HERZA Creates Tailor-Made Chocolate Pieces

There is a trend towards unusual ingredients. HERZA Schokolade, Europe’s market leader in small chocolate pieces for the muesli industry, creates customized products that are livening up the market.

28 May 2010 --- In the German-speaking countries muesli is very much a growth segment, but this breakfast cereal is becoming more and more popular in many other countries too. Manufacturers are whetting the consumer’s appetite with attractive new flavours. There is a trend towards unusual ingredients. HERZA Schokolade, Europe’s market leader in small chocolate pieces for the muesli industry, creates customized products that are livening up the market.

Two strong trends are visible in the muesli market. On the one hand there is a demand for wholefood products for health-oriented consumers, and on the other a shift towards unusual flavours for those who set more store by enjoyment. HERZA Schokolade serves both these trends with chocolate pieces developed specifically to individual customers’ specifications.

“On the health side, dietary fibres and low-sugar products play a major role in mueslis”, says Plant Manager Andreas Broocks. “By using sugar replacers or fortifying the products with the natural prebiotic fibre inulin we develop special chocolate pieces to meet the requirements of individual customers and the market.” One of the sugar replacers used by HERZA is oligofructose. Research has shown that – like inulin – this natural substance facilitates the absorption of minerals from the bowel. There are studies proving that adolescents and women, for example, take up more calcium if they have a daily intake of inulin and oligofructose.

There is a vigorous demand for probiotics and prebiotics in general. In a series of tests in 2006, HERZA already succeeded in producing probiotic chocolate pieces with a positive effect on the health of the bowel. Moreover, the chocolate specialist recently started to produce chocolate pieces containing aloe vera powder, which also has a favourable effect on the bowel. And to achieve additional health benefits, muesli manufacturers can have the functional chocolate pieces fortified with bioactive substances such as vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids or other essential nutrients.

In order to satisfy the “pleasure seekers” among the muesli fans, manufacturers are making increasing use of seasonal and exotic mixtures. In this field HERZA helps the industry with two-coloured products like filled chips or double leaves with whole milk caramel. Fruity Twin Drops in the flavours “milk compound / strawberry” and “lemon / raspberry” lend a summer note to mueslis designed for a seasonal appeal. Chocolate pieces with cinnamon and similar spices might be an original idea for winter compositions.

“But more and more manufacturers are discovering the potential for unusual mixtures for example mueslis that boost performance or have a beautifying effect”, Andreas Broocks reports. “Thanks to intensive cooperation with our sister companies SternVitamin and SternLife we can develop chocolate pieces capable of promoting mental and physical fitness. The theobromine naturally present in the cocoa is in itself an aid to concentration, and by adding lecithin granulate it is possible to improve memory too. Biotin and bamboo extract can be added as ‘beauty food’, and caffeine and similar vegetable substances have a vitalizing effect.”

In addition, Germany’s oldest manufacturer of small chocolate pieces helps to increase the enjoyment of standard products like muesli by introducing new shapes. One such example is nuggets with a hand-made look. In order to offer customers unusual variants besides the classic shapes such as slivers, leaves, diamonds, chips and buttons, the company is constantly developing new techniques for chopping, breaking and cutting. That enables manufacturers to choose from a wide range of small chocolate pieces in all manner of different shapes. All the products are available as whole milk, dark or white chocolate. The white chocolate pieces, especially, are becoming more and more popular. White chocolate is fully in the trend, as market research shows.

But the success of the chocolate factory in Norderstedt, with its own roasting plant, is not due to individual formulations alone; special mixtures play an important role too. These are made up exclusively to each muesli manufacturer’s specifications. The mixture consist of two or three different products and might be described as a premix. The advantage is that manufacturers can use the chocolate pieces as a single component in their production process. As the number of components in muesli production is limited for technical reasons, a chocolate premix leaves room for other ingredients. It also simplifies production. As far as the size of orders is concerned, the company is pleased to meet its customers’ requirements. The chocolate pieces can be supplied in small quantities from 100 kg or in large containers such as Big Bags of 450 kg.