea salt + deep milk chocolate. A new report suggests that chocolate consumption in
Asia is growing at a rate of 25% a year and the market is so new that it is an opportunity for companies that produce
it. India for example has a market that consumes $188 million worth a year while the US market consumes
somewhere between 15 and 18 billion dollars worth. As incomes in Asia rise and consumption of luxury items also
rises its only a matter of time before the market explodes. A study, published in the European Journal of
Neuroscience links chocolate craving brain activity to the same activity that provides craving in drug addicts. Hershey
is honoring racing legend Dale Earnhardt . In January 2008 they will release four different bars, two Hershey Milk
Chocolate, one Hershey with Almonds and a Kit Kat bar with Dale Earnhardt wrappers. The promotion will end in
May 2008. Phillips Candy House has added fresh baked cookies to their roster of items. They have a walnut
chocolate chip and a regular chocolate chip. If you're in Boston look them up. They've been in business since 1925
and we've enjoyed previous visits.
October 15, 2007 - John & Kira's has a new item for Fall. Salted Caramel and honey molded into cute little painted
bees. We've always been partial to John & Kiras and have no doubt that these are wonderful.
October 12, 2007 - Darrell Lea the Australian chocolate chain has been charged by the The Workplace
Ombudsman. The Company is accused of violating The Australian Workplace Relations Act and could face a
serious fine. Strauss Group Ltd., the parent company of Max Brenner, chocolate by the bald man, had operating
profit rise 21% in the last year. With two stores in NYC Max Brenner has been helping to fuel the growth.
October 11, 2007 - Palsgaard has received permission from the FDA to market ammonium phosphatide which
they sell under the name Palsgaard 4448. The product has been available in the United Kingdom for 40 years. The
ingredient is used as an emulsifier and can be used as a replacement for soy lecithin which is commonly used by
US chocolate manufacturers. A four year battle between Haribo and Ferrero has come to an end when a German
court ruled that Haribo could continue to use the word Kinder on its products. Ferrero felt that since they had
trademarked 'Kinder Surprise' and 'Kinder Bueno' they had exclusive rights to the word Kinder. The court ruled that
the word Kinder could be used by any manufacturer. If you've been thinking of making a quick trip to London
Chocolate Week starts October 15th. Pretty much everyone involved in chocolate in London gets involved in this
yearly event. This is a list of some of the participants Auberge du Chocolat , Chococo , Damian Allsop ,
Demarquette , Divine , Gorvett & Stone ,Harrods , Hotel Chocolat . L'Artisan du chocolat , La Maison du Chocolat ,
Malagasy , Melt , Organica Chocolate , Paul A Young Fine Chocolates , Rococo , Seventypercent.com ,Sir Hans
Sloane Chocolate House , The Chocolate Empire , Waitrose and William Curley . Vietnam is making a move into
the cocoa market. The government is pledging to put 3.5 million dollars into the cocoa industry to help fuel growth.
Hershey has announced
October 10, 2007 - Cadbury announced that confectionary revenues grew 10% in the Third Quarter. The company
has split its beverage business from its confectionary business and has found the candy side doing great. They
have experienced growth in all of the markets they serve. Cadbury is also sticking to its plan to reduce its carbon
footprint by 50 percent. Under their Carbon Disclosure Project they will also require the disclosure of the carbon
output of their hundreds of suppliers. Vosges Haut - Chocolat has announced their newest collection the Zion
Collection. The Collection is based on Jamaica and the culture of Rastafarianism. The pieces in the Collection
include LION - allspice berry + calabaza + dark chocolate + pumpkin seed , KAYA - hemp seed nut + milk chocolate
, ITAL - Blue Moutain Coffee + dark chocolate + fresh coconut , RASTA - Jamaican sorrel + fresh ginger + mango +
white chocolate + hibiscus flower and ZION - tamarind + scotch bonnet + dark chocolate + cocoa nibs. We've yet to
come upon anything from Vosges that we haven't enjoyed and these sound great. Barry Callebaut is launching
Acticoa a new chocolate that is high in flavanol. The product is a powder that can be used in a variety of ways.
Cadbury is moving its production eastward to save on labor costs. They are closing their Keynsham, England plant
in 2009 - 2010 and opening production facilities in Poland. Barry Callebaut is releasing a new chocolate product
that has sugar but yet has been given the Happy Tooth certification by the group Toothfriendly International. They
gave it that rating for instead of sucrose it contains isomaltulose, a natural constituent of honey and sugar cane.
Barry Callebaut is joining with Morinaga and this will allow them to have a larger presence in the Japanese market.
Callebaut will lease production facilities at the Amagasaki factory near Osaka. Nestle has been studying the health
benefits of chocolate and has come to the conclusion that future research has to be supported by clinical trials.
October 8, 2007 - Trois Crepes Patisserie, one of our favorite places, 501 East 75th, is carrying Marquise de
Sevigne chocolate bars. Try the Lemon or the Salted Caramel. De Brand has reintroduced their Caramel Apples. It
doesn't get much better than a Granny Smith dipped in caramel and then dipped in either milk or dark chocolate.
Regular visitors to this site know we have a lot of respect for De Brand and their products. Vermont's Lake
Champlain Chocolates have a cute selection of Halloween chocolates. The little chocolate cats are particularly cute
and make a nice little gift. Once again M & Ms is raising money for the Susan G Komen fund to fight breast cancer.
Purchase the Promise Blend on M & Ms website and 10% goes to this fine organization.
| November 2007 News |
| Any comments or suggestions, contact us and let us know what you're thinking. |
