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/567722
category spotlight NEW CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS Find innovation at work in these new introductions to the market. B.T. McElrath Prairie Dog Chocolate Bar. 72% dark chocolate with toasted coconut toffee and Georgia pecans. btmcelrath.com Carl Brandt La Chocolatier de Provence 52% Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bar. Pure pomegranate juice and apple and pineapple fibers add extra depth to this bar. carlbrandt.com CB Stuffer Espresso Peanut Butter Cup. Peanut butter protein and a jolt of roasted espresso make this 5.5-ounce treat for adults only. cbstuffer.com Chuao Chocolatier Strawberry Waffle Wild Bar. Milk chocolate with crunchy waffles and tangy strawberries. chauochocolatier.com Kohler Sugar-Free Landscape Tiles. Made with no-sugar-added dried blueberries, roasted almonds, and sugar-free chocolate. kohlerchocolates.com Laurie & Sons Dangerously Delicious Black Licorice Dark Chocolate Toffee. Made with real black licorice and star anise, sprinkled with black Hawaiian lava sea salt. laurieandsons.com Madecasse Toasted Coconut. With bean-to-bar production in Africa, this bar contains toasted coconut with 70 percent Madagascar chocolate. madecasse.com Marich Confectionery Chocolate Spiced Apple. Bite-size pieces of cinnamon-flavored dried apples coated in milk chocolate are packaged in mini gable boxes with an autumn-themed design. marich.com Poco Dolce 81% Bittersweet Chocolate Bar. A dairy-free bar with potent flavor notes highlighted by a touch of gray sea salt. pocodolce.com Seattle Chocolates jcoco Peanut Strawberry Baobab in Dark Chocolate. Reminiscent of PB&J, this dark chocolate bar contains Virginia-style peanuts, strawberry pate de fruit, and the African superfruit baobab. seattlechocolates.com Vanini 62% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar with Rosemary. A balance of acidity, bitterness, and Mediterranean flavors gives this bar its distinct flavor. vaninicioccolato.it Caputo says. "When the artisan is heavily responsible for how a product tastes, it has the possibility of being the epitome of excellence." "Bean-to-bar is trending in a huge way," Bitterman agrees. "The trend has been building for a while, but it is shifting from a few iconic labels to an extended neighborhood of amazing people who are creat- ing depth to the chocolate market that has never existed before." Bitterman calls out Florida's Castronovo and Ranger in Portland, Oregon, as among those making waves with consum- ers stateside. Bean-to-bar makers abroad include the U.K.'s Pump Street, which roasts cocoa beans in a bread oven; Omnom from Iceland; and Naïve, a Lithuanian company that employs local, for- aged ingredients. In Minneapolis, Mary Richter, culinary director of Surdyk 's, says that her customers are also seeking out bean-to-bar brands. "We see a huge uptick in this category. We are selling more small, artisanal bars from chocolatiers like Olive and Sinclair, Rogue, Madecasse, Granada, Theo, Taza, and Madre, [the latter] a truly American chocolate produced in Hawaii," Richter says. "These are not inexpensive options, yet our customers are buying them without hesitation." There's still room for consumer awareness around bean-to-bar chocolate companies. "Fifty percent of our customers still need to be educated as to what bean-to-bar really is as well as what makes the chocolate quality different from a non–bean-to-bar single origin. When consumers taste the difference and receive the proper educa- tion as to why it is different, they get converted to the high-quality end of chocolate purchasing," says 2Beans' Kravets. Innovation and Imagination. Moving beyond the idea of being a simple candy bar, chocolate is reaching new heights in both taste and texture. "Consumers are looking for not only f lavor innovations but also standouts in texture and ingredients," affirms Tracey Priest, sales director of The Touch Agency, a brand strategy and consumer marketing company. Priest points to Sucre as a good example. The Bixby Bar's Birdie, with sweet currant, Maine sea salt, and hazelnut (left) and Theo Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups 78 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com