Cargill-owned Aalst Chocolate is putting “substantial investment” into insights-driven R&D, customised products, and strengthening of its bean-to-bar supply chain to push growth in Asia and beyond.
Australian agribusiness giant GrainCorp is targeting Asia growth for its Pin and Peel baking products, with the firm hoping that it can ride on manufacturer demands for both healthier and cleaner ingredients.
Snacking giant Mondelez believes that increased focus needs to be placed on improving the experiential and digital marketing of travel retail confectionery in the APAC region and beyond in order to boost category growth.
Singapore chocolate firm Tatgu used the pandemic to press ahead with innovation across its low-sugar and -GI, and high-calcium product ranges, as it seeks to meet soaring demand for better-for-you treats.
Australian guilt-free confectionary firm Funday has highlighted its unique gut-friendly ingredient formulation as well as its one-bag-one-serve packaging as major success factors after entering 3,000 retail outlets in the region.
Mars has announced its M&M'S brand will release a limited edition all-female pack of candies to celebrate International Women's Day on Wednesday, March 8.
Australian start-up Funday Natural Sweets is seeking to shake-up the confectionery market with sugar-free and functional products, including a prebiotic lolly.
Japan’s Morinaga Milk Industry is banking on the confectionery and snacks as emerging formats for its paraprobiotic LAC-Shield (heat-killed Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MCC1849) application.
Chocolate consumption in China still lags behind its neighbours in the confectionery category, but it is increasingly finding flavour through innovation in local cuisine – including steamed buns and even rice.
The man behind Australian sugar-free candies firm Sugarless Confectionery Jacques Aubry has detailed how he plans to expand in Singapore, and launch in new markets including Canada and Zambia.
Confectionery giant Perfetti Van Melle has collaborated with Toyo Beverage to introduce its first range of drinks in Japan under the Chupa Chups brand.
Nestle, Tip Top, and Mondelez in Australia and New Zealand are joining a growing list of companies renaming controversial product names amid the Black Lives Matter movement to end racial stereotyping.
Japan’s Morinaga & Co has launched its Hi-Chew soft candy in Australia, with Grocery Corporation of Sydney and Nippon Food Supplies as the distributors.
A report published by Flavorchem expects new categories such as CBD and plant-based to increase in popularity as consumers demand heathier options in their grocery basket.
Faced with falling retail sales, the chief executive of Nani’s Frozen Foods - a small baked confectionery business in northern Malaysia - changed tack and is now achieving success in the halal-OEM market, with Japan her main focus.
Malaysia’s home-grown confectionery and biscuit brand Julie’s is experiencing fast growth in China’s e-commerce space, with sales growing by five-fold in the past three years.
PT Kaneka Foods Indonesia (KFI), the JV between Mitsubishi Corporation and Kaneka Corporation, is setting up a new factory to meet rising demand in the nation’s beverage and bakery markets.
Farm8, a food innovation and manufacturing firm in Japan, is giving sake-kasu a new lease of life by incorporating it into beverages, confectionery, seasonings, and sweets.
Beverly Hills luxury confectionery manufacturer and retail brand Sugarfina will open its first store in Asia this July and already has further expansion plans for other Asian markets.
Jujubes are a nutritious superfruit with caramel flavour notes that are "extremely versatile" and ideal for bakery, confectionery and dairy products as well as beverages, says the CEO and founder of Abakus Foods.
Multinational confectionery group Mondelēz International recently unveiled its first operational Technical Centre for research and innovation in Asia, in Singapore.
Indian colours major Roha has released Natracol Bright Yellow, a water-dispersible curcumin liquid that imparts a bright yellow shade in confectionery applications.
Alibaba, China's largest e-commerce platform, reached record sales of $15bn during Double 11 this year, prompting domestic confectionery and snack brands to step up their web strategies.
Global sugar confectionery sales are poised to rise 3.76% each year up to 2020 driven by modernized retailing in Asia Pacific, says research firm Technavio.
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Gummies fortified with collagen peptide or magnesium could be money-spinners outside niche drugstore channels, says Swiss functional confectionery producer Hunziker.
LoeschPack has introduced a horizontal flow wrap machine with hot seal capabilities that it claims will help confectioners protect product integrity in hot climates and pack at greater speeds than competitors.
India’s confectionery market is expected to grow by almost three-quarters in four years as the burgeoning middle-class consumes more gums and jellies, and chocolate still dominates.
Mondelez International has said it will invest $24m (€19.3m) to expand its Gebze plant in Turkey, as the company continues its plan to increase productivity and cut costs.
Many confectioners are sidestepping responsibilities on sustainable palm oil by only ensuring products meet ‘inadequate’ RSPO standards, according to Greenpeace.
Premium international brands for China’s increasingly affluent population could be instrumental in raising low domestic chocolate consumption, according to market researchers Canadean.
The Hershey Company will make its single largest investment in Asia with a new factory in Malaysia, a country the firm says gives it a strong route to 25 markets in the region, including China.
South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and confectioners must think about how they can cater to an increasingly aging population, according to Leatherhead Food Research.
India’s confectionery market has a ‘bright future’ and will be bolstered by a growing gifting culture and increasing rural consumption, a report suggests.
