Image courtesy of ifiGourmet
 
Seasonal products create the opportunity for incremental business if the product is well-marketed and supported at retail. Further, it’s clear that there is thriving consumer demand for seasonal chocolate products. Nearly 40 percent of US adults purchase chocolate candy in special seasonal displays at retail, up from only 27 percent in 2014, according to market research firm Packaged Facts.

Using this information can help you leverage the upcoming holiday season when you can innovate at your bakeries and pastry shops by adding more chocolate products and chocolate decorations.

New holiday chocolate decorations are available from ifiGourmet, which offers a wide selection of gourmet chocolate products ranging from fine couvertures by Luker made exclusively from South American fine flavor cocoa beans to specialty shells, sticks, toppings and decorations.

The company’s new Holiday Chocolate Décor Collection includes pumpkins and mini fall leaves for fall, “happy holidays’ plaquettes and “joy” wreaths for winter, and fancy hearts for Valentine’s Day.

Image courtesy of ifiGourmet
 
New Donut Toppers and Cookie Toppers from Dobla enable bakers and pastry chefs to elevate tasty treats to a new level. For instance, you can use Donut Toppers to make your own holiday Donut Cake.

And new from Chef Rubber, Transfer Sheets come in Halloween designs including Wrapped Mummy, Jack O’Lantern Lit, Trick or Treat, Scary Faces, and Web of White. Another innovation from Chef Rubber are magnetic moulds for chocolate, which can be paired with Chef Rubber’s designer chocolate transfers to create artisan-style chocolates.

Lily’s Sweets, maker of stevia-sweetened chocolate with no added sugar, has added two new chocolate bar flavors to its diverse lineup of premium Fairtrade, non-GMO, gluten-free chocolate products. The new flavors, 40 Percent Caramelized & Salted Milk Chocolate and 70 Percent Dark Salted Almond Chocolate, are available exclusively at Whole Foods Market locations nationwide, with other specialty retailers to follow.

Barry Callebaut, a leading manufacturer in high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, has introduced a new chocolate that looks to join dark, milk, and white chocolate in the pantheon of chocolate types. The company’s groundbreaking ruby chocolate is the first new natural color for chocolate in more than 80 years. Ruby chocolate is described as an intense sensory delight, combining berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness.

Image courtesy of Barry Callebaut
 
The chocolate has a pinkish hue, which along with its fruity flavor, comes from the Ruby cocoa bean. Barry Callebaut unlocks the flavor and color with a unique processing that doesn’t use berries, berry flavor, or added colors. Through extensive development over the course of 10 years, Barry Callebaut’s research department was able to bring this new chocolate type to the public. It was introduced in Shanghai, China, in September.

“Consumer research in very different markets confirms that Ruby chocolate not only satisfies a new consumer need found among millennials, but also high purchase intent at different price points,” says Peter Boone, Barry Callebaut’s chief innovation and quality officer.