| August 2006 News |
| Any comments or suggestions, contact us and let us know what you're thinking. |
August 31, 2006 - A British firm will be releasing a mixture of aromatherapy and chocolate in bar form. The Feeding Your Imagination
Company will launching the bars next week. The bars will be infused with oil and will carry names such as "Dreamy" , "Sexy" and
"Sensual". The chocolates contain Belgium chocolate and oils and spices such as geranium, rose, ginger and chili. Singapore-based
coffee, nuts and cocoa group Olam reported much improved profits for 2006, thanks to significantly higher volumes across all its segments
as well as better product pricing. Profits were up 32.3% over 2005 and gross sales were up 27.1 %. The British Highland Toffee bar has
been saved from extinction after the company which produces it, Millar McCowan, was bought out of receivership this week. The
investment firm Principal Capital Management has made a successful bid for the company and plans on relaunching many of the
companies famous products including Highland Toffee and the Wham bar. Swiss chocolate maker Lindt has announced that profits are
more than double that of the first 6 months of 2005. Sales were up 17.2% Profits were roughly $12,500,000 up from the first half of 2005's
$4,600,000. Sales were $797,000,0000 for the first half this year. Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate is offering chocolatiers and pastry chefs
Veliche a new line of chocolate. Made in Belgium of vanilla and non-alkalized liquor which makes it naturally flavored and Cargill claims a
high level of visocity making it easy to use. The Veliche line includes three bittersweet chocolates, Chocolat Noir 72%, Chocolat Noir 62%
and Chocolat Noir 58%; two milk chocolates, Chocolat Lait 34% and Chocolat Lait 31%; and a white chocolate, Chocolat Blanc. Dark
chocolate keeps increasing in popularity. In 2002 and dark chocolate comprised 15.5% of the US chocolate market's new products
according to Datamonitor's Productscan Online database of new products. This year the new product market share by dark chocolate is
33.4% according to the same source.
August 29, 2006 - Okay you've made it to Birmingham, England and booked your ticket to Purple Planet, the interactive world of chocolate
set up by Cadbury. At some point you may wonder. How does this place work. Who wrote the software. How do you visualize chocolate in a
3D mould. Newangle is the company and they are worth reading about. This article also has a bunch of excellent photos from Purple
Planet. Ganesh Chathurthi is a ten day festival in India celebrating Ganesh. This year in Pune, India at the Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwala
workers produced half a ton of modaks (sweetmeats) that were all chocolate covered. The flavors are coconut, milk and saffron (kesar) and
are selling great. Chocolate is becoming more popular in Asia all the time and this new way of celebrating an old time holiday shows how
chocolate can influence popular culture. Here in the United States we can't imagine Easter without chocolate rabbits and eggs but yet
Easter was celebrated for close to 2,000 years without them. The next item isn't all that relevant around our house but apparently US
cookie sales were down last year. We've tried to do our part consuming cookies on a daily basis. Still with sales down from 8.25% since
2001 manufacturers are hoping to increase sales by emphasising gourmet cookies, lowering the amount of trans-fat and raising the
amount of chocolate in their products. Here's a picture of Carnival participants covered in chocolate taking part in the Carnival Parade at
the annual Notting Hill Carnival, London.
August 27, 2006 - Orem, Utah is the home of Amano Artisan Chocolate a company founded by two Provo area businessmen. The partners
Clark Goble and Art Pollard are making their chocolate from scratch. Here's a recipe for chocolate walnut gelato. Researchers at Indiana
University say drinking chocolate milk can be a strong recovery aid after exercise. The study - published in the International Journal of Sport
Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism - said that when athletes would drink lowfat chocolate milk after a workout, they were able to work out
longer the second time around than they were when they used a sports drink. Laurie Climan of Chocolart in Canada is printing on
chocolate. You can get business cards, lollipops, CDs and all sorts of other items printed on. She can be reached at www.chocolart.ca . In
England The Food Standards Agency will be giving funding to the local authority that is investigating the salmonella outbreak at the
Cadbury's Herefordshire factory with an eye towards a possible prosecution. The Villages in Florida is the home to Kilwin’s Chocolates
and Ice Cream. They serve Rice Krispies treats dipped in chocolate, something that we are not familiar with but they sound great. Godiva.
com is wrapping up their 50% off sale on select items so if you're interested I'd suggest you take a look. Al Ain Dairy said it had launched
the first camel milk ice cream in the United Arab Emirates. Camel's milk is much lower in fat and is supposedly healthier than cow's milk.
August 26, 2006 - 1317 Walnut Street in Philadelphia is the home to a new all chocolate bar and hangout , Naked Chocolate Café. Owned
by Tom Block and his daughter the menu is chock full of chocolate items to eat.
August 24, 2006 - Who would have guessed it but in northern New Jersey is the testing facility for Cadbury. There is a panel employed as
sensory testers and they run the gamut from housewife to dentist. They spend their days testing and sampling different flavors and textures
to find new products for Cadbury to explore.
August 23, 2006 - Good Karma Food Technologies Issues Nationwide Allergy Alert for Good Karma Organic Rice Cream Mudd Pie, Mint
Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Products Due to Undeclared Milk Ingredient. This should only be a problem for those
with a milk allergy. Read the FDA Bulletin.
August 22, 2006 - Melbourne, Australia is becoming home to many shops that serve up hot European style hot chocolate. The thick gooey
type so prevalent in Italy. M & M'S had recently released their product in Dark Chocolate as a test product. Demand has been so great that M
& M'S has announced that Dark Chocolate will be joining regular, peanut butter and peanut as a regular M & M offering. For the record we
here at eChocolateNYC have tried them and we like them. Read the Press Release. Lindt & Spruengli AG announced that sales have
increased by up to 12% in the last year and first half profit has more than doubled this year. Meadow Gold Dairies is recalling all cartons of
Meadow Gold Hook'd on Chocolate ice cream because it contains egg that is not listed on the label. This could cause a reaction in people
with egg allergies.
August 21, 2006 - 21 year old Darmin Garcia an employee at Debelis Corp. a company that supplies chocolate ingredients was pushing
chocolate into a vat when he fell in and he slid into the hopper. He quickly became encased in chocolate. It took rescue workers two hours
to free him, it was described as like being in quicksand. They were finally able to free him by mixing in cocoa butter to thin out the chocolate
so they could pull him loose. Dynamic Chocolates will be releasing in the United States a product already available in Canada. Chocolate
enhanced with Omega - 3 fatty acids. You can read there Press Release here. Here is what appears to be a good recipe for White
Chocolate Brownies with Macadamia Nuts. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. Announces Second Quarter Cash Dividend of $0.08
per Share. The dividend will be payable September 15, 2006 to shareholders of record September 1, 2006. In support of the release of
their new product Brownie oven squares. On August 23, from 3 - 5 p.m. local time, every customer visiting a participating Domino's Pizza
store can sample a free oven baked Brownie Square with no purchase necessary. Call your local store first as not all stores are
participating.
August 20, 2006 - Millar McCowan, the Scottish confectionery firm which produces the iconic Highland Toffee bar as well as bon bons and
mints has fallen upon hard times and into administration. It was formed last year after the businesses and assets of two confectionery
companies – Millar and Sons and McCowan's were acquired out of receivership.
August 18, 2006 - We have yet to see it but apparently Ben & Jerry's has transformed the Daryl Roth Theatre in Union Square here in new
York City into a sampling place for there new milk shakes. Through August 27th sample the shakes while hanging out in The Cherry Garcia
Lounge where guests are allowed to relax in a funky setting featuring hip furniture, shag-covered walls, lava lamps and a masseuse
offering chair massages. The neighboring Chunky Monkey Oasis
whisks visitors out of New York City's summer heat to the tropics with rope swings, banana trees and driftwood benches. A few steps away,
guests find themselves enveloped in the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Zone
August 17, 2006 - Cocoa Designs has introduced three new flavors of Cocoa Nuts Bars. The new additions to the line up are Framboise,
Café, Orange and Extra Noir. Read the Press Release. Criterion Chocolates is a family operated factory and retail outlet that has been
producing all sorts of chocolate items since 1929. They sell there product at there retail outlet on the Asbury Park, New Jersey Boardwalk.
Barcelona is one of the great chocolate cities in the world. The Telegraph weighs in with a review of some of the better known shops
including Cacao Sampaka , great looking picture, Fargas and Escribá. We've found Barcelona to be one of the great cities to eat in no
matter what it is you're looking for so we are not surprised that the chocolate shops rate so highly. File this one under you be the judge.
Workers at the Bodega Chocolates , Fountain Valley plant discovered as they were cleaning up , a lump of reconstituted chocolate that they
feel bears a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary. This MSNBC piece provides a nice close up photo so you can examine the evidence
for yourself. Police at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport has released a warning for hallucinogenic dark chocolate bars after a homeless man
ate one and confused their uniforms with wedding dresses. The chocolates had been spiked with psilocine, found in mushrooms and
legal in the Netherlands and then abandoned at the Airport probably by someone who didn't want to try to go through Customs with them
August 16, 2006 - Plant pathology Professor at the University of Florida, Randy Ploetz has warned that of the three most dangerous
diseases for chocolate production are Witches Broom, Frosty Pod and Black Pod. Frosty Pod and Witches Broom are currently only found in
the Western Hemisphere but the fear exists that if they spread to Africa they could decimate cocoa production on that continent. There is a
lot of interesting things going on in the Malaysia chocolate scene. There are hundreds of varieties available and new stores and
manufacturers are opening up every day. Central Dublin's Westin Hotel has introduced a new cocktail that sells for $640. "The Minted" is a
vanilla and chocolate concoction that is available at the Hotel's Mint Bar.
August 15, 2006 - A friendly heads up. Godiva is continuing there online sale with some items up to 50% off. Definitely worth a look if you
are a fan of Godiva. Here in New York City our forgotten Borough Staten Island is the home of Superior Chocolatier in
August 14, 2006 - Anne Isham , author of "Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight: The Chocoholic's Survival Guide and Practical Handbook" writes a
loving letter to the birthday cakes of her youth that is worth taking a look at. Domino’s Pizza chain is adding chocolate brownies to the menu
in an attempt to offer dessert. The brownie will be represented by it's mascot Fudgems a three foot tall brownie who will make his television
debut August 21, 2006.
August 12, 2006 - Eight-year-old Dylan Lowes of Tyne and Wear , England has found chocolate to be a real life saver. Born with a kidney
defect he went through a transplant five years ago but had refused solid food and was fed through a tube. He took a bite from a Flake bar
one day and now is eating chocolate five times a day which gives him enough calories so that he doesn't need to be fed through a tube
during daytime hours. Hopefully within time he will be able to move onto other foods and expand his diet. Pre - Schools in New South
Wales Australia are now conducting lunch box checks and sending home food the teachers deem inappropriate such as sweets etc. They
are hoping to curb obesity by teaching small children correct eating habits. Fallen by the wayside are chocolate birthday cakes, the schools
now request a small plain cake to mark the occasion. I'm not looking to editorialize here but it seems that sending a child with the offending
food home may do more harm to the child than eating a piece of cake. Whole Foods Market of Austin, Texas, has recalled 365 Everyday
Value Soy Cream Chocolate and 365 Everyday Value Soy Cream Vanilla. The product may contain undeclared milk proteins which could be
harmful to someone with an allergy.
August 11, 2006 - A nice picture of Max Brenner's new chocolate shop in New York City. Another picture of Max Brenner's new chocolate
shop.
August 10, 2006 - How about that. Outside of Toronto Lindt has a warehouse outlet retail store. Some of the chocolate is marked down up
to 60% off. If you happen to find yourself in the Minneapolis - St. Paul area here's a list of the top five chocolate chip cookies in the area.
August 9, 2006 - Charles Huggins has been named president and chief executive officer of San Francisco Chocolate Co. He was
previously CEO of San Francisco-based Joseph Schmidt Confections and before that General Manager of See's Chocolates. Godiva is
offering a great summer sale on their website. Some items are 50% off. A new report comes to the conclusion that as the larger
chocolate companies such as Nestle and Cadbury keep merging and growing smaller companies need to find niche markets such as
organic or health oriented chocolate to survive. UK-based confectionery company, Kinnerton, has recorded encouraging profits as its
seasonal and licensed characters have led to increased sales. A new website TurnHere.com provides neat little films about New York, San
Francisco and Los Angeles eateries. Two that are interesting to the New York chocoholic are Chocolate Bar and ChikaLicious Dessert
Bar. We highly recommend ChikaLicious Dessert Bar which as well as being a great place for dessert is in our opinion the perfect first
date experience.
August 8, 2006 - Alleringersleben, Germany was the scene of a truck accident which left 19 tons of oozing liquid chocolate coating the
road. The driver was reported in serious condition. The Mars company has sent a team to Papua , New Guinea to take a look at an
outbreak of cocoa pod borer moths. The moths have worked there way through the cocoa fields of Asia where 17% of the world's
production takes place. The moths have recently wiped out 75% of Malaysia's crop and early estimates look like 25% of Indonesia's crop
may be affected.
August 7, 2006 - Quite frequently corporations spend a lot of time and money on such subjects as corporate responsibility. They are
always not very transparent with the results. This link will take you to some work on the subject from Nestle. On August 23rd Nestle will
release their results for the first half of 2006 along with a webcast of the conference call. Whole Foods is thinking of lowering the prices of
selected non perishable items. Due to Whole Foods size they are frequently able to negotiate lower prices from vendors and they are now
going to pass along some of the savings to the consumer. Share price dropped when the company didn't reach expected growth targets
and the company is responding with lower prices. Hedy Morrison of Nashville had her Chocolate Praline Crunch win Best of Show at the
21st edition of Purity Miss Martha's Ice Cream Crankin' contest. Among other prizes her concoction will be one of Purity Dairies newest
flavors and will be purchasable at local grocery stores in the Nashville area.
August 5, 2006 - Dagoba Organic Chocolate will be featured on NBC's Today Show this Monday, August 7th between 7:30-8 am local time.
The piece will focus on sustainable agriculture and should be interesting. A cool picture of Michelle Wie eating chocolate at the Women's
British Open.
August 4, 2006 - Let's start off todays news items with a recipe for chocolate raspberry martini. It sounds good I'll take two. Chocolate:
The Exhibition is running its final few days, it closes August 13th. It's running at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta,
Georgia. On the final Sunday there will be a tasting event and the exhibit covers the history of chocolate from Mayan times to present. An
interesting photo of special M&M's produced with the UPS logo on them.
August 3, 2006 - Cadbury reported a growth in profits of 14% over last year yesterday. This includes the cost of the recall of contaminated
chocolate (see our blog for information on this subject). Cadbury estimates when all is said and done the incident will cost the company
around $35,000,000 in a combination of increased expenses, lost sales and lost good will. Cadbury hopes to increase revenue from
chocolate by introducing new products such as Dark Chocolate Flake and Cadbury Melts in the upcoming year. Wow we would be
completely remiss if we didn't mention that August 10 th is National S'Mores Day. The folks at Scharffen Berger have a neat recipe which
includes instructions on how to make your own marshmallow from scratch and how to make your own graham crackers from scratch.
Cadbury is opening a R&D center in Singapore to attempt to create products that will appeal to the emerging Asian markets. In many parts
of Asia candy is sold in small individual pieces. Cadbury has already had some success in the region and wants to replicate the triumphs
of its Bombay R&D center. They released Chocfuls, a caramel coated piece of chocolate, that costs just four cents.
August 2, 2006 - Five of the seven chocolate items that had been withdrawn from sale by Cadbury during the salmonella situation are now
about to make their reappearance. The items coming back are the Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk Turkish, Dairy Milk Caramel, Dairy Milk Mint and
Dairy Milk 8. The Dairy Milk Buttons Easter Egg will come back in 2007 and the Freddo bar has been discontinued. The BBC has gone to
Venezuela to report on the change in cocoa production, away from fertilizer and towards organic methods. Production is inching upward
and the quality is so good that selling the crop is no problem. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with
allergies to peanuts not to consume some Misbis brand chocolate and confectionery products. Lotte, South Korea's largest candy
company, has completed a $20,000,000 deal with Shanghai BBCA Aloha Chocolate. Shanghai BBCA Aloha Chocolate runs two factories
that produce 30,000 tons of chocolate a year. Some estimates have the Chinese market growing at a 26% rate per year. A new report finds
the confectionary market will continue to grow although it will change direction. Companies will look to produce healthier products, expect to
see more dark chocolate and additives like green tea. Close to 600 experts recently sampled over 240 products at the recent Institute of
Food Technologists (IFT) Food Expo 2006 in Chicago and cast votes for the most innovative products. Some chocolate items did quite well.
In the flavor category Haagen Daz's Mayan Chocolate Ice Cream came in second place. In the health and Wellness category Nabisco
Snackwell's Sugar Free Oreos (U.S.), and New Tree's Pur Plaisir Chocolate Spread (Belgium) tied for second place.
August 1, 2006 - Chocolate fans in Charlotte , North Carolina have a new chocolate spot to look forward to. Simply Sweet will open Sept. 1
in The Fountains shopping center on Ardrey Kell Road in South Charlotte. They'll serve everything from truffles to hot chocolate. In Brunei
Chocolate Paradise recently opened a new branch at Hua Ho Department Store and Supermarket in Tanjung Bunut. This is the fourth
branch for the chain and they sell chocolate imported from all over. Analysts estimate that Cadbury may lose up to 75 million dollars in lost
revenue due to the results of the chocolate recall. We are now blogging about chocolate 24/7. Come take a look.
Company will launching the bars next week. The bars will be infused with oil and will carry names such as "Dreamy" , "Sexy" and
"Sensual". The chocolates contain Belgium chocolate and oils and spices such as geranium, rose, ginger and chili. Singapore-based
coffee, nuts and cocoa group Olam reported much improved profits for 2006, thanks to significantly higher volumes across all its segments
as well as better product pricing. Profits were up 32.3% over 2005 and gross sales were up 27.1 %. The British Highland Toffee bar has
been saved from extinction after the company which produces it, Millar McCowan, was bought out of receivership this week. The
investment firm Principal Capital Management has made a successful bid for the company and plans on relaunching many of the
companies famous products including Highland Toffee and the Wham bar. Swiss chocolate maker Lindt has announced that profits are
more than double that of the first 6 months of 2005. Sales were up 17.2% Profits were roughly $12,500,000 up from the first half of 2005's
$4,600,000. Sales were $797,000,0000 for the first half this year. Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate is offering chocolatiers and pastry chefs
Veliche a new line of chocolate. Made in Belgium of vanilla and non-alkalized liquor which makes it naturally flavored and Cargill claims a
high level of visocity making it easy to use. The Veliche line includes three bittersweet chocolates, Chocolat Noir 72%, Chocolat Noir 62%
and Chocolat Noir 58%; two milk chocolates, Chocolat Lait 34% and Chocolat Lait 31%; and a white chocolate, Chocolat Blanc. Dark
chocolate keeps increasing in popularity. In 2002 and dark chocolate comprised 15.5% of the US chocolate market's new products
according to Datamonitor's Productscan Online database of new products. This year the new product market share by dark chocolate is
33.4% according to the same source.
August 29, 2006 - Okay you've made it to Birmingham, England and booked your ticket to Purple Planet, the interactive world of chocolate
set up by Cadbury. At some point you may wonder. How does this place work. Who wrote the software. How do you visualize chocolate in a
3D mould. Newangle is the company and they are worth reading about. This article also has a bunch of excellent photos from Purple
Planet. Ganesh Chathurthi is a ten day festival in India celebrating Ganesh. This year in Pune, India at the Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwala
workers produced half a ton of modaks (sweetmeats) that were all chocolate covered. The flavors are coconut, milk and saffron (kesar) and
are selling great. Chocolate is becoming more popular in Asia all the time and this new way of celebrating an old time holiday shows how
chocolate can influence popular culture. Here in the United States we can't imagine Easter without chocolate rabbits and eggs but yet
Easter was celebrated for close to 2,000 years without them. The next item isn't all that relevant around our house but apparently US
cookie sales were down last year. We've tried to do our part consuming cookies on a daily basis. Still with sales down from 8.25% since
2001 manufacturers are hoping to increase sales by emphasising gourmet cookies, lowering the amount of trans-fat and raising the
amount of chocolate in their products. Here's a picture of Carnival participants covered in chocolate taking part in the Carnival Parade at
the annual Notting Hill Carnival, London.
August 27, 2006 - Orem, Utah is the home of Amano Artisan Chocolate a company founded by two Provo area businessmen. The partners
Clark Goble and Art Pollard are making their chocolate from scratch. Here's a recipe for chocolate walnut gelato. Researchers at Indiana
University say drinking chocolate milk can be a strong recovery aid after exercise. The study - published in the International Journal of Sport
Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism - said that when athletes would drink lowfat chocolate milk after a workout, they were able to work out
longer the second time around than they were when they used a sports drink. Laurie Climan of Chocolart in Canada is printing on
chocolate. You can get business cards, lollipops, CDs and all sorts of other items printed on. She can be reached at www.chocolart.ca . In
England The Food Standards Agency will be giving funding to the local authority that is investigating the salmonella outbreak at the
Cadbury's Herefordshire factory with an eye towards a possible prosecution. The Villages in Florida is the home to Kilwin’s Chocolates
and Ice Cream. They serve Rice Krispies treats dipped in chocolate, something that we are not familiar with but they sound great. Godiva.
com is wrapping up their 50% off sale on select items so if you're interested I'd suggest you take a look. Al Ain Dairy said it had launched
the first camel milk ice cream in the United Arab Emirates. Camel's milk is much lower in fat and is supposedly healthier than cow's milk.
August 26, 2006 - 1317 Walnut Street in Philadelphia is the home to a new all chocolate bar and hangout , Naked Chocolate Café. Owned
by Tom Block and his daughter the menu is chock full of chocolate items to eat.
August 24, 2006 - Who would have guessed it but in northern New Jersey is the testing facility for Cadbury. There is a panel employed as
sensory testers and they run the gamut from housewife to dentist. They spend their days testing and sampling different flavors and textures
to find new products for Cadbury to explore.
August 23, 2006 - Good Karma Food Technologies Issues Nationwide Allergy Alert for Good Karma Organic Rice Cream Mudd Pie, Mint
Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Products Due to Undeclared Milk Ingredient. This should only be a problem for those
with a milk allergy. Read the FDA Bulletin.
August 22, 2006 - Melbourne, Australia is becoming home to many shops that serve up hot European style hot chocolate. The thick gooey
type so prevalent in Italy. M & M'S had recently released their product in Dark Chocolate as a test product. Demand has been so great that M
& M'S has announced that Dark Chocolate will be joining regular, peanut butter and peanut as a regular M & M offering. For the record we
here at eChocolateNYC have tried them and we like them. Read the Press Release. Lindt & Spruengli AG announced that sales have
increased by up to 12% in the last year and first half profit has more than doubled this year. Meadow Gold Dairies is recalling all cartons of
Meadow Gold Hook'd on Chocolate ice cream because it contains egg that is not listed on the label. This could cause a reaction in people
with egg allergies.
August 21, 2006 - 21 year old Darmin Garcia an employee at Debelis Corp. a company that supplies chocolate ingredients was pushing
chocolate into a vat when he fell in and he slid into the hopper. He quickly became encased in chocolate. It took rescue workers two hours
to free him, it was described as like being in quicksand. They were finally able to free him by mixing in cocoa butter to thin out the chocolate
so they could pull him loose. Dynamic Chocolates will be releasing in the United States a product already available in Canada. Chocolate
enhanced with Omega - 3 fatty acids. You can read there Press Release here. Here is what appears to be a good recipe for White
Chocolate Brownies with Macadamia Nuts. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. Announces Second Quarter Cash Dividend of $0.08
per Share. The dividend will be payable September 15, 2006 to shareholders of record September 1, 2006. In support of the release of
their new product Brownie oven squares. On August 23, from 3 - 5 p.m. local time, every customer visiting a participating Domino's Pizza
store can sample a free oven baked Brownie Square with no purchase necessary. Call your local store first as not all stores are
participating.
August 20, 2006 - Millar McCowan, the Scottish confectionery firm which produces the iconic Highland Toffee bar as well as bon bons and
mints has fallen upon hard times and into administration. It was formed last year after the businesses and assets of two confectionery
companies – Millar and Sons and McCowan's were acquired out of receivership.
August 18, 2006 - We have yet to see it but apparently Ben & Jerry's has transformed the Daryl Roth Theatre in Union Square here in new
York City into a sampling place for there new milk shakes. Through August 27th sample the shakes while hanging out in The Cherry Garcia
Lounge where guests are allowed to relax in a funky setting featuring hip furniture, shag-covered walls, lava lamps and a masseuse
offering chair massages. The neighboring Chunky Monkey Oasis
whisks visitors out of New York City's summer heat to the tropics with rope swings, banana trees and driftwood benches. A few steps away,
guests find themselves enveloped in the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Zone
August 17, 2006 - Cocoa Designs has introduced three new flavors of Cocoa Nuts Bars. The new additions to the line up are Framboise,
Café, Orange and Extra Noir. Read the Press Release. Criterion Chocolates is a family operated factory and retail outlet that has been
producing all sorts of chocolate items since 1929. They sell there product at there retail outlet on the Asbury Park, New Jersey Boardwalk.
Barcelona is one of the great chocolate cities in the world. The Telegraph weighs in with a review of some of the better known shops
including Cacao Sampaka , great looking picture, Fargas and Escribá. We've found Barcelona to be one of the great cities to eat in no
matter what it is you're looking for so we are not surprised that the chocolate shops rate so highly. File this one under you be the judge.
Workers at the Bodega Chocolates , Fountain Valley plant discovered as they were cleaning up , a lump of reconstituted chocolate that they
feel bears a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary. This MSNBC piece provides a nice close up photo so you can examine the evidence
for yourself. Police at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport has released a warning for hallucinogenic dark chocolate bars after a homeless man
ate one and confused their uniforms with wedding dresses. The chocolates had been spiked with psilocine, found in mushrooms and
legal in the Netherlands and then abandoned at the Airport probably by someone who didn't want to try to go through Customs with them
August 16, 2006 - Plant pathology Professor at the University of Florida, Randy Ploetz has warned that of the three most dangerous
diseases for chocolate production are Witches Broom, Frosty Pod and Black Pod. Frosty Pod and Witches Broom are currently only found in
the Western Hemisphere but the fear exists that if they spread to Africa they could decimate cocoa production on that continent. There is a
lot of interesting things going on in the Malaysia chocolate scene. There are hundreds of varieties available and new stores and
manufacturers are opening up every day. Central Dublin's Westin Hotel has introduced a new cocktail that sells for $640. "The Minted" is a
vanilla and chocolate concoction that is available at the Hotel's Mint Bar.
August 15, 2006 - A friendly heads up. Godiva is continuing there online sale with some items up to 50% off. Definitely worth a look if you
are a fan of Godiva. Here in New York City our forgotten Borough Staten Island is the home of Superior Chocolatier in
August 14, 2006 - Anne Isham , author of "Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight: The Chocoholic's Survival Guide and Practical Handbook" writes a
loving letter to the birthday cakes of her youth that is worth taking a look at. Domino’s Pizza chain is adding chocolate brownies to the menu
in an attempt to offer dessert. The brownie will be represented by it's mascot Fudgems a three foot tall brownie who will make his television
debut August 21, 2006.
August 12, 2006 - Eight-year-old Dylan Lowes of Tyne and Wear , England has found chocolate to be a real life saver. Born with a kidney
defect he went through a transplant five years ago but had refused solid food and was fed through a tube. He took a bite from a Flake bar
one day and now is eating chocolate five times a day which gives him enough calories so that he doesn't need to be fed through a tube
during daytime hours. Hopefully within time he will be able to move onto other foods and expand his diet. Pre - Schools in New South
Wales Australia are now conducting lunch box checks and sending home food the teachers deem inappropriate such as sweets etc. They
are hoping to curb obesity by teaching small children correct eating habits. Fallen by the wayside are chocolate birthday cakes, the schools
now request a small plain cake to mark the occasion. I'm not looking to editorialize here but it seems that sending a child with the offending
food home may do more harm to the child than eating a piece of cake. Whole Foods Market of Austin, Texas, has recalled 365 Everyday
Value Soy Cream Chocolate and 365 Everyday Value Soy Cream Vanilla. The product may contain undeclared milk proteins which could be
harmful to someone with an allergy.
August 11, 2006 - A nice picture of Max Brenner's new chocolate shop in New York City. Another picture of Max Brenner's new chocolate
shop.
August 10, 2006 - How about that. Outside of Toronto Lindt has a warehouse outlet retail store. Some of the chocolate is marked down up
to 60% off. If you happen to find yourself in the Minneapolis - St. Paul area here's a list of the top five chocolate chip cookies in the area.
August 9, 2006 - Charles Huggins has been named president and chief executive officer of San Francisco Chocolate Co. He was
previously CEO of San Francisco-based Joseph Schmidt Confections and before that General Manager of See's Chocolates. Godiva is
offering a great summer sale on their website. Some items are 50% off. A new report comes to the conclusion that as the larger
chocolate companies such as Nestle and Cadbury keep merging and growing smaller companies need to find niche markets such as
organic or health oriented chocolate to survive. UK-based confectionery company, Kinnerton, has recorded encouraging profits as its
seasonal and licensed characters have led to increased sales. A new website TurnHere.com provides neat little films about New York, San
Francisco and Los Angeles eateries. Two that are interesting to the New York chocoholic are Chocolate Bar and ChikaLicious Dessert
Bar. We highly recommend ChikaLicious Dessert Bar which as well as being a great place for dessert is in our opinion the perfect first
date experience.
August 8, 2006 - Alleringersleben, Germany was the scene of a truck accident which left 19 tons of oozing liquid chocolate coating the
road. The driver was reported in serious condition. The Mars company has sent a team to Papua , New Guinea to take a look at an
outbreak of cocoa pod borer moths. The moths have worked there way through the cocoa fields of Asia where 17% of the world's
production takes place. The moths have recently wiped out 75% of Malaysia's crop and early estimates look like 25% of Indonesia's crop
may be affected.
August 7, 2006 - Quite frequently corporations spend a lot of time and money on such subjects as corporate responsibility. They are
always not very transparent with the results. This link will take you to some work on the subject from Nestle. On August 23rd Nestle will
release their results for the first half of 2006 along with a webcast of the conference call. Whole Foods is thinking of lowering the prices of
selected non perishable items. Due to Whole Foods size they are frequently able to negotiate lower prices from vendors and they are now
going to pass along some of the savings to the consumer. Share price dropped when the company didn't reach expected growth targets
and the company is responding with lower prices. Hedy Morrison of Nashville had her Chocolate Praline Crunch win Best of Show at the
21st edition of Purity Miss Martha's Ice Cream Crankin' contest. Among other prizes her concoction will be one of Purity Dairies newest
flavors and will be purchasable at local grocery stores in the Nashville area.
August 5, 2006 - Dagoba Organic Chocolate will be featured on NBC's Today Show this Monday, August 7th between 7:30-8 am local time.
The piece will focus on sustainable agriculture and should be interesting. A cool picture of Michelle Wie eating chocolate at the Women's
British Open.
August 4, 2006 - Let's start off todays news items with a recipe for chocolate raspberry martini. It sounds good I'll take two. Chocolate:
The Exhibition is running its final few days, it closes August 13th. It's running at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta,
Georgia. On the final Sunday there will be a tasting event and the exhibit covers the history of chocolate from Mayan times to present. An
interesting photo of special M&M's produced with the UPS logo on them.
August 3, 2006 - Cadbury reported a growth in profits of 14% over last year yesterday. This includes the cost of the recall of contaminated
chocolate (see our blog for information on this subject). Cadbury estimates when all is said and done the incident will cost the company
around $35,000,000 in a combination of increased expenses, lost sales and lost good will. Cadbury hopes to increase revenue from
chocolate by introducing new products such as Dark Chocolate Flake and Cadbury Melts in the upcoming year. Wow we would be
completely remiss if we didn't mention that August 10 th is National S'Mores Day. The folks at Scharffen Berger have a neat recipe which
includes instructions on how to make your own marshmallow from scratch and how to make your own graham crackers from scratch.
Cadbury is opening a R&D center in Singapore to attempt to create products that will appeal to the emerging Asian markets. In many parts
of Asia candy is sold in small individual pieces. Cadbury has already had some success in the region and wants to replicate the triumphs
of its Bombay R&D center. They released Chocfuls, a caramel coated piece of chocolate, that costs just four cents.
August 2, 2006 - Five of the seven chocolate items that had been withdrawn from sale by Cadbury during the salmonella situation are now
about to make their reappearance. The items coming back are the Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk Turkish, Dairy Milk Caramel, Dairy Milk Mint and
Dairy Milk 8. The Dairy Milk Buttons Easter Egg will come back in 2007 and the Freddo bar has been discontinued. The BBC has gone to
Venezuela to report on the change in cocoa production, away from fertilizer and towards organic methods. Production is inching upward
and the quality is so good that selling the crop is no problem. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with
allergies to peanuts not to consume some Misbis brand chocolate and confectionery products. Lotte, South Korea's largest candy
company, has completed a $20,000,000 deal with Shanghai BBCA Aloha Chocolate. Shanghai BBCA Aloha Chocolate runs two factories
that produce 30,000 tons of chocolate a year. Some estimates have the Chinese market growing at a 26% rate per year. A new report finds
the confectionary market will continue to grow although it will change direction. Companies will look to produce healthier products, expect to
see more dark chocolate and additives like green tea. Close to 600 experts recently sampled over 240 products at the recent Institute of
Food Technologists (IFT) Food Expo 2006 in Chicago and cast votes for the most innovative products. Some chocolate items did quite well.
In the flavor category Haagen Daz's Mayan Chocolate Ice Cream came in second place. In the health and Wellness category Nabisco
Snackwell's Sugar Free Oreos (U.S.), and New Tree's Pur Plaisir Chocolate Spread (Belgium) tied for second place.
August 1, 2006 - Chocolate fans in Charlotte , North Carolina have a new chocolate spot to look forward to. Simply Sweet will open Sept. 1
in The Fountains shopping center on Ardrey Kell Road in South Charlotte. They'll serve everything from truffles to hot chocolate. In Brunei
Chocolate Paradise recently opened a new branch at Hua Ho Department Store and Supermarket in Tanjung Bunut. This is the fourth
branch for the chain and they sell chocolate imported from all over. Analysts estimate that Cadbury may lose up to 75 million dollars in lost
revenue due to the results of the chocolate recall. We are now blogging about chocolate 24/7. Come take a look.