Ingredient Focus: Chocolate
Products
Willie’s Cacao
Willie’s Cacao Chocolate flavoured bars, available at Candylicious Dubai Mall and Yas Mall, are available in flavours such as Gluscious Orange (orange with honey notes), Cafe Negro (smooth coffee), Sea Flakes (milk chocolate with sea salt), Milk of the Gods (single estate milk chocolate).
Hershey’s spreads
Hershey’s Spreads, available at Candylicious Dubai Mall and Yas Mall, offer a sweet, creamy hazelnut and chocolate flavour that can be paired with various types of foods.
Cocosia
Cocosia presents three new products. Yuzu is Japanese citrus fruit infused in a Grand Cru couverture, inspired by Cocosia’s chocolatier in chief’s visit to Japanese pâtisserie Sadaharo Aoki in Paris. Desert Safari was created to reflect the region, and is a blend of camel milk caramel and and milk chocolate. Thai Lemongrass has pronounced Thai flavours in chocolate ganache, inspired by Cocosia’s chocolatier in chief’s visits to Thai markets.
Monin
Monin’s Milk Chocolate Sauce is ideal for mochas, lattes, cappuccinos, milkshakes, and dessert toppings, to name a few applications.
Operations
Our experts discuss working with chocolate, consumer demand and market considerations
The preferred sweet treat
Made from cocoa beans, chocolate is one of the most popular food types and flavours in the world, liked across all age groups. Often eating during celebrations and given as a gift, chocolate is popular in many cultures, and enjoyed across the GCC region; KPMG studies indicate that chocolate and confectionary demand in the GCC region last year grew by 20%.
Aramtec sales & marketing manager — pastry division Riyadh Hassan confirms: “The Arab region and the Gulf in particular is known for its passion for milk chocolate, which is the most popular chocolate in the Middle east.”
La Marquise International marketing manager Olga Mirtova concirs: “The Middle East and Gulf region in particular is well known for its passion for sweets, as the value of this sector reached $10 billion last year, with growth of 12% annually, making it the highest growth in the world,”
According to La Marquise International’s experience, milk chocolate leads demand among its customers, followed by white chocolate and dark chocolate with 52% cocoa. “Dark chocolate with higher percentage of cocoa is a bit less popular,” Mirtova states.
This is perhaps not surprising, given that the higher the cocoa percentage, the less sweet the taste — and Middle East consumers are known for their sweet tooth, says Felchlin export marketing manager Monika Schuler. She adds that “chocolate has always been a part of desserts as well as a way of lifestyle” in the region.
Monon MEIA trade marketing manager Pierre Fraboulet also notes the enduring popularity of chocolate in its various forms in the region.
Speaking about its various applications as a highly versatile ingredient, he tells Caterer Middle East: “Leaving pastry aside, chocolate is used in hot and iced chocolates and mochas as well as in milkshakes. You can do many things with chocolate as it blends well with a large range of other ingredients from fruits and nuts to savoury.”
Al Abbar Enterprises head of confectionary retail (Candylicious, Hershey’s Chocolate World, Spun Candy, Garrett Popcorn Shops, Magic Candy Factory) Rosantina Saraswati reveals that, in her experience, chocolate is more popular in the region than other types of confectionery, such as sugar candies, gum and snacks.
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Creativity flows
As Fraboulet highlighted, chocolate is known for being a versatile ingredient, suited to hot and cold dishes — and not just for use in desserts.
Saraswati remarks: “It adds richness to many dishes, whether savoury or sweet. In savoury dishes, chocolate is usually used as a condiment, and the intensity of it depends on personal taste. Many people enjoy dark chocolate with salt or chilli.
“For sweet dishes, the options are endless. Chocolate can be used as a main ingredient or for final touches. However people choose to use chocolate, it is sure to add richness to any dish.”
Cocosia Artisan Chocolate founder and chocolatier Qudsia Karim says chocolate has very distinct characteristics, which can be used with different ingredients to bring out flavours and textures.
“The flavours are unique to each chocolate’s experience and artisan chocolatiers understand how to incorporate them, so you can have a lot of creativity,” she explains.
Mirtova concurs, stating: “Chocolate is an amazing material for creating masterpieces, and it can be shaped in any form or size. For example, last month La Marquise ran 3D chocolate workshops in partnership with Decosil, an Italian brand for handcrafted 3D white silicon moulds.”
Crafting chocolate into any shape is part of its appeal, though the type of chocolate has to suit the use. “It’s important to note that for such creations, you should use chocolate with high percentage of cocoa butter, which enables you to work on the smallest details of the mould,” Mirtova shares.
Hassan says that today, the need for creating innovative products is stronger than ever “especially in chocolate market”. This should not phase chocolatiers, given how easy it is to use. As EMF general manager Pierre Feghali puts it: “Chocolate is a versatile ingredient where the only limit to what you can do with it is given only by your creativity.
“It can be used as a main ingredient or in conjunction with any spices or herbs in ganaches or creams, or can be crafted in a beautiful showpiece, or moulded into a simple bunny.
“There is a growing demand for special chocolates which goes from creating your own chocolate blend to a customised shaped chocolate.”
Sourcing considerations
Recent news reports have warned of soaring demand and slowing production combining to create a ‘chocolate deficit’.
“There is an increasing global demand for cocoa and chocolate products, especially in the Asia Pacific region ,which by 2017 is expected to consume more cocoa ingredients than North America,” Feghali says.
It is an inescapable fact that chocolate production is affected by many factors, such as the weather and climate fluctuations in cocoa-producing regions, which can disrupt supplies and, therefore, cause prices of cocoa to rise.
Hassan shares his sumary of the key issues: “The world faces several challenges in maintaining cocoa beans supplies; cocoa prices can be volatile due to nearly two-thirds of the global crop comes from just four countries in West Africa (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria) and the rest coming from countries within 20 degrees of the Equator.
“The majority of smallholder cocoa farms are struggling with ageing, low-productive trees, and limited infrastructure in rural areas. Cocoa is competing with other cash crops like palm, rubber and soy for land.”
Mirtova says that “obstacles in supply chain” can come from weather conditions. “High temperatures are harmful for the chocolate, therefore we have to make sure that in each part of the transportation and storage process all the needful temperature requirements are met,” he clarifies.
Karim also makes this point: “The product has to be stored and transported with very delicate handling as the chocolate couvertures must not exceed the desired levels of temperature.”
Chocolate’s popularity also plays its part in the ‘supply and demand’ situation, with a growing middle class in many countries having more disposable income to purchase luxuries. Saraswati says demand has grown 3% per year for the past three centuries, adding: “Cocoa is traded in the world market as commodity and its price can fluctuate depending on supply and demand.”
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Attention to ethics and health
Sourcing is no longer a consideration just for suppliers, as consumers increasingly look for transparency from companies. Felchlin’s Schuler explains: “Chocolate consumers all over the world are getting more sensitive when it comes to fair trade, organic or healthy food in general, therefore transparency is key.
“Storytelling is no longer just presenting nice and impressive stories or products. Focusing on the chocolate world, being true to your customers and being able to prove what you are telling [them] is crucial.”
The average consumer is also more knowledgeable about the relationship between food and health, leading to a new crop of products.
“There are more options of healthier version of chocolates [today], from the usual sugar free, no added sugar, organic, to new innovations, such as non-dairy and vegan chocolates. Previously the taste of these kind of chocolates was compromised but with recent innovations, you won’t even notice the difference,” Saraswati says.
Feghali reveals: “The impact we notice is represented by a growing demand for organic chocolates and dark chocolates with higher cocoa percentage. In the past, the GCC was a region with a high consumption of milk chocolates, which is slowing shifting to dark chocolates, due to the [potential] health benefits that moderate chocolate consumption [can] bring.”
Products like sugar-free chocolates also address consumers’ health concerns, Mirtova notes. And while Karim feels that people know that “most things consumed within good limits are healthy”, Fraboulet concludes that even if consumers don’t stick to the ‘everything in moderation’ approach, health concerns are unlikely to yield real impact on demand for chocolates.
“People don’t give up easily on something so indulgent as chocolate,” he remarks.
News
UAE chocolate market to grow 8% annually up to 2021
The chocolate market in the UAE is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8% between 2016 and 2021, a new report by TechSci Research has found. A previous forecast by the company had predicted that the market would register a CAGR of 6.09% between 2014 and 2019. The new report attributed increased growth to rising per capita expenditure, a growing youth population, escalating seasonal demand and entry of new domestic and international players.
“The UAE’s chocolate market is becoming an attractive destination for international players, especially those who are offering high-end products,” said research director with TechSci Research Karan Chechi.
Alison Nelson Chocolate Bar launches 11th UAE outlet
Alison Nelson Chocolate Bar has opened a new branch on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai — bringing the total number of outlets up to 11 in the UAE.
“We have had a remarkable journey so far for Chocolate Bar in the UAE. We have been growing tremendously in the country, and we are committed to creating a memorable culinary experience for all our guests,” founder Alison Nelson said.
The concept is under Crème De La Crème, a member of Saif Belhasa holding. “We are extremely happy to welcome this new addition to our F&B family. Our aim is to only multiply our happy customers by providing them the best dining experience,” commented Saif Belhasa, chairman of Saif Belhasa Holding.
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Top trends
The dark side
Cocosia’s Qudsia Karim notes a gradual preference towards dark chocolate in general. “People are understanding the benefits of a dark chocolate and its appeal both as a health food, and as a premium indulgence,” she says. Felchlin’s Monika Schuler agrees, stating: “Although milk chocolate is still dominating the market, dark chocolate is getting more popular, not only in five-star hotels.”
New shapes and colours
Aramtec’s Riyadh Hassan points to chocolate lollipops and chocolate bars as two of the biggest emerging trends he has noticed, and says “adding a lot of colour in chocolate is becoming very fashionable”.
3D printing
3D printing refers to various processes used to synthesise a three-dimensional object, and has become a buzzword over the past year. Naturally, food manufacturers and retailers are looking to get a piece of the action. “We have just launched the world’s first 3D gummy candy printing and we are looking forward to offer the same for chocolate lovers,” Al Abbar Enterprises’s Saraswati reveals.
Single origin
La Marquise’s Olga Mirtova points to a new trend emerging globally as single origin chocolate, which she says is the type of chocolate made from beans of one region — and sometimes even one farm. “Chocolate connoisseurs argue that chocolate has varied tastes and such tastes depend upon where it is grown. When chocolate is made from beans from many different areas, taste distinction is more difficult to recognise. With the advent of single origin chocolate comes the idea of chocolate blends that promote the best features of chocolate. Blending varieties of chocolate from one location to produce superior chocolate is actually a very old concept, made new by a generation of chocolate experts and tasters,” she remarks.
Sophisticated tastes and artisanal chocolatiers
Schuler reports a market need for sophisticated desserts in the Middle East, requiring fine chocolate, whether it is dark, milk or white chocolate. “The awareness of handmade pralines, special flavoured chocolate and desserts made with passion, is increasing tremendously. The appreciation of exclusive chocolate is rising,” she continues. Similarly, Karim says that while there has long been the feeling that “all chocolates are the same”, artisanal chocolatiers are creating flavours that are distinctive. She asserts: “More people are being educated, with the help of influential foodies and bloggers, in how the taste of chocolate can vary. Globally, there is certainly a shift towards the more premium end, especially because of more awareness on the benefits of chocolates and its consumption.”
Not so sweet
Monin’s Fraboulet reports interest in “more savoury chocolate”, predicting a trend for “spices, citrus/fruit and salty chocolate”.