August 27, 2007 - Cadbury will be relaunching the Wispa bar in the United Kingdom after a campaign on the Internet involving sites such
as MY Space rallied support for the idea. The bars will be hitting store shelves in October and the situation shows how new technology can
influence consumer and company decision making. The Almond Board of California (ABC) was turned down when they requested that the
USDA delay for six months of the implementation of mandatory pasteurization. The pasteurization is slated to begin in September.
August 26, 2007 - Their is a new Vosges Haut-Chocolat Boutique here in New York City and it is drop dead gorgeous. Opened at 1100
Madison Avenue, a block away from the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, the newest Vosges serves ice cream and the same great line of
products as their other boutiques. Their are in our opinion few people in the business, Vosge's owner and chocolatier Katrina Markoff,
who manage to combine so many different and fascinating ingredients with chocolate. This location is definitely worth a visit. Combine it
with a trip to one of the fine museums on Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile. DeBrand has a new product Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp Cigars. We
haven't yet sampled them but they look really nice and give a nice option for something to hand out to announce the birth of a child. We've
found other DeBrand products that we've sampled over the years to be high quality and great tasting so we have no doubt that these are an
excellent product. Nestle has announced that they will be slowing their pace of acquiring other companies. They had been on a spree
lately which had the merging or acquiring many companies including Gerber. They plan on now focusing on health and nutrition and not
making any more acquisitions. Nickelodeon has announced that they will no longer license their characters to products that they consider "
junk food" as the company wants to make a commitment to help fight childhood obesity. In the United Kingdom a new study has found that
their is an increase in coffee allergies. The industry has been on a roll especially with research over the last few years finding health
benefits with the consumption of coffee. The percentage of people who are allergic to coffee is quite small. Lindt has announced that they
will be increasing prices to make up for the increases in raw materials. Lindt has seen double digit growth in some markets and doesn't
feel the increase in prices will impede the companies growth. After a year of cocoa price increases the International Cocoa Organisation
(ICCO) has issued a report stating that they believe with large crops due from the Western Africa coca fields that prices will stabilize in the
upcoming year. A new study has found that US consumers find organic labeling confusing. They also showed a high degree of mistrust
when it came to accepting the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) organic seal. The consumers felt that the USDA was watering down
the requirements for the labeling of food as organic.
August 12, 2007 - Chef Brian Goodman of New York’s Parea restaurant has an interesting recipe. It's for Parea Tuna Spinialo with Meyer
Lemon and Cacao Nibs. Scharffen Berger has the recipe posted on their site. Hilton Hotels have challenged their chefs to create the
ultimate chocolate confection. Over fifty chefs competed and the winner was Derryck Adams from the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort &
Spa in Florida. His creation was his Cappuccino Chocolate Delight. You can check out the recipe here.
August 10, 2007 - Campbell Soups chief executive officer Douglas Conant has announced the company may be shopping Godiva
Chocolates. The company has been aggressively expanding its soup operations, recently inking deals in Russia and China and Godiva
doesn't fit into the companies overall strategic vision. A new survey in the USA has found that although 97% of mothers hope to pack
nutritional snacks and have their kids snack well up to 70% of children throw them away or give them to friends. This creates a quandary for
parents and manufacturers. How to find a tasty treat to pack with lunches that kids will eat but is also nutritious or at least not high calorie or
high fat. Barry Callebaut has launched a new chocolate product that may influence the chocolate market. They have refined a process that
allows them to aerate ingredients. This will allow manufacturers of chocolate and baked goods to cut the amount of chocolate used without
affecting taste or appearance. Named Aerated Inclusions they are chocolate chunks that weigh one third of regular chocolate. They can be
used anywhere chocolate chunks might be used including ice cream and cookies. Callebaut claims that they have a lighter texture than
regular chocolate chunks but taste the same. A new report claims the future of US confectionery growth will come from organic candy. The
report claims growth in 2006 was 7% higher than the year before but growth in 2007 might only be 4%. This is for non chocolate items an
area that has yet to really go "healthy" or "light". ABC News has a good piece about the battle that Gary Guittard is fighting to stop the change
of the definition of what constitutes chocolate by the FDA. The battle is whether the cocoa butter in chocolate can be adulterated with
vegetable oil and if so would the resulting product be labeled chocolate. Current guidelines state that chocolate must contain 50 - 60%
cocoa butter. The larger firms in the industry Hershey, Cadbury etc. claim they need the guidelines amended so that they can modernize
production. Purists like Mr. Guittard would prefer to be consistent and keep the guidelines intact. Terra Nostra Organic the chocolate
producing company is trying to have a zero carbon footprint. They are doing this by using fuel efficient plants as well as purchasing wind
power credits. Noka, a company who's packaging we have raved about in the past, has announced their plans for their Limited Edition
Winter White Encore Keepsake Boxes for the upcoming holiday season. The packaging sounds great and we've sampled Noka's
chocolate in the past and have found it to be some of the finest on the market today. If you're purchasing chocolate as a gift and
appearance is important definitely take a look at Noka.
August 7, 2007 -We here at eChocolateNYC are always happy to announce good news in the chocolate community. Last June we had
reported the closing of Leopold Schreiber's shop in Montrose, Pennsylvania. Mr. Schreiber worked at Nagel's Candy as the General
Manager of the store's chocolate factory before opening his own factory in Binghampton. New York in 1994. He then moved on to Montrose
before closing down. He's back at The Sweet Spot in Montrose with a new team. Welcome back Leopold and if your near Scranton,
Pennsylvania drop by and try some of his chocolate. Barry Callebaut is making all sorts of product changes to reflect changes in
consumer desires. They will be selling a variety of single origin chocolates and cocoa powders under the Limited Edition Brand. They also
are releasing ten different flavors of white chocolate and will be the first company to release chocolate with probiotics which helps to
strengthen the immune system. The Global Agricultural Information Network and USDA have issued a report that points to the number of
factors that could lead to rapid growth in the Chinese confectionery market. With growing incomes the market is ripe for expansion. The
report showed some of the differences between US and Chinese consumers. In China consumers pprefer smaller portions with more
attractive packaging partially as chocolate is more likely to be given as a gift. The Chinese market prefers a less sugary or milky chocolate
than the average American consumer. A study from the University of Barcelona recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry found that Wistar rats that consumed cocoa-enriched diets had increased activity in the bodies antioxidant defense systems.
This increase in antioxidant defenses would be a boon to human health if a cocoa-enriched diet led to an increase in humans as it did in
rats. Deborah Markus BellaOnline's Chocolate Editor has an interesting article about chocolate and its relationship with the Catholic
Church. Cadbury has announced a decline in operating profit for the first half of 2007. Revenue was up 6% mostly due to an increase in
gum sales but operating profit dropped 6% to $360,000,000 due to restructuring, the fine they paid in the salmonella case in England and
the costs associated with the launch of Trident gum among other factors. If you live in the United Kingdom, they don't currently deliver in the
USA, or just like to take a look at some nice chocolate Hotel Chocolat has some nice summer chocolate items for sale. Sales for Wrigley
grew 14% last year. The company has been aggressively expanding into new and growing markets which helped fuel the companies
growth. Auckland, New Zealand hospitals are finding their vending machines will be limiting the amount of kj's allowed in a product. This
means larger sized chocolate bars are out. Hospital administrators are also considering prohibiting whole milk in hospital tea rooms. This
is all part of a plan to combat obesity. Hershey's second quarter profits plunged and two of the reasons were higher dairy prices and
consumer reluctance to purchase Hershey's dark chocolate and "healthy" options. We here at eChocolateNYC had wondered about this for
awhile. How would Hershey convince consumers that they should pay a premium price for Hershey product as Hershey's reputation has
never been one for "high end" products. We have sampled some of the newer Hershey items from the Cacao Reserve line among others
and found them to be excellent and the price while higher than regular Hershey was still more than fair.
August 4, 2007 - According to NPR a squirrel in Finland has been raiding a store's Kinder Egg supply. The bushy tailed little thief eats an
egg, heists the toy inside and then leaves the discarded wrapper behind as a calling card. You can listen to the story here. In Edinburgh,
Scotland restaurant manager Egerpi Tolga has purchased financially troubled Plaisir du Chocolat. The shop was opened by Bertrand
Espouy and Heather Kiernan in 2000. The shop was famous for its line of teas and chocolate drinks. Mr. Tolga was the manager of Cafe
Rouge in Edinburgh and is adding a lunch and dinner menu. If you happen to be in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia tomorrow you can attend
the Chocolate Rush Festival which will include the Australian Chocolate Championships. Many of the big names of the Australian
chocolate scene will be attending and competing in the championship.
August 3, 2007 - Endangered Species Chocolate has scored an advertising coup. Their chocolate bars will be in the gift bags distributed at
The Four Seasons Hotel during the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. and The Grove, Inc. have
inked a deal to develop Rocky Mountain locations in airports. The Airport Franchise Development Agreement will have Grove develop Rocky
Mountain locations. Grove already has deals with companies such as I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!©, Swensen's Ice Cream©, Subway©,
Dunkin Donuts©, Smoothie King©. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of 365 Organic Everyday Value Swiss Dark
Chocolate Bars because of a labeling error. The bars are sold at Whole Foods and are being recalled because they were mislabeled as
nut free when they do possibly contain nuts or nut byproducts which could cause a reaction to those with nut allergies. Fat Bloom , that
whitish discoloration that occurs on chocolate when it is exposed to temperature fluctuations mostly heat, has long been the bane of
chocolate companies. Now Marigot claims its Aquamin F can slow the growth of Bloom crystals by increasing the mineral content of the
chocolate. Aquamin F is a organic mineral ingredient derived from seaweed and is Okay for vegans. Bloom poses no health risk but
makes chocolate unattractive to consumers. Cadbury's chief financial officer Ken Hanna announced that due to the worldwide increase in
dairy prices Cadbury would be forced to increase the price of chocolate bars. The company is hoping to make up a $60 - 80,000,000
shortfall due to the increase in dairy prices.
as MY Space rallied support for the idea. The bars will be hitting store shelves in October and the situation shows how new technology can
influence consumer and company decision making. The Almond Board of California (ABC) was turned down when they requested that the
USDA delay for six months of the implementation of mandatory pasteurization. The pasteurization is slated to begin in September.
August 26, 2007 - Their is a new Vosges Haut-Chocolat Boutique here in New York City and it is drop dead gorgeous. Opened at 1100
Madison Avenue, a block away from the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, the newest Vosges serves ice cream and the same great line of
products as their other boutiques. Their are in our opinion few people in the business, Vosge's owner and chocolatier Katrina Markoff,
who manage to combine so many different and fascinating ingredients with chocolate. This location is definitely worth a visit. Combine it
with a trip to one of the fine museums on Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile. DeBrand has a new product Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp Cigars. We
haven't yet sampled them but they look really nice and give a nice option for something to hand out to announce the birth of a child. We've
found other DeBrand products that we've sampled over the years to be high quality and great tasting so we have no doubt that these are an
excellent product. Nestle has announced that they will be slowing their pace of acquiring other companies. They had been on a spree
lately which had the merging or acquiring many companies including Gerber. They plan on now focusing on health and nutrition and not
making any more acquisitions. Nickelodeon has announced that they will no longer license their characters to products that they consider "
junk food" as the company wants to make a commitment to help fight childhood obesity. In the United Kingdom a new study has found that
their is an increase in coffee allergies. The industry has been on a roll especially with research over the last few years finding health
benefits with the consumption of coffee. The percentage of people who are allergic to coffee is quite small. Lindt has announced that they
will be increasing prices to make up for the increases in raw materials. Lindt has seen double digit growth in some markets and doesn't
feel the increase in prices will impede the companies growth. After a year of cocoa price increases the International Cocoa Organisation
(ICCO) has issued a report stating that they believe with large crops due from the Western Africa coca fields that prices will stabilize in the
upcoming year. A new study has found that US consumers find organic labeling confusing. They also showed a high degree of mistrust
when it came to accepting the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) organic seal. The consumers felt that the USDA was watering down
the requirements for the labeling of food as organic.
August 12, 2007 - Chef Brian Goodman of New York’s Parea restaurant has an interesting recipe. It's for Parea Tuna Spinialo with Meyer
Lemon and Cacao Nibs. Scharffen Berger has the recipe posted on their site. Hilton Hotels have challenged their chefs to create the
ultimate chocolate confection. Over fifty chefs competed and the winner was Derryck Adams from the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort &
Spa in Florida. His creation was his Cappuccino Chocolate Delight. You can check out the recipe here.
August 10, 2007 - Campbell Soups chief executive officer Douglas Conant has announced the company may be shopping Godiva
Chocolates. The company has been aggressively expanding its soup operations, recently inking deals in Russia and China and Godiva
doesn't fit into the companies overall strategic vision. A new survey in the USA has found that although 97% of mothers hope to pack
nutritional snacks and have their kids snack well up to 70% of children throw them away or give them to friends. This creates a quandary for
parents and manufacturers. How to find a tasty treat to pack with lunches that kids will eat but is also nutritious or at least not high calorie or
high fat. Barry Callebaut has launched a new chocolate product that may influence the chocolate market. They have refined a process that
allows them to aerate ingredients. This will allow manufacturers of chocolate and baked goods to cut the amount of chocolate used without
affecting taste or appearance. Named Aerated Inclusions they are chocolate chunks that weigh one third of regular chocolate. They can be
used anywhere chocolate chunks might be used including ice cream and cookies. Callebaut claims that they have a lighter texture than
regular chocolate chunks but taste the same. A new report claims the future of US confectionery growth will come from organic candy. The
report claims growth in 2006 was 7% higher than the year before but growth in 2007 might only be 4%. This is for non chocolate items an
area that has yet to really go "healthy" or "light". ABC News has a good piece about the battle that Gary Guittard is fighting to stop the change
of the definition of what constitutes chocolate by the FDA. The battle is whether the cocoa butter in chocolate can be adulterated with
vegetable oil and if so would the resulting product be labeled chocolate. Current guidelines state that chocolate must contain 50 - 60%
cocoa butter. The larger firms in the industry Hershey, Cadbury etc. claim they need the guidelines amended so that they can modernize
production. Purists like Mr. Guittard would prefer to be consistent and keep the guidelines intact. Terra Nostra Organic the chocolate
producing company is trying to have a zero carbon footprint. They are doing this by using fuel efficient plants as well as purchasing wind
power credits. Noka, a company who's packaging we have raved about in the past, has announced their plans for their Limited Edition
Winter White Encore Keepsake Boxes for the upcoming holiday season. The packaging sounds great and we've sampled Noka's
chocolate in the past and have found it to be some of the finest on the market today. If you're purchasing chocolate as a gift and
appearance is important definitely take a look at Noka.
August 7, 2007 -We here at eChocolateNYC are always happy to announce good news in the chocolate community. Last June we had
reported the closing of Leopold Schreiber's shop in Montrose, Pennsylvania. Mr. Schreiber worked at Nagel's Candy as the General
Manager of the store's chocolate factory before opening his own factory in Binghampton. New York in 1994. He then moved on to Montrose
before closing down. He's back at The Sweet Spot in Montrose with a new team. Welcome back Leopold and if your near Scranton,
Pennsylvania drop by and try some of his chocolate. Barry Callebaut is making all sorts of product changes to reflect changes in
consumer desires. They will be selling a variety of single origin chocolates and cocoa powders under the Limited Edition Brand. They also
are releasing ten different flavors of white chocolate and will be the first company to release chocolate with probiotics which helps to
strengthen the immune system. The Global Agricultural Information Network and USDA have issued a report that points to the number of
factors that could lead to rapid growth in the Chinese confectionery market. With growing incomes the market is ripe for expansion. The
report showed some of the differences between US and Chinese consumers. In China consumers pprefer smaller portions with more
attractive packaging partially as chocolate is more likely to be given as a gift. The Chinese market prefers a less sugary or milky chocolate
than the average American consumer. A study from the University of Barcelona recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry found that Wistar rats that consumed cocoa-enriched diets had increased activity in the bodies antioxidant defense systems.
This increase in antioxidant defenses would be a boon to human health if a cocoa-enriched diet led to an increase in humans as it did in
rats. Deborah Markus BellaOnline's Chocolate Editor has an interesting article about chocolate and its relationship with the Catholic
Church. Cadbury has announced a decline in operating profit for the first half of 2007. Revenue was up 6% mostly due to an increase in
gum sales but operating profit dropped 6% to $360,000,000 due to restructuring, the fine they paid in the salmonella case in England and
the costs associated with the launch of Trident gum among other factors. If you live in the United Kingdom, they don't currently deliver in the
USA, or just like to take a look at some nice chocolate Hotel Chocolat has some nice summer chocolate items for sale. Sales for Wrigley
grew 14% last year. The company has been aggressively expanding into new and growing markets which helped fuel the companies
growth. Auckland, New Zealand hospitals are finding their vending machines will be limiting the amount of kj's allowed in a product. This
means larger sized chocolate bars are out. Hospital administrators are also considering prohibiting whole milk in hospital tea rooms. This
is all part of a plan to combat obesity. Hershey's second quarter profits plunged and two of the reasons were higher dairy prices and
consumer reluctance to purchase Hershey's dark chocolate and "healthy" options. We here at eChocolateNYC had wondered about this for
awhile. How would Hershey convince consumers that they should pay a premium price for Hershey product as Hershey's reputation has
never been one for "high end" products. We have sampled some of the newer Hershey items from the Cacao Reserve line among others
and found them to be excellent and the price while higher than regular Hershey was still more than fair.
August 4, 2007 - According to NPR a squirrel in Finland has been raiding a store's Kinder Egg supply. The bushy tailed little thief eats an
egg, heists the toy inside and then leaves the discarded wrapper behind as a calling card. You can listen to the story here. In Edinburgh,
Scotland restaurant manager Egerpi Tolga has purchased financially troubled Plaisir du Chocolat. The shop was opened by Bertrand
Espouy and Heather Kiernan in 2000. The shop was famous for its line of teas and chocolate drinks. Mr. Tolga was the manager of Cafe
Rouge in Edinburgh and is adding a lunch and dinner menu. If you happen to be in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia tomorrow you can attend
the Chocolate Rush Festival which will include the Australian Chocolate Championships. Many of the big names of the Australian
chocolate scene will be attending and competing in the championship.
August 3, 2007 - Endangered Species Chocolate has scored an advertising coup. Their chocolate bars will be in the gift bags distributed at
The Four Seasons Hotel during the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. and The Grove, Inc. have
inked a deal to develop Rocky Mountain locations in airports. The Airport Franchise Development Agreement will have Grove develop Rocky
Mountain locations. Grove already has deals with companies such as I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!©, Swensen's Ice Cream©, Subway©,
Dunkin Donuts©, Smoothie King©. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of 365 Organic Everyday Value Swiss Dark
Chocolate Bars because of a labeling error. The bars are sold at Whole Foods and are being recalled because they were mislabeled as
nut free when they do possibly contain nuts or nut byproducts which could cause a reaction to those with nut allergies. Fat Bloom , that
whitish discoloration that occurs on chocolate when it is exposed to temperature fluctuations mostly heat, has long been the bane of
chocolate companies. Now Marigot claims its Aquamin F can slow the growth of Bloom crystals by increasing the mineral content of the
chocolate. Aquamin F is a organic mineral ingredient derived from seaweed and is Okay for vegans. Bloom poses no health risk but
makes chocolate unattractive to consumers. Cadbury's chief financial officer Ken Hanna announced that due to the worldwide increase in
dairy prices Cadbury would be forced to increase the price of chocolate bars. The company is hoping to make up a $60 - 80,000,000
shortfall due to the increase in dairy prices.
| August 2007 News Archive |
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