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Produce Show Daily 3 7 Friday, October 18, 2019 Fine Chocolate Appeals to American Consumers By Lorrie Baumann American producers of fine chocolates are working on plans to raise their profile and grow their industry – largely by mak- ing even better chocolate, according to Bill Guyton, Executive Director of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA), a trade association with more than 350 members across the country. Those members include chocolatiers, people who make confectionery from chocolate that they obtain from proces- sors, as well as chocolate makers, the people who make bean-to-bar confec- tions. The fine chocolate that FCIA mem- bers want the rest of us to appreciate is different by a matter of degree from mass market chocolate, and the working defi- nition developed by the FCIA includes various attributes: flavor, texture and appearance, a high percentage of cacao that's had minimal processing and that's ethically sourced. "If you buy your chocolate bar, and sugar is the first ingre- dient, followed by a long list of ingredi- ents, it is not fine chocolate. Fine choco- late typically is high in cocoa content and low in sugar," Guyton said. The association's strategic plan includes defining industry standards for chocolate and developing a stronger sup- ply chain for ethical sourcing of cocoa and other ingredients that go into choco- late. "Over the next five years, we will work through partnerships in cocoa- growing countries to improve cocoa quality and provide a consistent supply to fine chocolate companies to use in their products. We also are working with our members to develop direct trade, which shortens the supply chain," Guyton said. A Love Affair with Chocolate Consumers buy chocolate because they love it, and while the percentage of them who buy fine chocolate exclusively or almost exclusively is just a small part of a very large market, those consumers will go where they need to go and pay what they need to pay to get the chocolate they're craving, according to Anne-Marie Roerink, Principal of 210 Analytics, which recently surveyed consumers for the FCIA and for the National Confectioners Association to learn more about the market for fine chocolates. Overall, confectionery is the fourth- largest center store category across all retail channels, with chocolate making up 60 percent of that, she said during a pres- entation at this year's Sweets and Snacks Expo. Chocolate is also a growing cate- gory, although it's been outpaced by other confectionery in conventional channels over the past couple of years. "One thing that all chocolate consumers have in common is their absolute love of chocolate – it is a beloved treat," she said. For the purposes of her survey, she asked consumers about three different classes of chocolate: the kind of fine arti- san products made by the FCIA mem- bers, often characterized in their market- ing by terms like "small batch" or "hand- crafted;" premium chocolate, which includes brands like Lindt and Ghirardelli; and mainstream chocolate, which includes brands like Snickers and Baby Ruth. "Most consumers don't buy just one kind of chocolate," she said. "Most everybody, at some point, buys mainstream." Only about 3 percent of American chocolate consumers regard themselves as exclusively or almost exclusively con- sumers of fine chocolate. They tend to be young – "older Millennials pop very high," said Roerink, and to live in very urban areas. They have above-average incomes, and they spend more than aver- age on their groceries. "They love vari- ety; they love innovation; they love try- ing different items, trying different chocolate makers. They are very environ- mentally, corporately and socially responsible and engaged, and they are willing to shop to find what they are looking for," she said. "If they go to your store, and you don't have it, they will go online; they will go to farmers markets; they go wherever they need to go to find the fine chocolate that they are looking for." Fair Trade in Demand What they're craving is chocolate with a high cacao content, and they want it to have been ethically sourced, with 44 per- cent of those surveyed saying that Fair Trade certification influences their pur- chase decisions when they're buying chocolate. Fair Trade is the fastest grow- ing package claim on chocolate, with 70 percent growth over the past three years, with non-GMO and organic certification from U.S. Department of Agriculture also growing in importance to con- sumers, according to Roerink. "When we look at responsible labor practices, which overlaps, at least in part, with Fair Trade, you see that number at 62 percent – much higher than the 44 percent who wanted Fair Trade," she said. "When you look at sustainable sourcing, avoiding deforesta- tion, you see very high numbers, and the difference in that was that Boomers cared very much about these production prac- tices – they just didn't necessarily care about the certification that was behind it." The consumers who care about these issues are willing to pay more for products that meet their standards, and more than half of consumers now say they're willing to pay a little bit more when they see the certifications they care about in place. That number jumps to 74 percent for the fine chocolate con- sumers, Roerink said. "People are really and truly putting their wallets where their mouth is in terms of these certifica- tions," she said. Although a lot of fine chocolate is made by small producers that don't carry these certifications, it's worth remembering that most chocolate con- sumers, whether they buy fine choco- late almost exclusively or only now and then, also buy chocolate in mainstream or premium categories when the mood for chocolate hits them, and when they're buying in the mainstream or premium category, they are, according to Roerink, "definitely looking for cer- tification." Considerations for Grocery Retailers Almost half of chocolate consumers say they buy most of their chocolate where they buy most of their groceries. Only 10 percent said they hardly ever buy choco- late in grocery stores. Those consumers may find their chocolate at festivals, at farmers markets or online. "As you can expect, that's a lot of the fine chocolate consumers," Roerink said. "The choco- late dollar is extremely scattered, and we see that in other emotional categories like bakery as well. It's very hard to capture a lot of the chocolate dollar." "In the fine chocolate space, you have producers who want to experiment and try different things. Consumers want that too," Guyton added. Keeping those customers in your store is largely a matter of making sure that your chocolate assortment has enough variety to ensure that they'll find something that interests them when they're in the mood to buy chocolate, according to Roerink. "Assortment matters. If you don't have chocolate available across the full chocolate spectrum, people will go else- where to find what they are looking for," she said. "Fine chocolate consumers over-index tremendously in terms of buy- ing online.... Forty-seven percent said they buy online because they cannot find what they want locally so, again, assort- ment matters." Jasper Ranch Nutty Duo Starting with the finest California almonds, Jasper Ranch creates excep- tional almond snacks and mouthwater- ing confections. The Nutty Duo, the newest product to the Jasper Ranch brand, is a favorite for gift giving during the holiday season. Sold in 10-ounce red or orange totes, this is a duo of Jasper's most popular almond products in 5- ounce sizes. The three unique Nutty Duo variety combinations contain both sweet and savory options. The first duo is old-fash- ioned English Toffee and Maple Mixed Nuts. The second duo is Spicy Cocktail Almonds and Maple Mixed Nuts, and the third duo is Jasper's Original Almond Brittle and Rosemary Garlic Almonds with Cranberries. They're all perfect for holiday sea- son indulgences. Jasper Ranch is a proud brand of Jasper Specialty Foods, a multi-generational family-run operation headquartered in Newman, California, that specializes in the production of unique almond-related food snacks, confections and other treats for the spe- cialty food market. For more information, call 800.255.1641, email info@jasper specialtyfoods.com or go to www.jasper specialtyfoods.com. A More Convenient Way to Maple Your Morning By Lorrie Baumann Bascom Maple Farms' Maple Stream is 100 percent pure USDA certified organic maple syrup, packaged in an eco-friendly can that doesn't need to be refrigerated, as other maple products do, so it's very con- venient for a multitude of uses. Bascom Maple Farms sources additional maple from small family farms in the U.S. – more than 3,000 of them – that share its commitment to quality, environment stewardship and sustainable forestry man- agement. By purchasing their syrup, and bringing it to market, Bascom Maple Farms supports other small farmers and builds local, rural economies. In the Maple Stream, the syrup is forced out of the can by air pressure. The syrup streams rather than sprays, so it's not atomized into a fine mist. Bascom Maple Farms Maple Stream offers the distinct advantage that it's not going to spill all over the table if it gets tipped. Mess-free and portion-controlled, the product helps consumers avoid sticky situations. During consumer testing for the new product, one of the things that the company heard from par- ents was that they'd use real maple syrup themselves, but they didn't want to give it to their kids because they didn't want to take the risk that it would be spilled and wasted. This new packaging solves that problem. The Maple Stream doesn't require refrigeration because the syrup is sealed so that no air can get into it, so bacteria can't grow. "From the bulk con- tainers to this package, it's a unique way of packing it," said Arnold Coombs, Director of Sales and Marketing for Bascom Maple Farms and a seventh generation sugarmaker. Since it doesn't need refrigera- tion, the Maple Stream can come warm to the table, so it doesn't cool down the flapjacks or the French toast or the coffee or tea to which it's added. "We're spoiled up here in Vermont, and a lot of people put maple in their coffee or tea," Coombs said. "We have a local bartender who's experimenting with it for maple mojitos – it's a lot easier just to squirt it in than to go to the refrig- erator for a bottle. A lot of uses we hadn't thought of are now coming to light."