Interesting Ideas from Champagne Champagne is a huge product dominated by a number of large companies but there are also many smaller, less well known producers who have to compete in order to grow and flourish – sounds familiar? To many people “Champagne” is a generic product but this is far from true and the …
Feb 24
Radio Interview
I was interviewed on BBC radio 5 this morning about the Mars product recall. It seems to me to be a very professional response, particularly given the danger of a choking hazard. It has clearly been made more difficult in that product was in the distribution chain, possibly for some time, before they were aware …
Nov 06
Cocoa Powder – an ingredient with opportunities
Cocoa Powder – really good cocoa powder – is an ingredient which deserves greater consideration and use in confectionery than it possibly gets at the moment. It has a flavour of its own and comes in a range of colours and flavour intensities with great potential. Using cocoa powder within the product range presents another …
Aug 01
The Importance of New Product Development
New Product Development – a Vital Component No company can rely on mature products for its future. The commonly accepted ratio in FMCG is that at least 30% of your sales should be from products less than 3 years old. Almost without exception, therefore, companies in an innovative and exciting business like confectionery should be …
May 08
The Magic of Chocolate
The Magic of Chocolate Chocolate must be a main contender for the world’s favourite flavour, the only other I can immediately think of which has such wide acceptance is peppermint. Why is this, why is chocolate so “Magic”, so widely accepted by people of such a wide range of cultures which are so different in …
May 08
Aerated Confectionery
Aerated Confectionery – Some First Principles Aerating confectionery not only adds interest and novelty in terms of texture and flavour but it also it greatly increases apparent value and of course air is about the cheapest ingredient available. There are many ways of aerating and other articles in the magazine will discuss them in …
Nov 29
Refining Chocolate and Compound Coatings
Chocolate Refining – a review of appropriate technology There are a number of technologies available for making chocolate (and similar vegetable fat based coatings) but they differ considerably in their application, particularly in their suitability for different scales of operation and the degree of product flexibility required. Most of the issues around scale are associated …
Sep 18
Helping the Client to Shape, Develop and Operate their Business through Social Media
Social Media can be used in important ways to communicate with customers and consumers. It is therefore essential to get my clients thinking about the opportunities social media represents. Social media potentially changes the game completely for small start up businesses and ones which are developing, allowing direct access to consumer information in ways never …
Sep 18
Satisfying the Customer and Consumer – Vital for any Business
The Route to Success – Satisfying the Customer and Consumer Satisfying the customer and consumer is a fundamental step to success in any business. The product you offer must generate an image of Desirability, Quality, Trust, Consistency, Service and Value. Whilst there is reasonable and logical emphasis on satisfying and motivating the consumer, the customer …
Jul 31
Make your Chocolate stand out from the crowd
Many small and medium sized producers of chocolate products rely either on chocolate purchased from a third party or a recipe and set of ingredients which have a long history within their company. These products are often very “anonymous”, they lack character, that spark which will make the consumer remember them as an exceptional product. …