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again to give consumers even greater chocolate flavor and format choices, industry experts said. HE CULTURAL OBSESSION WITH CHOCOLATE DATES BACK thousands of years. Long before it solidified its place as the symbol of indulgence here in the U.S., chocolate was already an integral part of cultures around the world. Ten years ago dark chocolate — with its higher cacao content and less sweet taste —transformed the U.S. chocolate category. In more recent years U.S. consumer palates have expanded even further to include unique add-ins and new flavor profiles. Driven by consumer demand, a tide of new products has flooded the market, broadening flavor choices and size options. Salt, bacon, exotic nuts, fruit and snack foods have all found their way into chocolate products and consumers can now purchase their favorite products in any size they want. Chocolate's migration to the apex of indulgent foods started more than a decade ago when consumers started increasingly buying products with higher cacao contents. Hand in hand with greater consumer awareness of the cocoa content of chocolate came an increased awareness of where the ingredients came from, which for some consumers translated into a call for sustainable and fair trade sourcing practices. Dark, bittersweet chocolate is so normalized it has even crept into the product offerings of companies that historically marketed iconic milk chocolate. Since the "gourmet" dark chocolate trend emerged a decade ago, the industry has shifted Premium Ingredients Michael Antonorsi, master chocolatier for the Chuao brand, said consumers are drawn to gourmet chocolates, familiar flavors and health benefits, anything that makes them feel as though they have permission to indulge (think antioxidant rich berries in chocolate bars). "If we can merge gourmet, familiar nostalgic flavors and a healthy twist to it we are in the best of three worlds," Antonorsi said. Nostalgia in particular seems to be motivating consumers, he noted. Antonorsi said he finds that consumers like to "play in a more adventurous arena" but if they feel pushed into something too weird they retreat. "People are very attached to their sweet confections. If you put salted buttered toffee into something, they start salivating. They might not have had it in chocolate but they've had it. If you give them puffed seeds with wasabi powder, it might be too unfamiliar," Antonorsi said. "Breeding familiarity is important…especially at the high price point." Chuao has done its share to expand consumer palates. Two of the company's biggest sellers have been a chili-infused Spicy Maya and a Firecracker Bar, which has popping candy, sea salt, and chili in it. The Firecracker Bar was Chuao's biggest hit of the last five years, Antonorsi noted. The company has also experimented with what he calls trendier flavors, such as confections that include maple and bacon flavors. One of Chuao's recent introductions was a Rocky Road bar which debuted for the company's tenth anniversary. It's a nostalgic flavor that evokes childhood memories, Antonorsi said, but elevated to a "gourmet persuasion." The bar includes salted almonds and vegan marshmallows. "American consumers are consistently demonstrating their appreciation for premium chocolate connoisseurship. Nearly 20 percent of Americans seek out gourmet and premium products. This increased demand has left a gap to be satiated," said Danielle LaChance, vice president of marketing for Lindt USA. As consumer palates have developed, their taste for premium chocolate continues to grow, she said. Lindt's Excellence dark chocolate bar, a bar with 70 percent cocoa, is a top selling product and the company has seen great success with new flavors and inclusions building off the original product, LaChance said. A bar that incorporates Fleur de Sel sea salt crystals — Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt — in particular has done very well. Innovative flavor pairings with dark chocolate has been and continues to be a hot consumer trend, LaChance said. Lindt rolled out several flavors in its Excellence collection in the last year, including coconut, passion fruit and cranberry, in addition to the A Touch of Sea Salt bar. In Lindt's truffle collection a new vanilla was introduced. High end chocolatier Vosges launched a new line this year CANDYBUYER.COM | PROFESSIONAL C ANDY BUYER | NOV + DEC 2012 | 17