RENEWED INTEREST

Yet, it’s a category that is also receiving renewed consumer interest; in fact, lockdown led to a resurgence for hot chocolate products, as homebound consumers sought out comforting, hot milky drinks. And with a hybrid of at-home and office working now the norm, consumers are embracing new occasions, forming new habits and looking for greater flavour and product exploration in the home. According to Kantar, the category grew by 13% in volume in the UK to the year to 27 December 2020, something it also credits to new consumers entering the category.

From a hot chocolate point of view, what’s the answer to this new and growing demand? What can the category do to make itself more interesting and frankly, make the product better? As with seemingly most categories, firstly, there’s flavours.