Chocolate to be the most popular indulgence product in Indonesia

Indonesians are now more aware of the benefits of chocolate if it is consumed in moderation, and continue to buy it as a snack or to gift on special occasions, boosting volume sales of chocolate confectionery in 2016, says research consultancy Euromonitor. In fact, chocolate confectionery is expected to continue as the most favoured indulgence product* for consumers of all ages in Indonesia, the company said.

Ceres PT has retained its clear leadership in chocolate confectionery with a value share of 52% in 2016, thanks to the company’s brand reputation, broad product offering and competitive pricing, Euromonitor said. Ceres markets several chocolate confectionery brands, including Silver Queen, Silver Queen Chunky and Delfi (tablets); Top (second leading countlines** brand); Delfi and Van Houten (boxed assortments); as well as Cha Cha and Chic Choc (chocolate pouches and bags). The company’s aggressive marketing campaigns have also contributed to its performance.

Euromonitor forecasts that chocolate confectionery is likely to post a healthy value CAGR of 6% in constant 2016 terms over the forecast period of 2016 to 2021.

Interested?

Buy the Confectionery in Indonesia report

*An indulgence product is a luxury item which the buyer does not need and may feel guilty about purchasing. 

**Confectionery term for bars of candy or chocolate, often shipped to retailers in cartons. The contents are then sold individually.

A taste of an Italian Christmas in Singapore at Casa Ferrero

Ferrero, producer of the world's most celebrated praline, Ferrero Rocher, has brought back the magic of an Italian Christmas to Singapore this year. The elegance is what stands out when you enter Casa Ferrero, Ferrero's only pop-up store in Southeast Asia. The gold of the classic Ferrero Rocher praline is replicated throughout the store, complemented by the glint of crystal chandeliers, the comforting fragrance of espresso, and, of course, the distinctive hint of roasted hazelnuts which permeates the place.

Casa Ferrero is larger than last year's pop-up, Pasticceria Ferrero, which was also situated outside the Wisma Atria mall along Orchard Road in Singapore. Designed to recreate the atmosphere of an Italian mansion, Casa Ferrero features a mouthwatering chocolate-making demonstration on the right and a photo-wall on the left.

The pre-packaged Golden Gallery is exclusively available at Casa Ferrero (S$23). The gift box features Ferrero Manderly, Ferrero Rondnoir, Ferrero Tenderly White, and the classic Ferrero Rocher.

Shelves of softly glowing confectionery dominate the middle part of the store, inviting visitors to pick out and personalise with pralines and special edition morsels of indulgence exclusively available in Singapore at Casa Ferrero till early January 2016. Visitors will also be able to savour their pralines with a cup of complimentary espresso in a setting reminiscent of sidewalk Italian cafes. Exclusive Ferrero Gift Cards are available to accompany any gifts they choose to purchase.

Leonardo Perrone de Almeida, Marketing Director, South East Asia, Ferrero Asia said, "When we introduced the Pasticerria Ferrero last year, we were heartened by the response we got from customers who came from around the region. This year, we want to give Singapore a piece of the Italian experience as they select the perfect gift for their loved ones. Casa Ferrero not only continues to offer exclusive pralines not available at other times, but will also immerse shoppers in the heritage, culture and craftsmanship that has made Ferrero Rocher the praline of choice all over the world."

Leonardo Perrone de Almeida, Marketing Director, South East Asia, Ferrero Asia (left) looks on as Qi and Peh take turns to speak during the launch of the photo-wall.

Celebrity couple Joanne Peh and Qi Yuwu were once again present to join de Almeida in the ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the official opening of Casa Ferrero for the Christmas season. Peh revealed that the event is particularly significant as she had been pregnant with the couple's Jubilee baby - born on National Day 2015 - at the opening of Pasticceria Ferrero the year before, but had not known of it then.

A special card was created for their three-month-old daughter, who is celebrating her first Christmas this year. Peh spoke of being extremely moved when she looks at her firstborn and said she hopes to keeps traditions alive with her. "I like to do things with my hands and I hope that my daughter will share this tradition," she said, speaking about baking as an example.

Qi added that the couple is honoured to be at Casa Ferrero. "It has been a very memorable year," he said in Mandarin. "The place has a romantic atmosphere and I'm very happy to be here."

Ferrero is also extending the opportunity for a unique Italian creation online. Singapore-based shoppers can visit www.Ferreroitaliancreation.com to capture their own unique Ferrero Gift Card. Completing the experience is yet another iconic example of fine Italian craftsmanship - the Fiat Alfa Romeo Giulietta - which awaits the most creative card uploaded with the hashtag #FerreroltalianCreation. The Italian-made car is Ferrero's way of thanking Singaporeans for their love for its brand.

To bring Singaporeans into the heart of the making of Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Master Chocolatiers Maria Grazia Andaloro and Beatrice Boero Cuttica have flown in from Italy to lead live demonstrations of the process that has made Ferrero Rocher the region's favourite praline.

"Casa Ferrero is our way of showing gratitude and appreciation to the consumers for their love and affection towards Ferrero Rocher. As the number one chocolate brand in Singapore. Ferrero Rocher has been a part of many precious moments. we want to continue helping Singaporeans create even more cherished memories with their loved ones, while also sharing with them the Italian heritage and craftsmanship," said de Almeida.

Ferrero Master Chocolatiers Cuttica (left) and Andaloro (right) working on the chocolate-dipping process (left) and covering the pralines with finely crushed hazelnuts on the right. The wafer cores of the confectionery are in the tray in the middle. 

Ferrero Rocher is made only with high quality ingredients, beginning with the handpicking of the finest of hazelnuts which form the heart of Ferrero Rocher. Each classic praline is handmade by Ferrero chefs who enclose whole hazelnuts in a wafer sphere and hazelnut cream, cover the spheres in an even layer of molten chocolate, and then toss the result in finely crushed roasted hazelnuts.

The different faces of parenthood. Qi (left) and Peh speak about the wonder of parenthood.

Detail of the photo-wall, which shows an Italian countryside background at the first blush of sunset.

Interested?

Casa Ferrero stocks the following pralines which are only available for the festive season at the pop up store: Ferrero Tenderly White (white chocolate, hazelnut), Ferrero Cappucino, Ferrero Tenderly Torroncino (milk chocolate, hazelnut), Ferrero Manderly (hazelnut cream and almond), Pocket Coffee, Kusschen White, Kusschen Milk, and Kusschen Dark. Raffaello and Ferrero Rondnoir (cocoa cream, dark chocolate, hazelnut) are also available in addition to the classic Ferrero Rocher. These pralines are part of the assortment in the Ferrero Collection. Ferrero Rocher has also brought its Christmas Limited Edition Grand Ferrero Rocher and the Christmas Pyramid to Singapore.

Chocolate-making demonstrations will be held over the next nine weekends from 4pm to 5pm and from 6pm to 7pm. View the Instagram video of the process

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about the opening of Pasticceria Ferrero in 2014

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about the 2015 festive season, including:

Singapore Gift Guide 2015, the pleasure edition
Singapore Gift Guide 2015, the tech edition

Who in APAC will be spending the most online, according to the Adobe Digital Index
How Facebook sees mobile redefining the season

Hong Kong's Winter Wonderland experience
The City of Sydney's Christmas programme

Sofitel So Singapore's French fusion Christmas menu
House of Sillage launches the Holiday by House of Sillage fragrance

Hashtag: #FerreroltalianCreation

posted from Bloggeroid

Swarn Amrit makes edible gold sweets in India

Luxury brand Swarn Amrit has, for the first time in India, introduced confectionery made with pure 24 karat gold. According to the company, gold is not only a symbol of purity, prosperity and fortune, but also possesses powers contributing to a long and vital life. 

Swarn Kalash 

The new range includes Indian and international sweets named kalash, mukhi, madhu, yukti and katak. Swarn Mukhi, for example, consists of layers of cashews, almonds, pistachio and gold while Swarn Madhu are Belgian chocolates made with gold, and Swarn Katak is Turkish delight plus gold. 

All gift boxes come with a gold key, and can be personalised with a message and an image on the lid. Request a free sample here.

Nestlé to remove all artificial colours and flavours from chocolate

Source: Nestlé.

Nestlé USA will remove artificial flavours and FDA-certified colours like Red 40 and Yellow 5 from all of its chocolate candy products by the end of 2015. The move will affect more than 250 products and 10 brands. Products will begin appearing on store shelves by mid-2015, and will be identified by a No Artificial Flavors or Colors claim featured on-pack.

“Nestlé is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company and our commitment to remove artificial flavours and certified colours in our chocolate candy brands is an important milestone,” said Doreen Ida, President, Nestlé USA Confections & Snacks. 

“We know that candy consumers are interested in broader food trends around fewer artificial ingredients. As we thought about what this means for our candy brands, our first step has been to remove artificial flavours and colours without affecting taste or increasing the price. We’re excited to be the first major US candy manufacturer to make this commitment.”

Ingredients from natural sources can include annatto, which comes from the seeds found in the fruit from the achiote tree, Red 40 and Yellow 5 to replace the BUTTERFINGER centre. In CRUNCH, natural vanilla flavour will replace the artificial vanillin.

“We never compromise on taste. When making these changes to more than 75 recipes, maintaining the great taste and appearance consumers expect from the chocolate brands they know and love is our #1 priority,” said Leslie Mohr, Nutrition, Health and Wellness manager, Nestlé Confections & Snacks. “We conducted consumer testing to ensure the new recipe delivers on our high standards for taste and appearance.”
According to Mohr, this change affects Nestlé’s current portfolio of chocolate brands including NESTLE CRUNCH, BUTTERFINGER, BABY RUTH, SKINNY COW, RAISINETS, GOOBERS, SNO CAPS, 100 GRAND, OH HENRY and CHUNKY. 

Going forward, all newly launched chocolate and non-chocolate candy products (gummies, sours, etc.) introduced by Nestlé USA will be made without artificial flavours or colours. Additionally, Nestlé USA is actively pursuing the removal of caramel colouring from its chocolate products. Caramel colouring is an exempt-from-certification colour additive, which is used in nine of the more than 250 chocolate products.This follows similar moves by Nestlé in other parts of the world, the company said.

Exclusive Ferrero Rocher pralines available at the Pasticceria Ferrero, in Singapore for the festive season

Launch headliners Qi Yu Wu and Joanne Peh pose for pictures.

Ferrero Rocher has launched its first Southeast Asia boutique, Pasticceria Ferrero, the only store of its kind in the world this festive season, at Wisma Atria along Orchard Road in Singapore. 

Before the official launch.

The boutique allows visitors to assemble customised boxes of chocolates with new and exclusive variants of the Ferrero pralines that are only available during this time of year.

Visitors can create their own customised gift boxes with pralines only available at the boutique during this festive season.

Leonardo Perrone de Almeida, Marketing Director, South East Asia, Ferrero Asia, spoke of the brand's long tradition in the fine art of gifting. "As the number one chocolate brand in Singapore, Ferrero certainly has a special place in the heart of Singaporeans. This year we wanted to offer Singaporeans.. a piece of our tradition and heritage to South East Asia," he said. 

Guests at the launch of the Pasticceria Ferrero were shown how each Ferrero Rocher praline is made by Luca Dellapiana, a Ferrero Chef from Italy. The seven-step process begins with filling the two halves of the wafer sphere with a creamy chocolate filling. A handpicked premium hazelnut is then popped in, and the two wafer halves are joined into the familiar spherical shape. The wafer sphere is then dipped in chocolate, which is tempered at 45 degrees Celsius, then cooled to 29 degrees to give it the crunch and the shine. The praline is then rolled in crushed hazelnuts, after which the whole is dipped in tempered chocolate again, and then chilled for a few minutes before it is ready to eat. 

The Rocherones are available in 'giant' (left) and 'mini' (right) sizes. Both Rocherones and the Christmas pyramids (below) are Christmas Limited Edition offerings. 

Live demonstrations by Chef Dellapiana and Chef Alessandria Davide, also in Singapore only for a limited time, will be conducted for the next four weekends, till 1 December, at the Pasticceria Ferrero. Chef Dellapiana's original creations are also on show at the boutique: look out for the Christmas Limited Edition Rocherones, which are shaped like a giant-sized classic praline and filled with smaller pralines. The Christmas Pyramids are also only available during this time. 

Some of the exclusive pralines available only during the festive season at the Pasticceria Ferrero. 

The special pralines only available for Christmas include: 

• Ferrero Tenderly White, a white chocolate praline with a hazelnut filling.
• Ferrero Capuccino, crispy wafer specialty with a smooth coffee filling
• Ferrero Tenderly Nougat, milk chocolate praline, creamy nougat and a whole hazelnut.
• Ferrero Manderly, a crisp hazelnut-covered specialty, with a smooth hazelnut filling and almond centre.
• Mon Chéri: Launched in 1956, this praline marked the beginning of Ferrero history in the world of boxed chocolates. The recipe combines dark chocolate, liqueur, and cherry. 
• Pocket Coffee, available from 1968, a dark chocolate praline filled with liquid espresso.
• Kusschen White: 'küsschen' means 'little kiss'; a white chocolate praline with hazelnut filling.
• Kusschen Milk, a milk chocolate praline with hazelnut filling.
• Kusschen Dark, a milk and dark chocolate praline with hazelnut filling.
• Raffaello: Introduced in 1989, Raffaello consists of a whole almond in a creamy filling enclosed in a crispy shell, covered in flakes of coconut.
• Ferrero Rondnoir: a crisp dark chocolate covered specialty, with a smooth filling and a dark chocolate and hazelnut centre.

Ferrero is also the company behind Nutella, Kinder and Tic Tac. Read about Peh and Qi's thoughts on Ferrero Rocher and chocolate here.

Max Brenner's website picks up New Media Award Web Award

Source: Max Brenner website.

The Max Brenner website is a 'best in industry' winner for the food and beverage category in the 2014 New Media Awards, organised by the New Media Institute, a research and fact-finding organisation whose mission is to improve public understanding of issues surrounding the Internet and other forms new media communications.

The website for the restaurant, which has outlets in Australia, Japan and Singapore, is described as 'dynamic' and creating "a sense of immersion" through photography that "feels real, even messy".

"It's absolutely amazing to see so much creativity come from such varied industries and from different parts of the world. We are extremely proud to recognize their achievements," stated Barbara Eber-Schmid, EVP at the New Media Institute. "Entries were judged based on innovation, content, design, user-friendliness, how dynamic they are, and most importantly -- how well they serve their audience's needs."

View the winners of the 2014 New Media Awards here.

M&M's unveils first M&M's World store in Asia

M&M's, the chocolate brand, has celebrated the grand opening of its first M&M's World store in Asia, adding another Shanghai destination to visit for souvenir shopping. M&M's World Shanghai is a 1,600 sq m (about 17,222 sq ft) 'retail-tainment' destination over two storeys of what the company calls 'colourful, chocolate fun'.

The store offers M&M's Brand Chocolate Candies in 22 colours and three varieties – milk chocolate, peanut and almond - and a wide range of M&M's merchandise, including apparel, kitchenware, plush toys and uniquely Shanghai- and China-themed M&M's branded products, such as mugs, tins and T-shirts, designed specifically for the Shanghai store. 

"Shanghai is the ideal city for the first M&M's World store in Asia due to the city's truly global feel and appeal," said Brian Schiegg, General Manager, Mars Retail Group. "The location in the Brilliance Shimao International Plaza made perfect sense for the world's largest chocolate brand, since East Nanjing Road is one of the busiest pedestrian streets in China and a highly visited tourist destination in Shanghai. 

"M&M's World Shanghai welcomes visitors to a unique retail experience that combines shopping and entertainment, with an eye-catching, iconic-looking store that engages and excites fans of the M&M's brand from all over the world."

The store combines iconic Chinese landmarks and cultural elements with M&M's characters, which are known by their colours. Blue and Green are dressed as Kung Fu Characters at the store's side entrance within the mall. Yellow is disguised as a panda among bamboo. A Lantern Garden features numerous hanging lanterns that illuminate and change colors as visitors step on the platform.

As guests walk up the stairs to the second floor, they are greeted by a large moon gate that previews the Great Wall of Chocolate. The Great Wall of Chocolate is the world's largest M&M's candy wall, with 132 individual tubes. Red and Orange stand guard here, dressed as Warriors. 

The Great Wall of Chocolate.

M&M's World Shanghai, open from 10 am to 10 pm every day is the fifth M&M's World flagship store, joining US stores in Times Square, New York; Orlando, Florida; two stores in Nevada, in Las Vegas and Henderson; and Leicester Square in London. The Shanghai store is one of the smaller M&M's World stores. The Las Vegas store is 28,000 sq ft while the London store is 35,000 sq ft. Both are four levels high.

*Images from M&M's.