Candy Industry articles from September 2006

Candy Industry archives from September 2006

Who's afraid of Fair Trade?(Opening Shots)
September 1, 2006... It appears that consumers aren't, aren't afraid of Fair Trade products, that is. Fair Trade certification and the notion of buying products that carry an imprimatur of guilt-free consumerism grew out of the coffee industry. In tracking down...

Scottish sweet-maker saved...(Principal Capital Management acquires Miller McCowan)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... After a recent scare that Millar McCowan may be closing its business, a deal with Principal Capital Management saved the day. Millar McCowan, producer of Scotland s beloved Highland Toffee bar, Pan Drops and Wham bar, ran into problems with...

While Premiere Candy Co. hopes to find a buyer...(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Unless owners receive more funding or the company finds a buyer, Hammond, Ind.-based Premiere Candy Co. may be in danger of ending its 83-year candy making tradition. The company, known for its chocolate-covered cherries, laid off most of its...

And Sanfilippo also suffers financial blows.(John B. Sanfilippo and Son Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. fell into a fourth-quarter loss because of a decrease in selling volume and low margins. The company, which sells Fisher nuts, posted a loss of $7.3 million at the close of the quarter...

ADM Cocoa makes European purchase.(Newsletter)
September 1, 2006... Decatur, Ill.-based Arthur Daniels Midland Company recently acquired Classic Couverture, a chocolate manufacturer in Liverpool, England. ADM bought the company from Edward Billington and Son Ltd. "Classic Couverture's state-of-the-art...

Council requests funding in Cadbury probe.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Cadbury's salmonella incident refuses to disappear as Herefordshire County Council (HCC) in the UK asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for nearly $60,000 to help in their case against the confectionary giant. Last June Cadbury recalled seven...

Totally Chocolate moves into new facility.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Custom chocolate gifts firm Totally Chocolate moved its 130 employees into a new 60,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility in Blaine, Wash. last month. Their new home expands four times the size of their original home, which was built in 1993 and...

German chemists combat tooth decay with gum...( BASF Future Business and OrganoBalance)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... German chemicals group BASF developed a gum that fights tooth decay using Lactobacillus, healthy bacteria commonly found in yogurt. BASF Future Business, along with OrganoBalance, worked together on the project since 2002. The researching team...

While Wrigley takes care of bad breath...(Newsletter)
September 1, 2006... The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company's patent application for a chewing gum that combats bad breath. The gum uses zinc and copper salts that bond to sulfur compounds to reduce bad breath. However, the salts...

And patents a new way to produce gum.(Newsletter)
September 1, 2006... Gum production may never be the same thanks to Wrigley's revolutionary one-step process that gained its patent in August. The device, a continuous mixer that allows for a one-stage process, cuts down on time, money and workload. Manufacturers...

Max Brenner sweetens New York.(opens store in Union Square)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Despite previous futile foreign market attempts, Israeli chocolatier Max Brenner enjoyed a successful opening in New York City's Union Square. Founded by Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner in 1996, the company plans to invest one million dollars to...

Two industry leaders die.(Paul Richards, Dorothy Harmsen)(Obituary)
September 1, 2006... Paul Richards, 62, best known for his 40-year career with Knechtel Laboratories in Skokie, Ill., died on August 24 after complications from pancreatic cancer. Richards, a native of Southport, England, settled in the U.S. in the 1970s after...

Geysers gone wild! Perfetti Van Melle USA seizes the opportunity to ride Internet phenomenon involving Mentos and Diet Coke, boosting soles along the way.(NEWS)
September 1, 2006... Spontaneous combustion? Urban myth or pure science? Of course, everyone this past summer has been talking about what happens when you combine Diet Coke and Mentos mints. Well, thanks to some creative folks at Eepybird.com, a video that...

Virginia Dare completes R&D lab expansion.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Virginia Dare opened the doors to its recently completed expansion of new product development laboratories at its headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 5,000-sq.-ft. addition includes new laboratories dedicated to sweet goods and beverage...

Roquette America to produce mannitol.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Lestrem, France-based Roquette will expand it polyols capabilities by adding mannitol to its U.S. manufacturing facilities already producing maltitol, sorbitol, and other new products, to meet continued growth needs of the healthy food and...

Loders Croklaan earns AIB superior rating.(American Institute of Baking audit)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Loders Croklaan, North America, which has a plant for refining and distributing palm oil in Channahon, Ill., announced that an American Institute of Baking (AIB) audit of the facility produced a "superior" rating for the second year in a row,...

Spangler's 100th bash.(NEWS)
September 1, 2006... As buses shuttled guests (A) from Spangler Candy Co. 's parking lot in Bryan, Ohio to the Orchard Hill Country Club, on August 19th, it was clear that the company had pulled out all the stops. Attendees had a chance to visit the shrimp bar (B),...

Fair Trade gambit: in realizing his dream, Joseph Whinney's chocolate factory in Seattle features the first Fair Trade-certified, been-to-bar products made in the United States. Whinney and his passionate management team believe that today's consumers are seeking out socially responsible chocolate products.(Cover story)
September 1, 2006... It's not every day that one sees the president of a company put on overalls and fire up a refurbished Barth roaster to start the day's cocoa bean processing. And although the quantities can't compare with those of larger cocoa bean processors...

Trio finds combo sweet; lured by the ice cream, customers discover chocolates and other sweet treats at Findlay, Ohio-based Dietsch Brothers to be equally satisfying. The three brothers have expanded their confectionery sales by coolly expanding variety and increasing quality.(Tom, Rick and Jeff Dietsch)(Company overview)
September 1, 2006... Continuous upgrading has enabled the Dietsch Brothers' fine chocolates and ice cream business to grow with the times. Whether it's updating the website, changing the packaging and logo or renovating the stores, this third-generation...

100 calories and counting: cutting-edge snack and energy bars extend their appeal beyond just the average health and sport nut.(Balance Bar, Nestle USA, Caribou Coffee Bars)
September 1, 2006... Today a growing number of consumers opt for all-natural over artificial and prefer to cut calories instead of cutting corners in their diet regimen. Though time constraints pose big concerns for busy consumers, the snack and energy bar industry...

Going 'au naturel': gums proving critical in healthier formulations as manufacturers respond to growing demand for natural and organic confections.(Candy R&D: TRENDS & APLLICATIONS IN INGREDIENT TECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2006... More and more people are demanding their food, including candy, to be all-natural, free of genetically modified organisms, even organic, says Sharrann Simmons, vice president and general manager of Colloides Naturels Inc. (CNI), a U.S....

Chocolate with a cause.(Equal Exchange, West Bridgewater, Mass, Organic chocolate bars)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... THE COMPANY: Equal Exchange, West Bridgewater, Mass. THE PRODUCT: Organic chocolate bars THE HOOK: Chocolate Espresso Bean, Mint Chocolate and Dark Chocolate with Pure Cocoa Nibs are the newest flavor additions to Equal Exchange's...

Truffles gone tropical.(Cape Cod Provisions, Pocasset, Mass, Harvest Sweets Fruit Truffles)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... THE COMPANY: Cape Cod Provisions, Pocasset, Mass. THE PRODUCT: Harvest Sweets Fruit Truffles THE HOOK: Harvest Sweets, known for its chocolate and fruit confections, delivers the tropical tastes of summer with three new flavor...

Madelaine Chocolates.(At a glance)(new line of chocolates announce baby arrivals)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Foiled in festive baby blue or pink, Rockaway, N.Y.-based Madelaine Chocolates' new line of chocolates announces the arrival of a new boy or girl. The star-shaped confections are made of solid milk chocolate and herald the new addition with "a...

Cadbury UK's.(Flake Dark)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... The newest addition to Cadbury UK's growing Flake brand is Flake Dark. The product is composed of many thin, crumbly dark chocolate layers and will join other popular Flake varieties, such as Flake Dipped and Flake Praline. The newest flavor...

Monbana Chocolatier.(At a glance)
September 1, 2006... Ernee, France-based Monbana Chocolatier is releasing their Indulgent Canisters in a new variety of flavors in the U.S. The "guilt-free" canister specialties include Mayenne nuggets (raisins coated in white, dark or milk chocolate), Pralinea...

Charms.(Andes Dessert Indulgence)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... Beginning in January 2007, Chicago-based Charms will release Andes Dessert Indulgence. The pastry-inspired flavors include Lemon Meringue, Raspberry Cream and Key Lime. The golden packaging adorned with pie slices also lends a decadent touch....

Squirrel Brand Co.(Fleur de Sel Pistachios, Creme Brulee Almonds)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... Squirrel Brand Co. of McKinney, Texas, released two salty and sweet confections, Fleur de Sel Pistachios and Cram Brulee Almonds, this summer. The Fleur de Sel Pistachios are natural California pistachios rolled in fine sea salt. The Creme...

Ginger Chews.(Roxy Trading Inc, Chimes Ginger Chews)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... THE COMPANY: Roxy Trading Inc, Azusa, Calif. THE PRODUCT: Chimes Ginger Chews THE HOOK: Roxy Trading, a Southern California-based developer and importer of Asian foods, has created a candy that not only tastes great, but also packs the...

Natural fusion.(Barbara's Bakery, Fruit & Yogurt Bars)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... THE COMPANY: Barbara's Bakery, Petaluma, Calif. THE PRODUCT: Fruit & Yogurt Bars THE HOOK: A pioneer in natural and organic foods, Barbara's Bakery has recently introduced Fruit & Yogurt bars to its successful snack bar line. The...

Perfect school pack.(Sconza Candy Company, Alpine Mix trail mix)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... THE COMPANY: Sconza Candy Company, Oakland Calif. THE PRODUCT: Alpine Mix trail mix THE HOOK: Just in time for back to school, Sconza launched its first peg bag trail mix. Called Alpine Mix, the product features a variety of flavors,...

Danisco's digestive-friendly decadence.(Danisco Sweeteners, Mind Body Synbiotic Confections)
September 1, 2006... Copenhagen, Denmark-based Danisco Sweeteners combined the health benefits of yogurt with the decadence of chocolate to create their new Mind Body Synbiotic Confections. The strawberry yogurt-filled chocolates, vanilla wafers and dark chocolate...

Kerry introduces world's first anti-stress bar.(the Century City)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... As if chocolate's great taste wasn't enough, now it may help alleviate stress. Fueled by Kerry Ingredients' health & wellness primary research survey in which consumers said stress was their main health concern, the company created a...

Gum Technology's all-natural fat replacer.(Coyote Brand Stabilizer CKX-Fat Replacer)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Tucson, Ariz.-based Gum Technology Corp. recently devised an all-natural product that mimics fat by adding a creamy taste to low and non-fat products. It is the cold setting Coyote Brand Stabilizer CKX-Fat Replacer, and it can replace fat in a...

Baking show brings confectionery suppliers to Munich.(iba/International Bakery Fair)
September 1, 2006... It won't be just paninis on display during the iba/International Bakery Fair, which takes place in Munich, Germany from Oct. 3-Oct. 9. Several confectionery equipment suppliers will be exhibiting their equipment, equipment which has application...

Durable, high-speed roll-fed labelers.(B and H Labeling Systems)
September 1, 2006... Ceres, Calif.-based B&H Labeling Systems launched its new Marathon U Series of roll-fed labelers, which includes the Marathon XLU, capable of handling up to 700 containers per minute. Featuring a 180[degrees] U-shaped conveyor and a...

Flexible thermal transfer printer.(Norwood Marking Systems, 55sst Thermal Express)
September 1, 2006... The new 55sst Thermal Express from Norwood Marking Systems in Downers Grove, Ill, provides manufacturers a versatile, high-speed thermal transfer printer that prints fixed and/or variable data on a wide range of flexible packaging materials,...

Sweet profile.(CANDY WRAPPER)
September 1, 2006... They say that some people grow up with a chocolate gene, a mysterious bioprint that somehow makes a person particularly passionate about chocolate. In Cedric "Joel" Waggoner's case, heredity guaranteed its presence. Grandson to one of...

'Show me the chocolate!'.(Showcolate Fondue Express)
September 1, 2006... Given the success of chocolate fountains at weddings, corporate events, even private family parties, it's not surprising to see the next natural extension: a spinning chocolate feast. Developed in Brazil, the Showcolate Fondue Express...