EVER SINCE MAYAN TIMES, CHOCOLATE HAS BEEN REFERRED TO as the 'Food of the Gods.' It has left its mark on cultures for centuries, satisfying countless souls and taste buds along the way: And Joan Steuer, president of Los Angeles-based Chocolate Marketing, LLC, couldn't agree more. 'The American consumer now regards dark chocolate as a comfort food. It tends to be more satisfying than overly sweet. It is permissible, acceptable, satisfying, and considered more of a food than an indulgence.'
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America's chocolate mindset began to change from sweet milk chocolate to the richer, less sweet dark chocolates in the 1980s when European chocolates made their way on to store shelves. In the '90s it was the U.S.-based artisan chocolate manufactures such as Guittard, Ghirardelli, and Scharffen Berger, who helped further nurture consumers' interest in the world of more sophisticated chocolate. Then, at the turn of the century, dark chocolate expanded its appeal as news of its healthful nature hit the airwaves.
A Nibble a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
There are hundreds of research studies citing the healthful aspects of dark chocolate. As dark chocolate's beneficial properties are reported with greater frequency, consumer interest continues to grow across all demographics.
'There is a lot more openness to dark chocolate because the research that has come out in the past five years,' explains Sarah Endline, CEO of New York-based sweetriot. 'Finally the consumer is believing that dark chocolate is actually good for you.' In turn, as consumers are increasingly interested in making healthier choices, manufacturers are introducing products that stress the functional aspect of dark chocolate. For instance, Dove Dark Chocolate from Mars Snackfood is produced using a proprietary cocoa process called Cocoapro. 'Traditional cocoa processing often destroys the highly-sensitive flavanols,' explains Ryan Bowling, spokesperson for Mars Snackfood. 'Cocoapro helps preserve the consistently high levels and the specific cocoa flavanols that may be beneficial to health, which is what really counts when you're talking about cocoa and health.' Additionally, the company's CocoaVia line, with its added plant sterols, has been proven to significantly lower cholesterol when consumed as part of a balanced, low-fat diet.
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Consumers have been educated that the higher the percentage of cacao mass, the healthier the chocolate will be. To that end, Steuer notes the trend toward super-high cacao percentages. 'New offerings are moving higher than the 70% threshold, into the 80s,' she says, mentioning Ghirardelli's 86% cacao Midnight Reverie and Lindt's 85% cacao Excellence bars. Taking it to super-high extremes, Lindt's Excellence line also includes a 99% cacao bar.
Similarly, Choclatique's Q-91 is a super-dark, bittersweet premium chocolate high in cacao mass, ensuring maximum antioxidant benefits. 'It has its functional aspects, but when people taste it, it melts wonderfully on the tongue and you won't get the bitter flavor of a dark chocolate,' explains Ed Engoron, co-founder of Choclatique based in Los Angeles.
'These high percentages are for the purists,' explains Master Chef Michael Antonorsi of Chuao Chocolatier (pronounced chew-WOW). 'They are for those who seek the true taste of chocolate.' The newly introduced Chuao 77% cacao, single-origin bars contain no vanilla or lecithin, offering the essence of cacao and nothing else. 'Their purity eliminates every possible misleading flavor, giving the purist the true taste of chocolate,' he explains.
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But, warns Antonorsi, 'Dark for dark sake isn't always going to capture consumer attention. It has to taste great otherwise they won't return to try it again.'
For the more middle-of-the-road consumer, Antonorsi says a 60% dark is the answer. 'I believe the mid-range of 60% is where dark chocolate is enjoyable for most consumers. It offers the full flavor of a dark, but not the bitter snap that a chocolate with a high cacao percentage often has. It is more playful and not challenging to most consumers.'
As consumers are thinking healthy, they are also embracing portion-control sizes that allow them to indulge, without overindulging. 'Because dark chocolate is satisfying, people eat less of it at a time--but eat it more often,' says Steuer. 'This attention to health is manifesting itself in smaller bar sizes. The three- to 3.5-ounce bars are being downsized to one ounce, for example.'
To meet that desire, sweetriot's newest offering, the unbar, is available in 65% dark with crunchy cacao pieces, or 70% dark with cacao pieces and raisins, boasting only 45 to 50 calories per mega peace.'
Organic chocolate bars from Seeds of Change are individually wrapped, 28-gram bars, three to a package, retailing for $3.29. According to Gail Broadright, marketing director for Seeds of Change, 'The three-piece bar allows for portion control, portability, and freshness with no mess.'
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The healthy mantra is also helping grow interest in organic dark chocolates. Seeds of Change recently launched a line of Certified Organic Dark Chocolates. 'We believe that great taste and sustainability go hand-in-hand,' adds Broadright. 'The company donates 1% of net sales to promote sustainable organic farming initiatives worldwide.'
The Developing Dark Category
Whether it is 60% or 75%, interest in dark chocolate has led manufacturers to keep up with the demand. Where once consumers in search of dark chocolate had relatively few choices, now offerings come in all shapes, sizes, and combinations. It is a broad category that includes single-origin bars, blended varieties, and nibs, along with functional, flavored, and fiery offerings.
'Dark chocolate has traditionally appealed to those consumers more interested in education and information about chocolate,' explains Steuer. It is this interest that has helped grow the single-origin category, which has dominated the dark chocolate segment for the past several years.
'When chocolate is offered as a single origin, all the indigenous flavors of the cacao bean come out, particularly when offered in a single-origin chocolate with a high cacao percentage,' says Steuer. 'However, I am also seeing a lot of manufacturers moving toward blends rather than single origins.'
Choclatique is a proponent of the blended darks, according to Engoron. 'They provide consumers with a better opportunity to appreciate the bolder flavors of the chocolate,' he says. The company's latest offering is Elephant Chocolate. 'With 76% cacao, it is a seriously strong chocolate with 21 different beans roasted at different temperatures and blended together to create the creamy dark chocolate.'
Even beyond the single origin and the blends, Steuer notes, 'manufacturers are beginning to offer dark chocolate with a variety of flavors and, as they do so, manufacturers are focusing less on the exotic and more on flavors that are comforting and familiar.'
Such familiar flavors complementing the rich, dark taste of chocolate are vanilla, coconut, cherry, mango, and sea salt. Many of these offerings, such as Seeds of Change's Organic Dark Chocolate with Cherries and Vanilla, give consumers the chance to enjoy intense dark chocolate with a comforting, well-known flavor.
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Another unique new flavor combination comes from Chuao Chocolatier. Its Panko chocolate bar is a 60% dark combined with toasted panko breadcrumbs (made from crust-less bread), producing a chocolate reminiscent of a childhood treat that Chuao's Michael Antonorsi, enjoyed as a child in Nicaragua. 'The panko gives it a nice, crispy crunch, and after the chocolate is gone, you get the lingering taste of toasted bread,' says Antonorsi. 'It is like an adult version of the Kit Kat.'
Adds, Steuer, 'What is necessary for these new flavor combinations to work, is that the taste of the dark chocolate must not be camouflaged. The chocolate must be the hero.'
TREND ALERT: DARK MILK
Is chocolate's dark mood lightening? A handful of chocolate manufacturers are producing 'Dark Milk' chocolate, which, very basically, is milk chocolate with an increased cacao content (typically 40% or higher).
Two dark milks that have recently surfaced include Scharffen Berger's 68% Cacao Dark Milk bar, which debuted at the 2009 Summer Fancy Food show, and Askinosie's 62% Davao Dark Milk Chocolate bar. Askinosies single-origin bar ($8 SRP) is made with cocoa beans from Davao, Philippines. Bean-to-bar manufacturer, Shawn Askinosie, adds organic cane juice, goat's milk, and a hint of sea salt to make his three-ounce Davao Dark Milk bars sing. Askinosie's first single-origin dark milk bar, 62% Soconusco ($8 SRP), was released in November 2008, and also includes organic cane juice, goat's milk, and sea salt. This bar's cocoa beans hail from Soconusco, Mexico.
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A third new release, which falls just under 40% cacao content is Cadbury's Green & Black's Milk Peanut bar with caramelized organic Valencia peanuts and sea salt. The 3.5-ounce bar has a SRP OF $3.49.
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CACAO CONTENT DEBUNKED
Cacao content is all the rage. With rare exceptions, the chocolate world is fixated on it right now. According to Mark Christian, chocolate aficionado and founder of the newly launched C-Spot.tom (a site described as the 'premiere guide to chocolate's retro-revolution'), cacao content is usually a slippery gauge of just how much chocolate flavor a given bar really delivers.
'Technically defined as the total amount of cocoa solids, cacao content can be broken down into two subcomponents: cocoa mass and cocoa butter. Most cocoa beans have approximately 55% butter-fat content,' says Christian. 'Deception with cacao content begins when chocolate makers start to manipulate the proportion of cocoa mass relative to cocoa butter, which can dramatically alter a chocolate's flavor. A classic example is the configuration between Apamate (listed at 73.5% cacao content) and Gran Saman, which weighs in at 'just' 70%, both comprised of Carenero-type cacao beans grown in Venezuela and crafted by the chocolate house El Rey.
'Apamate feels light ... compared to Gran Saman, which is arguably El Rey's most potent bar, a chocolate with world-beater taste. How can that be? Gran Saman has, after all, less cacao content than Apamate. Simple; the relative proportion of cocoa mass to cocoa butter encapsulated in the CBS Index (Cocoa Mass:Butter:Sugar ratio). The CBS Index for the Apamate is 1:6:7, while Gran Saman sports a better balanced 3:5:5, hence it actually packs a heavier chocolate punch.'
What cacao content most accurately indicates, adds Christian, is sugar content, which is inversely proportional to the cacao content percentage (excepting a fraction, usually less than 1% for vanilla and/or lecithin, if either are used). Using the example of the 70% Gran Saman, the sugar content equals roughly 30%.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR CHOCOLATE AND COCOA?
Chocolate, America's favorite flavor, and cocoa will emerge as the leading growth drivers for the confectionery industry in new and exciting ways, according to The National Confectioners Association's Industry Trend Report 2009. With insight from industry experts, including manufacturers, market researchers, award-winning chocolatiers, nutritionists, and confectionery makers, the association's findings capture chocolate and cocoa trends and influences shaping the industry throughout 2014.
Better For You, Inside and Out
Chocolate may offer more than potential heart-health benefits; new research indicates chocolate and cocoa may benefit your body and mind overall.
* Nearly half of those surveyed said consumers can expect to see more research into the potential health benefits of milk and dark chocolate, including exploration of naturally occurring cocoa compounds and positive effects on mood and blood pressure levels.
* Skin care products will be the next big market expansion when it comes to non-edible cocoa products, including skin care, soaps, shampoos, lotions, and anti-aging products.
Choc-Full-of-It
* Chocolate and cocoa will pop up more frequently as a key ingredient in main courses alongside salmon, chicken, and steak, as reported by 73% of experts.
* Sweet and savory chocolate duos, like chocolate and bacon, and chocolate and cheese will be popular in stores and on menus. In fact, 75% of experts said chocolate will provide the most surprising flavor combinations.
* Chocolate will drive the organic market, 70% of experts reported.
Global Influences
* More than one-third of experts said consumers will become more knowledgeable about the global origin of the chocolate they enjoy.
* Flavor infusions that combine chocolate and spices, salts, herbs, and floral flavors will become increasing popular as consumers embrace pairings, according to 43% of insiders.
* One in three experts said U.S. trends will have the greatest impact on the dark chocolate market globally.
For more about the National Confectioners Association's Industry Trends Report 2009, visit CandyUSA.org.
MARKETING DARK
As the dark chocolate category expands, manufacturers are utilizing traditional marketing techniques along with some innovative ways to get the word out about their dark chocolate offerings.
* Sample, Sample, Sample: 'Sampling is essential, because the percentages on the packaging can be misleading to consumers,' says Ed Engoron, co-founder of Choclatique. 'My 76% chocolate can taste drastically different from another brand because of the higher [cacao] mass and the lesser amount of cocoa butter used. In the end, the consumer needs to taste the chocolate.'
* Catchy Slogans: Ghirardelli's 'Lose Yourself in the Dark' tagline entices consumers to try dark chocolate offerings.
* Power To the People: Looking to broaden appeal, 'Dove Chocolate Discoveries' (Dove-Chocolate-Discoveries.com) encourages consumers to become 'Chocolatiers' and lead chocolate tasting parties in their friends' homes.
* Social Responsibility: 'There is a trend toward making the connection between the grower and the bar in your hand,' says Michael Antonorsi, master chef at Chuao Chocolatier. 'Utilize the package to tell the story about social consciousness (organic, fair trade, etc.), but be sure to use that in conjunction with in-store demos and discussions.'
* Unique Alliances: For the promotion of its new unbar 65, sweetriot teamed up with Virgin America to encourage passengers, a.k.a. 'rioters,' to send photos of the rioting community on board Virgin America flights while enjoying the unBar--the airlines' unofficial candy bar. The passenger with the best photo won sweetriot chocolate.
* Brand Sharing: In February 2009, the Dove Chocolate brand partnered with E.& J. Gallo Winery to offer consumers a premium chocolate and wine pairing experience at grocery, convenience, and drug stores nationwide. An in-store wine rack displayed 16 bottles of Gallo wines alongside shelves of Dove Chocolate. Several pairings were offered, including Dancing Bull Zinfandel with Dove Dark Chocolate Roasted Almond. Customers received a discount when purchasing the two brands together.
* Casting the Social Net: 'Manufacturers are utilizing social networking sites and reaching out to bloggers in an attempt to reach a broader spectrum of people,' says Joan Steuer, president of Chocolate Marketing, LLC. 'These grassroots efforts will surely help capture consumers who are more willing to give dark a try.'
