Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/165618
Steak rubbed with Teeny Tiny Spice Co. of Vermont Chocolate Chili Here are five reasons this trend is catching on. 1. Capturing Retailer Attention In recent years, as savory ingredients made their way into sweet chocolate confections, they've also made it into the news. The Obamas' love of Fran's chocolate-dipped Smoked Salt Caramels got plenty of coverage, and the very popular Vosges Haut Chocolat Mo's Bacon Bar captured the attention of consumers and media outlets amid the recent bacon frenzy. Now, whether in bar, powder or nib form, chocolate is being used to flavor tea, beer, spice rubs and more. Retailers on the lookout for innovative and indulgent products are increasingly adding such merged items to their inventory. The Art of the Table in Grand Rapids, Mich., offers chocolate stout beer, a chocolate-chile pepper rub and a cocoa powder–rubbed cheese. Sahadi's in Brooklyn, N.Y., stocks a similar cheese, while the online retailer iGourmet.com sells a Chocolate Cheese Collection "for a fun twist on the classic after-dinner cheese plate," the website reads. Known for its unusual product list, Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Mich., offers two pork products (lomo and coppa from La Quercia) cured with cocoa powder and pimenton de la vera and chocolate-covered grissini (Italian-style breadsticks, a holidayonly item that sold well last year). The retailer also bakes four varieties of chocolate A (VERY) BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE SAVORIES Although adding chocolate to savory food and drink is a current trend, this blurring (or, should we say, melting) of lines took root thousands of years ago. In its natural form, cacao beans are not sweet; for their first documented preparation, indigenous Mesoamericans ground them up to make xocolatl, a bitter drink. In the 16th century, wild boar cooked in chocolate sauce was a traditional Tuscan dish, and many date the famed Mexican sauce mole, which often contains chocolate, back to the early 1600s. Today, specialty food manufacturers are making their own mark on the savory chocolate trend with careful ingredient sourcing, innovative new products and surprising progressions in existing foods. 54 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com Beehive Cheese Ipanema Cheese, Carr Valley Cheese Cocoa Cardona Cheese bread, including chocolate sourdough, says Sara Richardson, marketing manager for Zingerman's Bakehouse. 2. Creating a Point of Distinction One aspect driving the savory chocolate mash-up is the fact that adding chocolate to unlikely items builds intrigue around a product, says Zak Zaidman, co-founder of Kopali Organics, which makes chocolatecovered espresso beans and cacao nibs. "As the market for chocolate has grown, it has also matured," Zaidman says. "This maturing is partially responsible for the proliferation of more unexpected chocolate products." While he agrees some of these innovations are interesting, Zaidman adds that many are driven by a "need to differentiate in an overly saturated market." Still, retailers are seeing customers seeking out such innovation. "We've seen a dramatic upswing in the demand for unique chocolate products," says Jackie Gomez, marketing manager at Southern Season in Chapel Hill, N.C., which sells Choco Noir, a ready-to-drink chocolate wine beverage. "We are seeing an influx of younger consumers. Their youth lends well toward a more playful palate, pushing the envelope as to what chocolate should be. These consumers are much more aware