ISM 2019

Ruby chocolate was the biggest marketing story at ISM 2019 in Cologne, the world’s biggest sweets and snacks fair. Barry Callebaut gave the “fourth type of chocolate” its first moment in the major trade show spotlight. Healthier snacking is trending, as is the notion of using less typical ingredients in NPD. There was a strong focus on cocoa sustainability and traceability, with Ritter Sport launching a new line of origin chocolates, for example. Fruit snacking for kids was strongly on theme, with HPW winning the Innovation prize. Hemp and CBD products were also trending.

Barry Callebaut

Barry Callebaut gave the “fourth type of chocolate” its first moment in the major trade show spotlight at ISM. Just over one year after Nestlé debuted their KitKat Ruby in Japan and South Korea, at least eleven chocolate manufacturers presented new ruby chocolate products, from hollows to pralines, at the event. This new type of chocolate is made using the ruby bean. A unique processing method by Barry Callebaut unlocks the flavor and color tone that are naturally present in the bean. The taste experience is described as an intense sensorial delight – a tension between berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness.

Barry Callebaut

Barry Callebaut unveiled ruby in Shanghai in 2017, after more than ten years of development. Since its launch, this new variety has been introduced in Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and South Africa by both consumer and artisanal brands, including Prestat, Baci Perugina, KitKat, Leonidas and Fazer. The next major launch using this chocolate innovation will also be from Nestlé, expected in Q1 of this year, under the Les Recettes L’Atelier brand in a tablet form in Europe, including France.

Cémoi

Cémoi purchases some 145,000 tons of cocoa beans each year, which accounts for approximately 3 percent of the entire global volume. But Patrick Poirrier, who heads Cémoi, stresses that today what it promotes to farmers is that the onus should no longer be on the monoculture of cocoa, with the growth of other crops, including banana and pineapple, necessary to securing the future of cocoa itself. “It is really about farmers being entrepreneurs. Of course we promote cocoa, but we also believe that farmers should diversify their revenue with other different crops,” he noted at ISM 2019.

Doehler

Doehler presented a wide range of on-trend confectionery concepts. These ranged from healthier indulgent biscuits with 30 percent less sugar in nutritional value, an 80 percent sugar reduced Florentine mix, a plant-based protein bar with 20 percent protein, and, for the more adventurous consumer, a botanical chocolate praline with turmeric spices.

GNT

GNT heavily branded its EXBERRY coloring foods and demonstrated a “from farm to fork” advantage. Spray painting with coloring foods on edible paper was possible at their stand.

HPW

Swiss fruit innovator HPW scored the ISM Innovation prize for the second year running with Fruit Roll-Up, a 100 percent dried fruits from the tropics. Fruit Roll-Ups are presented as a delicious and efficient energy supply without added sugar, concentrate, cereals or nuts. The company uses only sun-ripened fruits from Ghana “with the sweet tropical flavors you love.”

Jealous Sweets

Happy Bears from Jealous Sweets, which is positioned as a permissible indulgence item for adults, features both a sugar-free and vegan/vegetarian positioning.

Innova Market Insights

The trend towards “eating for me” and personalization is having a significant impact on product development, reported Innova Market Insights in an Expert Stage presentation.

Jelly Belly

Jelly Belly presented its funny BeanBoozled concept of tasty/disgusting mystery flavors for the daring consumer. The BeanBoozled 5th Edition line introduces two new flavor pairings to its daring mix: Dirty Dishwater and its lookalike Birthday Cake, and Stink Bug with its identical partner Toasted Marshmallow.

Katjes Fassin

Green was a salient color among the candy presented at ISM 2019. As the cannabis plant and its derivatives, namely hemp and cannabidiol (CBD), have enjoyed an increasingly normalized reputation and popularity among consumers, continuing investment in the well-known plant is highly anticipated for 2019. A stand-out innovation came from Katjes Fassin, with its Hemptastic Hemp bars.

Libeert

Barry Callebaut selected Libeert as a creative partner to unfold the full potential of their new fourth chocolate, ruby. Libeert's designers and Maître Chocolatiers crafted the unique ruby chocolate into a velvety smooth, yet intricate chocolate creation. “A creation as unique as the Original Ruby Beans, faceted like a real Ruby, offering a sensational new experience that sparks all 5 senses.”

Love My Vegan

Love My Vegan Pralines (the Netherlands) is a unique new line of 10 chocolates filled with different flavors and is 100 percent vegan. With care, expertise and craftsmanship, the company selected only the best natural ingredients for this new range of chocolates. The chocolates are lactose free and gluten free and approved by "the Vegan Society."

Lutti

The Lutti brand featured several innovations to meet the trend towards reduced sugar. For example, they presented a fizzy sweet with 40 percent less sugar. Lutti featured strong vegetarian positioning for its Vegaiezz and Fruities products.

New Product Showcase

Mindful consumption, healthy indulgence and flavor experimentation were among the key themes on display at this year’s New Product Showcase.

Novelty Food

The vegan trend has well and truly gathered pace in the chocolate sector too, as ingredient technologies have allowed for product innovation. Innovators on display included the new brand VGAN from Norwegian manufacturer Novelty Food which uses coconut ingredients to replace dairy. The vegan alternatives are offered in chia/grapefruit, almonds/salty caramel and hazelnut/mulberry flavors.

Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray Crunchy Cranberries are slowly baked using an Ocean Spray proprietary drying process which makes them stay crunchier for a longer time. They combine the typical aroma and all the functional advantages of sweetened dried cranberries with a texture that is all the rage worldwide.

PEZ

Youngsters and adults will see the launch of limited-edition PEZ dispensers on a currently trending theme this summer. This time, a friendly pair of cacti are presented. “And because exotic plants have exotic tastes, they will also be accompanied by limited-edition PEZ Lychee candies,” the company writes in its promotion. PEZ has also come up with a totally innovative concept for L.O.L. Surprise: the PEZ dispenser head is hidden inside the pack.

Roelli Roelli Confectionery

Swiss, family-owned company Roelli Roelli Confectionery innovated with its CBD chewing gum and lozenges. “Swiss Cannabis Gum was developed over a long period in contact with experts and the relevant authorities. At the end of this process, a study on the safety and suitability for commercial sale of the product was prepared by state-certified experts. This assessment applies to Switzerland and all countries in the EU,” the company explains in a statement.

Seeberger

Highlighting a brand’s heritage and tradition remains strong, also amid a nostalgia craze. Seeberger is marking its 175th anniversary this year with a classic and nostalgic pack for its nuts and fruits mix. At ISM 2019, the company was keen to present nuts amid the healthy snacking trend.

Trolli

The big story in the gummy sector at ISM 2019 was the large number of vegan and vegetarian offerings on display, through gelatin-free formulation. Trolli went for a pectin/starch blend in order to achieve the desired texture for their Trolli Big Apple product. “The fruit gum formula does not contain any animal-derived ingredients, so vegans can also appreciate the intense fruit flavor of the Trolli Big Apple rings.” The launch is an expansion of Trolli’s vegetarian range, which had already included Trolli Dino Rex.