Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

Divine introduces its first 85% dark chocolate bar to its range.

To clash with national Chocolate Week (11th – 17th October), the farmer-owned chocolate company Divine Chocolate has announced a new addition to its 100g bar range.

Divine’s newsest product is a 100g pure chocolate bar made with 85% cocoa solids, using Ghanaian cocoa beans from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative that co-owns the company.

In autumn 1998, Divine was the first ever Fairtrade chocolate bar launched in the UK that was aimed at the mass market.

The company now sell a range of chocolate bar flavours, coco powder, festive chocolate treats and hampers.

Charlotte Borger from Divine Chocolate says of the launch:

“Divine is delighted to be offering an intense new flavour that plays to the consumer trend towards enjoying darker, purer chocolate products, and also ensures we’re buying more Fairtrade cocoa from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative.”

The 85% bar delivers an intense taste of pure cocoa due to its high percentage cocoa.

The new bar extends Divine’s dark chocolate product range, which centers around its 70% cocoa bar.

Available exclusively at Tesco stores nationwide – and at Tesco’s online shop – the new bar retails at £1.69.

Chocolate, Companies chocolate bar flavours, Divine’s dark chocolate, Tesco stores

LOLA’s Cupcakes have launched a limited edition Strawberry and Cream cupcake to co-incide with Wimbledon.

The LOLA’s Strawberry and Cream cupcake is available at Selfridges Food Hall and Mayfair stores now.

The Wimbledon 2010 tournament has begun this June and LOLA’s has embraced the traditional Strawberries and Cream food eaten at the tennis with their twist on the quintessentially British, strawberries and cream cupcake.

Each month, the LOLA’s cupcake specialists develop a new and exclusive flavour.

The latest Strawberry and Cream flavour has a light, fluffy vanilla pod cupcake sponge infused with juicy strawberries, finished with a rich swirl of creamy strawberry fudge icing, mixed with mascarpone creating a thick fudgy texture and decorated with a fresh whole strawberry.

The new cupcake is being marketed alongside the Wild Strawberry Wedgwood collection.

The traditionally British floral pattern on the bone china aims to create the perfect modern classic tea break to enjoy with friends.

Pastry Lola's cupcakes, Wimbledon

Food giant General Mills, which is the sixth biggest food manufacturer in the world, has announced it is launching a new cereal.

The manufacturer is bringing out Total Plus Omega-3s Honey Almond Flax cereal, with the aim of helping adults consume enough Omega-3s.

According to the brand, around 50 per cent of adults are looking for ways to boost their intake of the mineral.

General Mills claims the Total Plus cereal contains the daily value of 12 essential minerals and vitamins, as well as 10 per cent of the daily value of Omega-3s in every serving.

“With the new Total Plus Omega-3s cereal, health-conscious Americans who have long trusted Total to deliver superior nutrition can also reap the benefits of Omega-3 ALA from flax,” said Dan Stangler, marketing manager for Total cereal.

Omega-3 fatty acids play a key role in helping maintain a healthy body.

Last week, General Mills was the victim of a hoax press release which claimed Barack Obama had ordered a full investigation into the whole of the General Mills supply chain following product recalls.

Ingredients General Mills, new cereal, Omega-3 fatty acids

Workers at a UK factory which produces breakfast cereals for Nestle and General Mills have called off their strike action.

The strike at Cereal Partner’s UK factory in Staverton, Wiltshire, was due to start from 5:00BST yesterday (June 24th).

Nestle announced a national pay-freeze earlier this year and the strike was to be the first of three walkouts aimed at showing staff anger over the pay restrictions.

If an agreement has not been reached by July 8th, the next strike will go ahead. The third one is scheduled to take place on August 26th.

“Following the threat of strike action we have managed to secure certain improvements to our members’ terms and conditions.

“Therefore, strike action planned for this week will no longer take place and the new offer will be put forward to the workforce,” said Jim D’Avila, Unite the union’s regional officer.

Unite is the biggest union in the UK. It represents the interests of around two million members in various workforce sectors.

Companies General Mills, Nestle

In the US, nine out of every ten adults consume too much salt, a new report has found.

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report revealed that only 9.6 per cent of adults kept their daily sodium intake below the recommended government guidelines.

They were found to consume too much salt by eating pizza, crisps and other foods with high sodium levels, all of which contribute to a raised heart attack and stroke risk.

If adults were to reduce their salt intake by around half a teaspoon every day, new cases of heart disease could be cut by as many as 120,000 and there could be 66,000 fewer strokes, the report found.

“Sodium has become so pervasive in our food supply that it’s difficult for the vast majority of Americans to stay within recommended limits,” said Janelle Peralez Gunn, leader of the study and a public health analyst with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A UK report from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence released this week claims that up to 40,000 people in the country could be saved each year if food manufacturers reduced the levels of salt and saturated fat in their products.

Health Morbidity, Mortality Weekly Report, salt consumption

Analysts have placed Nestlé as the frontrunner to secure Polish confectioner E. Wedel from Kraft with final bids due by the third week in June.

Hershey and Nestlé are among the final six bidders for Wedel, along with private equity firms Bridgepoint, Advent International and two unnamed companies.

Wedel is said to be valued at €2-300 million. The 150-year-old confectioner is Poland’s oldest chocolate brand and became part of Cadbury in 1999.

The Polish company, as well as Romanian assets, is being sold off by Kraft as part of the takeover agreement of Cadbury. The disposals were imposed by the EU as a condition for the takeover deal.

Companies Kraft, Nestle, Wedel

Hershey plans to spend $250-$350 million in capital investments to improve and expand its facilities, while cutting up to 600 jobs as part of its overhaul.

The ‘Next Century’ capital investment includes a $200-$225 million plant expansion of the existing West Hershey facility and approximately $50-$75 million in distribution and administrative facilities located in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

As part of the project, production will transition from the company’s century-old facility to a planned expansion of the West Hershey facility, which was built in 1992. This change is expected to result in the reduction of approximately 500 to 600 jobs as investments in technology and automation result in enhanced efficiency in the new building.

David West, president and CEO, says, “Our investment will create a highly flexible, cost-effective manufacturing facility that will enable us to remain competitive with global players. The old factory is a proud part of the company’s heritage, but the facility is over 100 years old, and simply cannot be modernised to meet the manufacturing needs of a 21st century business. We operate in an ever-changing global marketplace and will continue to make the difficult decisions necessary for our business to succeed over the long term.”

Hershey estimates that the Next Century program will incur pre-tax charges and non-recurring project implementation costs of $140-$170 million over the next three years. This estimate includes $20 million in project implementation and start-up costs. At the conclusion of the program in 2014, ongoing annual savings are expected to be approximately $60-$80 million.

The Company expects 2010 net sales to increase 6-7%, including an approximate one point benefit from foreign currency exchange rates. Operational savings from project Next Century will not begin to be realized until very late 2011 and will be fully achieved in 2014.

Companies expansion plans, Hershey, job cuts, project Next Century

Increasing consumer interest in natural, clean label products and naturally coloured foods has lead CSM United Kingdom, along with its European counterparts, to set a July 2010 deadline for the replacement of synthetic AZO colorants with non-AZO colorants used in their products.

‘CSM’s transition to non-AZO colorants across its product portfolio has been in direct response to the increasing number of large and small bakeries who have for some time been eager to use natural colours in their consumer menu. Now, bakers can use every one of our products in the full confidence that they are adhering to EU regulations and meeting consumers’ health concerns associated with AZO colorants,” explains Ivor McKane, business unit director – artisan and industry, CSM United Kingdom.

CSM’s switch to non-AZO colorants anticipates a new EU regulation stipulating that products containing AZO colorants be labelled with the following heath warning: “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

Food Safety, Ingredients AZO Colorants, coloured foods, CSM UK

For the first time in history, IBIE—along with The Bread Bakers Guild of America, Lesaffre International and Europain—will proudly co-host the North and South American qualifier for the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie.

In 2010, for the first time in history, IBIE—along with The Bread Bakers Guild of America, Lesaffre International and Europain—will proudly co-host the prestigious Louis Lesaffre Cup, the North and South American qualifier for the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (The Bakery World Cup).

Here, 8 teams of highly skilled, ultra-competitive professional bakers will compete for 8 hours, 3 days in a row, in 3 categories:

1. Bread includes making a variety of traditional baguettes, sandwich loaves, specialties of the country and worldwide specialties.
2. Viennese Pastry gives teams the chance to work on a wide variety of international products and specific national products while using the techniques that highlight their unique expertise.
3. Artistic Piece involves producing a composition that conveys the identity of each team’s country and requires enormous creativity and technical mastery.

The Louis Lesaffre Cup is more than just a technical competition, however, it is test of the human spirit. Teamwork, stress management, self-control and physical and psychological endurance are essential in achieving the excellence for which the competition is renowned.

To prepare for the contest, the candidates follow an often grueling training regime that is rather like preparing for the Olympics: practicing for long hours every week, sacrificing leisure activities and free time, learning to work as part of a team, rehearsing each operation over and over again and constantly improving their products so the results will be perfect on the day of the competition.

Judging is done by a jury of baking professionals from outside the Americas to guarantee total objectivity and ensure that there are no professional or personal links between jury and participants. Jury members judge the products according to criteria such as weight and volume compliance, taste, appearance, originality, creativity, risk taking and time-spent.

The two winning teams from North and South America will be awarded with the Louis Lesaffre Cup trophy and a spot at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, taking place at Europain in Paris, France.

Source: Baking Buyer

In 2010, for the first time in history, IBIE—along with The Bread Bakers Guild of America, Lesaffre International and Europain—will proudly co-host the prestigious Louis Lesaffre Cup, the North and South American qualifier for the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (The Bakery World Cup). Here, 8 teams of highly skilled, ultra-competitive professional bakers will compete for 8 hours, 3 days in a row, in 3 categories: Bread includes making a variety of traditional baguettes, sandwich loaves, specialties of the country and worldwide specialties. Viennese Pastry gives teams the chance to work on a wide variety of international products and specific national products while using the techniques that highlight their unique expertise. Artistic Piece involves producing a composition that conveys the identity of each team’s country and requires enormous creativity and technical mastery. The Louis Lesaffre Cup is more than just a technical competition, however, it is test of the human spirit. Teamwork, stress management, self-control and physical and psychological endurance are essential in achieving the excellence for which the competition is renowned. To prepare for the contest, the candidates follow an often grueling training regime that is rather like preparing for the Olympics: practicing for long hours every week, sacrificing leisure activities and free time, learning to work as part of a team, rehearsing each operation over and over again and constantly improving their products so the results will be perfect on the day of the competition. Judging is done by a jury of baking professionals from outside the Americas to guarantee total objectivity and ensure that there are no professional or personal links between jury and participants. Jury members judge the products according to criteria such as weight and volume compliance, taste, appearance, originality, creativity, risk taking and time-spent. The two winning teams from North and South America will be awarded with the Louis Lesaffre Cup trophy and a spot at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, taking place at Europain in Paris, France.

Bakery, Events Europain, he Bread Bakers Guild of America, IBIE, Louis Lesaffre Cup

With Father’s Day just around the corner, Great American Cookies is inviting customers to celebrate what makes their dad one of a kind with a made-to-order Cookie Cake created just for him. Cookie Cakes, one of the company’s signature products, are available in a variety of sizes and feature festive designs for any of Dad’s interests. The celebration is supported by NexCen Franchise Management, Inc., a subsidiary of NexCen Brands, Inc.

Great American Cookies’ Cookie Cake catalogue features a vast array of Father’s Day designs including themes around fishing, music, golf, football and many more. Customers can also work with a Great American Cookies cookie artisan to create a completely unique design for their dad. Of course, Cookie Cakes are backed by the Great American Cookies customer promise: All Cookie Cakes are baked fresh in store daily, will have the perfect personalized message and can be ready in 15 minutes or less.

“Finding a Father’s Day gift that’s as special as the dad in your life can be challenging,” said Jenn Johnston, senior vice president of brand marketing for NexCen Franchise Management. “We’re proud of our large variety of distinctive designs and our ability to work with our customers to personalize any Cookie Cake to create a delicious gift to satisfy Dad’s sweet tooth.”

Customers can stay up to date on all of Great American Cookies’ new products and promotions by becoming a fan on Facebook, following the brand on Twitter or by joining Great American Cookies’ e-mail fan club—CookiE-mail.

Source:  Baking Buyer

Companies, Confectionery Father's Day, Great American Cookies