Dark chocolate is finally coming into its own, after spending a long time on the confectionery margins
After years of playing second fiddle to milk chocolate, the last couple of years have seen dark chocolate come into its own. Often seen as more indulgent - and with added health credentials - the growth of the likes of Lindt and Green & Black's has created a launch platform for new entries.
Dark chocolate is a prime growth area, with sales up 50% since 2004. Dark chocolate now accounts for 17% of large block sales [IRI].
This autumn sees Nestlé launching a 100g Black Magic block, backed by a £1m media spend. "There are many consumers who currently reject dark chocolate because they find it too bitter," says Graeme Walker, trade communications manager for Nestlé UK. "Many people prefer the idea of a more mellow blend - and that's where Black Magic can fit."
Mars shares a similar philosophy; its Galaxy Smooth Dark is the brand's first move into dark chocolate, featuring an accessible taste.
In February this year Cadbury Trebor Bassett launched Cadbury Bournville Deeply Dark, a dark chocolate made with 60% cocoa.
"Targeted at people over 30 years old, it is perfect for consumers who like the sophisticated nature of dark chocolate but find the current products available too bitter," says Kate Harding, acting head of customer relations for CTB. In October 2006, CTB introduced Cadbury Flake Dark into the market, delivering £4.3m in retail sales in its first six months.
Premium organic chocolate maker Green & Black's is revamping its range of iconic large block chocolate bars, upgrading packaging, changing flavours, dropping formats and increasing the accessibility of the brand to provide more entry points for new consumers.
The brand is discontinuing its 150g bars and moving the three most popular flavours from the range into its core 100g bar format. Packaging is also being upgraded, with the inclusion of cocoa percentage on the front of each bar
Senior brand manager Jamie Ewan says: "As consumers become more educated about premium chocolate, they're increasingly interested in the percentage of cocoa in a bar as a part their purchasing decision."
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