FMCG Business talked to local suppliers and the Cicana team, to find out what’s noteworthy and trending in chocolates and confectionery right now.
Introducing EXCELLENCE Vanilla: A sweet new way to enjoy dark chocolate
Lindt is excited to introduce EXCELLENCE Vanilla, the newest addition to the EXCELLENCE range. This creation blends rich dark chocolate with the comforting warmth of vanilla, offering a smooth and inviting flavour profile.
EXCELLENCE Vanilla is perfect for those new to dark chocolate. With its gentle sweetness and delicate floral notes it provides a softer, approachable entry into the world of rich chocolate indulgence.
“EXCELLENCE Vanilla is beautifully balanced,” says Lindt’s Master Chocolatier, Thomas Schnetzler. “The creamy vanilla adds a touch of sweetness that makes it a wonderful starting point for anyone discovering dark chocolate.”
Whether you are a seasoned chocolate lover, or just discovering dark chocolate, EXCELLENCE Vanilla invites you to enjoy the world of dark chocolate and experience delicious moments.
For a perfect pairing, Master Chocolatier Thomas Schnetzler recommends
EXCELLENCE Vanilla with a whipped Dalgona Coffee, a sweet Moscato D’Asti Wine, or a delicate white tea.
EXCELLENCE Vanilla launches in stores rom May 12th.
Discover the delicious side of dark chocolate with Lindt EXCELLENCE Vanilla.
For recipes and pairing tips, visit www.lindt.com.au
Guylian’s iconic Seashells
Did you know that Guylian chocolates began as a Belgian love story, 65 years ago?
Guy Foubert, together with his fiancée Liliane, decided after a romantic holiday on the Belgian coast to create a chocolate keepsake – which later turned out to be the beginning of Guylian’s iconic chocolate Seashells.
Liliane focused on creating eleven exceptional Seashell shapes and devised the unique marbling in different chocolate shades. In turn, Guy worked on the hazelnut praliné filling, which still today provides the constant delicious unique taste and texture.
When Guy and Liliane exchanged vows in 1958, they also decided to venture into business together. The newlyweds combined their first names to form Guylian and released their Original Seashells under that name. Guylian seashells are a memento of their love for each other, the sea, and chocolate.
Guylian is a premium Belgian chocolate brand known for its exceptional quality. They use only the finest natural ingredients and in-house roasted hazelnuts, without palm oil.
Guylian proudly supports Fairtrade by using 100% Fairtrade cocoa in all their products, contributing around NZ$1.5 million to Fairtrade cocoa farmers since 2022. This ensures fair and fixed prices for cocoa farmers, reflecting Guylian’s commitment to ethical sourcing practices. Additionally, Guylian’s production site in Saint-Niklaas has achieved complete climate neutrality by reducing CO2 emissions to minimal levels and offsetting other emissions.
Guylian’s iconic Seashells make the perfect gift for any occasion, all year round. Each seashell is a small work of art thanks to the 3-coloured chocolate marbling of white, milk and dark chocolate, and are available in a number of pack sizes.
In addition, Guylian also offers no-added sugars dark and milk chocolate bars that let you enjoy the rich and premium Belgian chocolate without added sugars and seasonal offerings.
The Wilson Consumer Products team markets and distributes Guylian Premium Belgian Chocolates in New Zealand.
Susan Harvey, Marketing and Business Development Manager says: “It’s pleasing to see 30% growth* for Guylian following TV, digital and experiential campaigns. Guylian chocolates are clearly a New Zealand favourite!”
Celebrating 100 years of Queen Anne Chocolates: A century of delicious memories
Queen Anne Chocolates has been a Kiwi icon since 1925 and is marking 100 years of quality and tradition with a celebration to build the Queen Anne brand for the future.
“To celebrate this legacy and drive sales we have a multi-channel campaign planned,” says Sarah Adams, Managing Director and granddaughter of the founder, Ernest Adams. “This strategy will strengthen Queen Anne brand loyalty among existing consumers as well as attracting new customers. We are able to drive great confectionery margins for our retailers.”
Queen Anne has continued to introduce new products to support this growth with a gifting option – Milk and Dark Caramel Selection 200g, appealing to New Zealanders’ love for caramels. Milk Chocolate Pineapple Fish Bites 170g is a Kiwiana addition to the top-selling Queen Anne Chocolate Fish Bites range.
Key to the centennial celebrations will be an on-pack Chocolate Fish Bites retail competition in June–July 2025, engaging customers with 100 prizes for 100 years, backed by a national radio campaign. The Queen Anne heritage brand aligns with consumer trends, which support a preference for premium and nostalgic confectionary.
“Our continued focus on high-quality ingredients and traditional recipes ensures that Queen Anne is just as popular today as 100 years ago,” Adams says.
Queen Anne works in partnership with Alliance Marketing to ensure full-service support across the retail sector.
For orders contact your local Alliance Marketing Territory Manager.
Category insights from Circana
A global shortage of cocoa resulted from abnormal rainfall, high temperatures and cacao swollen shoot virus (CSSV), and drove volatility in the cocoa commodity price, explains Serena Lee, Account Manager at Circana.
“This has impacted the market price for chocolate, which resulted in Total Chocolate Price ($/kilo) growth up +6.0% vs YA.
“Despite the challenges posed by volatile cocoa prices, the confectionery sector continues to show resilience and potential growth by adapting to the situation,” says Lee.
“Whittakers did not want to compromise on quality, size or ethical sourcing of cocoa for its chocolate blocks and opted to communicate the need to increase price via social media. They also looked at alternative ways to reduce cost by changing their source of supply, previously sourcing only Ghanaian cocoa beans, now sourcing from other parts of Africa.
“Consumers are willing to pay a premium for quality products, which drove Whittakers Chocolate Block value growth up +14.3% and unit growth up +3.2%, ahead of total category.
“To manage increasing cost, some companies resorted to reduced pack size, also known as shrinkflation. At 33% unit share of total chocolate, the smaller pack format (0-50g) is driving growth in total Chocolate up +18.1% vs YA (equivalent to 8.1m units),” explains Lee.
“Some brands have adapted to the rise in cocoa price by looking at unique flavours to encourage category growth.
Mondelez for example, upgraded its classic Dairy Milk chocolate with Cadbury Dairy Milk Velvet. Meanwhile, Whittakers added new line extensions to their Artisan Collection, targeting a more sophisticated flavour profile.
“While volatile cocoa prices present a significant challenge, the confectionery sector’s ability to innovate, maintain strong consumer demand and strategically manage cost, demonstrates its overall resilience,” says Lee.
Sources:https://www.stuff.co.nz/style/350460203/whittaker-s-to-raise-chocolate-prices-next-week-citingrising-ingredient-costs https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/how-soon-will-10-be-the-regular-price-of-a-bar-of-chocolate/FRRT5ZQTXJHRXCQXIQXKL5JHIY/
The FMCG Business team endeavours to produce a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients, plus a table of the freshest data available at time of print. If you wish to contribute news for upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@fmcgbusiness.co.nz
