7 minute read
Product Spotlight
Wawi’s indulgent ranges WOW at iSM
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Wawi presented an exciting new range of products at this year’s iSM and the Kennedy’s team were on-hand to speak with Managing Director, Martin Sobotta, about the concept behind each idea – and, of course, to sneak a few samples!
One of the dominating trends at this year’s iSM in Cologne, along with plant-based diets and healthier options, was ‘indulgence.’ While consumers still invest in sugar-reduced products and vegan chocolate, there will always be a craving for something a little sweeter -particularly around the holiday seasons.
Wawi have been producing chocolate since 1957 on four different continents, reportedly only using the best raw materials to ensure quality and freshness in their portfolio and were in keeping with this trend of ‘indulgence’ by presenting their brand-new ranges for 2020. These included; the Melting Snowman, the Little Peanut Monster Range and WOW Chocolate – all of them bursting with exciting new designs and flavours for current consumer demand.
Melting Snowman
Made up of soft white chocolate, milk chocolate drops and mini marshmallows, the Melting Snowman is supposed to sit in a cup of hot milk to melt into gradually to make hot chocolate – offering customers a perfect indulgent beverage for the winter season.
“We launched the ‘Melting Snowman’ last year in the US through Trader Joe’s under their own label and since then it’s been a great success,” says Martin Sobotta, Managing Director of Wawi Euro GmbH.
“We’re are now planning to put this out on the market this for general trade into the UK, France, Germany, Holland – wherever it may be. It’s been great to hear the amount of positive feedback on this product – consumers think it’s fun and creative and it will be perfect for the Christmas season, especially for kids.”
After being originally offered to confectionery buyers, Wawi have now presented the ‘Melting Snowman’ to major supermarket retailers such as Tesco, Co-op and Sainsbury’s in the hope that it will reach UK trade this year.
“Since it’s design is to melt within hot chocolate, it has also been looked at by the hot beverage buyers, so it’s exciting to see its potential and that it can have two places on the shelf,” adds Sobotta.
All produced and hand-decorated in Romania, the ‘Melting Snowman’ is predominantly made of white chocolate which is considerably sweet, so the milk chocolate drops help to balance this out. As Wawi mainly specialise in chocolate, the inclusion of mini marshmallows is considered new territory – however, this is seen as a true novelty as the finished melted product includes everything needed for a perfect cup of hot chocolate.
Sobotta continues, “because of the good impact the snowman has had so far, we want to keep up with seasonal trends such as a ‘melting bunny’ for Easter and a ‘melting heart’ for Valentine’s Day so it will all follow throughout the year. We could even do a ‘three-pack’ of all of these depending on customer preference.”
Little Peanut Monster range
Under the motto ‘Peanut Butter Next Level,’ Wawi also introduced the new Little Peanut Monster Range which includes six different and unique moulded designs for each one. With the ingredient of peanut butter growing from strength to strength (in particular Reese’s Pieces which have now gained popularity in the UK from the US) Wawi decided to create their own in-house peanut butter paste.
“After going through our market research, we felt it was best to respond to the growing peanut butter trend and wanted to be creative not just with the taste, but with the look as well,” Sobotta says. “Our Chocolate Peanut Butter Nuts are designed around the look of a peanut but with their own signature tastes and then our Peanut Butter Cups are encased with a creamier centre.”
WOW Chocolate
Featuring multiple textures in each piece of a uniquely segmented tablet bar, Oh Wow chocolate bars were also introduced from WAWI at iSM. According to the group, the packaging was designed to be eye catching to appeal to modern consumers’ tastes and the flavours were designed to steer away from any standard bar of chocolate.
“This is not just another chocolate bar,” Sobotta adds, “we wanted this to be fun - to include that ‘wow’ factor and so we named it that to include that connotation. In terms of flavours, we thought why not combine different tastes and textures into one tablet, for instance, one part of the bar has a cream filling while another has nut inclusions which is not seen very often on the market.”
Since the line is in its inception, Wawi have stuck with tried-and-true favourites which include; Dark Nougat Deluxe, Caramel Peanut Explosion, Salty Hazelnut Caramel Intense, Crazy Caramel Crunch, Cookie Coffee Break and Wild Berry Yoghurt Dream. The latter two bars also feature multiple colours.
Sobotta concludes: “The chocolate market is huge and can sometimes be difficult to keep up with, but we’re really proud to launch these new lines as innovative concepts. We’re always trying to think of new ideas and creative ways to explore chocolate and it’s so exciting to present them at shows like iSM to see the reactions and opinions throughout the world.”
Quality focus for whey permeate
Whey permeate offers huge advantages in a range of dairy, confectionery and bakery categories and Arla Ingredients believes that the increasing demand will lead to a market where quality factors will be just as vital as cost-effectiveness
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Whey permeate is produced by the removal of protein and other solids from whey and has been utilised as a dairy replacement for confectionery products like chocolate
Whey permeate is a cost-efficient dairy replacer for lactose, sweet whey powder, and/or demineralised whey powder in many food applications. A free-flowing bulking agent, which dissolves fast – whey permeate contains at least 85% lactose which is the reason for its milk, appealing flavour and is ultimately ideal for applications such as chocolate and confectionery, since it does not have the salty mineral flavour typical of other permeate products and ensures optimum usage at a much higher dosage.
Quality is becoming increasingly important in the rapidly growing whey permeate market, according to Arla Foods Ingredients. Whey permeate is a milk solid with around 80% lactose content. As a bulking agent, it is a highly cost-effective replacement for skimmed milk powder, lactose and sweet whey powder.
The ingredient’s potential in food applications was long untapped. However, improved filtration technology has allowed the creation of high-quality permeate. In 2017, powdered permeate received a Codex Alimentarius international standard, helping raise its profile and establish trust.
Permeate is increasingly being used by multinational brands, particularly in categories such as chocolate and biscuits, but also in hot drinks, dairy and desserts. Innova figures show that the number of new products containing whey permeate has more than doubled in the past five years, growing from 169 in 2015 to 387 in 2019.
Arla Foods Ingredients suppliers of whey permeate on a global level and believes that the Codex standard, as well as increasing demand, will lead to a market where quality factors such as mineral profile and microbiological requirements are as important as costeffectiveness.
The whey permeate products in the company’s Variolac® range have a sweet milky taste, low ash content, stable mineral profile and free-flowing powder properties over a 12-month shelf life.
Henrik Jacob Hjortshoej, Head of Sales Development, Food at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Whey permeate offers huge advantages in a range of dairy, confectionery and bakery categories. In recent years the market has exploded, with many of the biggest players taking advantage of the extraordinary cost-effectiveness permeate offers. The Codex standard was a major turning point and has resulted in a greater focus on quality, with factors such as taste, ash content and shelf life becoming increasingly important.”
