Top 10 chocolate trends in the Middle East
Lee Jamieson reveals the top 10 trends set to transform the region’s chocolate industry
With annual chocolate sales exceeding US $4.2 billion in the Middle East and growing, international chocolate brands are flooding the region.
This rapid market expansion has exposed consumers to new tastes… and their palates are evolving.
Experimentation, new ingredients, pioneering recipes and innovative presentation are already transforming the industry in the region – but what trends are here to stay?
Article continues on next page ...
1 Savoury flavours
With consumer tastes maturing, chefs have been experimenting with new flavours. The bitterness of dark chocolate lends itself to savoury offerings creating new tastes and textures.
This trend has influenced the chefs at Amador Restaurant in Abu Dhabi, as speciality outlet chef, Christophe Lerouy confirms: “We still think of chocolate as something sweet, but it is well known that chocolate likes a pinch of salt!
“It is more and more normal to use vegetables in a dessert dish, which means chefs are beginning to serve chocolate with things like carrots and caviar. A lot of chefs are also flavouring their hot dishes with bitter dark chocolate to make the flavour more intense and give better textures,” he added
“At Amador Restaurant we are serving a combination of white chocolate, wasabi and beetroot, which has been a big hit with our guests,” continues sous chef Martin Sorensen.
“They also find the combination of dark chocolate and red pepper very interesting. People are realising that it is not just about chocolate; it is the combination that makes it special.”
Article continues on next page ...
2 Healthy chocolate
Healthy chocolate is not just “wishful thinking”. Rather, it has long been established that dark chocolate is actually a rich source of antioxidants and can, in fact, help improve cardiovascular health.
“Health awareness is sweeping through the Middle East’s sweet market – and this trend is very important for consumers,” explains La Marquise International sales executive, Darya Yurkina. “Indulging one’s sweet tooth needs to be done as healthily as possible, and this has increased demand for dark chocolate.
“Therefore we are currently broadening our range of dark chocolate in order to meet the needs of health-conscious consumers.”
In recent years, the healthy chocolate trend has matured giving rise to new demand for sugar-free and organic chocolate.
“It goes without saying that food is closely related to health,” adds Mr. S. Padmanabhan, head of the Horeca Division Company at Baqer Mohebi Est. (BME). “The increased attention to nutrition and healthcare has enhanced life expectancy, yet allergies and obesity are on the rise at the same time.”
BME, which supplies Belcolade chocolates in the region, has been a pioneer in innovating the healthy chocolate market with sugar-free and organic products.
However, Padmanabhan says: “Research clearly indicates that healthy products have not yet reached their full potential because of poor taste and low value for money. In response to these trends, Belcolade has been tirelessly working at producing newer and healthier products especially for the GCC.”
Keep your eye out for ingredients such as goji berries and soya milk, which are taking the European market by storm. It won’t be long until they hit the Middle East.
Article continues on next page ...
3 The theatre of chocolate
Chocolate is a unique ingredient – it is synonymous with luxury, love and indulgence – and many of the high-end food and beverage operators across the region have been keen to use it in evermore theatrical ways.
At many large corporate and special events, chocolate is starting to break away from the dessert menu. Increasingly, things such as chocolate fountains and flamboyant chocolate sculptures are being used as centrepieces in an attempt to “wow” guests and make the brand stand out from the crowd.
“We use chocolate sculptures at important times of the year like Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas,” says Madinat Jumeirah executive pastry chef, Tony Hoyle, “but they are also an impressive thing to present at large events like Hotelympia.”
Exposing the theatre of chocolate is the ethos behind InterContinental Doha The City’s new outlet, Criollo.
“At Criollo you are given the unique opportunity to see the chocolatier at work,” explains director of F&B and kitchen operations, Nick Flynn. “Customers are able to discuss preferences with him and can work with the team to create their own perfect blend of chocolate treats.
The whole experience is a lot more personal and gives each customer a greater understanding of how the final product has been made.”
Article continues on next page ...
4 Authentic tastes
In a market which has been flooded with international brands, a niche for local chocolate producers which are catering specifically for Arabic tastes has emerged.
“Chocolate producers go round in circles copying each other,” says House of Chocolate managing partner, Fadi William Kassatly. “So, we aim to satisfy the taste buds of consumers in this region with flavours that appeal to Arabic tastes.”
In a busy marketplace, many consumers are starting to seek out a more authentic taste experience, generating demand for the region’s chocolate producers that locally source Arabic ingredients, such as dates, spices, nuts and milk.
Article continues on next page ...
5 Camel milk
In 2008, the trend for new, local ingredients led Al Nassma Chocolate to launch the world’s first chocolate made from camel’s milk. The company was ahead of the trend four years ago, but today camel milk chocolate is growing in popularity within the region and beyond.
Al Nassma’s local brand has since sold well through partners in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Japan and even ships directly to individual customers all over the world. However, in its heart, it remains an Arabian brand.
“Since Al Nassma is a true Arabic chocolate, our main focus will always be in the GCC countries and the Arab world,” explains Martin van Almsick, general manager of Al Nassma Chocolate, which is based in Dubai.
“Camel milk has five times more vitamin C, is rich in mineral and antimicrobial. It is the region’s best milk, so we use it to create the perfect chocolate for the region and beyond.”
Article continues on next page ...
6 Organic chocolate
The Middle East’s organic market is still developing, but is fuelled by the growing expat community seeking out products to satisfy their lifestyle choices.
Demand for organic chocolate is therefore following North American and European trends as an increasing number of chefs source organic ingredients for their dessert menus.
“This region is beginning to wake up to the benefits of organic products,” explains general manager at EMF Emirates, Pierre Feghali. “Organic chocolate has its share. It is still small, especially in the Gulf, but it is gaining momentum in countries like Lebanon.”
Article continues on next page ...
7 Boutique revolution
Chocolate is by no means immune to the region’s continuing thirst for quality and exclusivity. Many chocolate suppliers have quickly diversified away from the mass-market to capitalise on the profitable luxury sector.
“In this region, chocolate has slowly moved away from being a mass-consumer product to something more boutique,” explains ChoCo’a managing partner, Assem Hamzeh, “and the emergence of this premium category has been a noticeable development.
“Today’s customers are more interested in the artisan elements that make up the taste and the product’s origin, so the region’s consumers are definitely more quality-driven and on the lookout for exclusive products that are less mainstream.”
The trend is most evident in five-star hotel restaurants where a huge amount of emphasis is placed on the quality of the chocolate used on the menu in an attempt to differentiate the taste experience from the competition.
“In five-star hotels, finer chocolates are used for production,” explains Mövenpick Hotel Al Khobar executive sous chef, Gaurav Kakkar. “These chocolates are gaining acceptance because the region’s palate is developing with the introduction of many fine dining venues. Award winning chocolate manufacturers have now gained entry into the market and have created a niche for themselves in the luxury segment.”
Article continues on next page ...
8 Branded chocolate
In this brand-driven region, it is natural for hospitality operators to carefully choose the chocolate brands they partner with. However, the current trend is moving beyond simple brand affiliation – operators now want to either re-brand or co-brand chocolate products to bring them in line with their own identity.
Chocolate producers and suppliers with the flexibility to customise their products to the branding needs of their clients are likely to see strong growth over the next few years.
“Customisation is one of the most important trends in the region,” confirms Helena Shpakovich, brand manager for Godiva at Moka General Trading.
“Unlike the rest of the world, customers here demand special, unique items with customised packaging. They want their logos, names and printed ribbons manufactured to their specification.”
Similarly, Choco Dou managing director, Wassim Yared, has also noticed strong demand for handmade branded chocolate with flexible customisation options. “We can customise the colour and even the fillings on request, or imprint things like a greeting message or the hotel’s logo directly on the chocolate piece,” he says.
Yared adds: “Clients can also have their chocolates presented in an elegant box made of wood, leather or velvet to create the perfect luxury gift.”
Article continues on next page ...
9 Dark chocolate
The aforementioned influx of brands from all around the globe to the region has proliferated choices offered to the consumer, diversifying tastes away from the popular milk chocolate products.
Although milk chocolate continues to dominate the market, consumers are discovering dark chocolate en-masse – and the cocoa percentage of dark chocolate products now serves as a handy quality scale for consumers.
“Having been in the Middle East for more than three decades, we’ve seen the trend for dark chocolate develop slowly, but recently growth for dark chocolate has been much more substantial,” explains EMF Emirates general manager, Pierre Feghali.
“If we look specifically at the Gulf area, milk chocolate constituted almost 90% of the chocolate market a decade ago and dark chocolate was almost exclusively requested by five-star hotels to meet the needs of expats and tourists. Today, we see more and more chocolatiers requesting dark chocolate, although it is still small compared to milk.”
Tastes are changing; and dark chocolate is in vogue.
Article continues on next page ...
10 Large product ranges
The explosion in the Middle East’s chocolate market brings both positives and negatives. As with any market that experiences rapid growth in a relatively short period of time, suppliers have splintered into a wide range of niches, flooding the market with products of every variety.
Until the market shows firmer signs of maturity, it is essential for chocolate suppliers to remain committed to the innovation of their products and stay ahead of the trends.
The constant re-evaluation of this fast-moving market is a key factor behind the success of Swiss International Chocolates, as managing director Daniel Hutmacher confirms: “We have had to create new chocolate products that are more market oriented, without eliminating our core lines.
The newest development from us is called UniC and has been surprisingly well received by the market thanks to its funky colours and attractive tastes.”
Hutmacher continues: “We are also re-evaluating our sales channels and reviewing the way we approach clients in general – simply because many hospitality executives are stressed out by the number of new products and suppliers entering the market on an almost daily basis.”