Inasentra Unisatya exports the first Indonesian vegan candy to South Korea

Source: Inasentra Unisatya. The Inasentra Unisatya export team.

Indonesian confectionery manufacturer Inasentra Unisatya has made its first exports of Mr. Candy, the first non-gelatin chewy candy in Indonesia. 

Mr. Candy has been sold in South Korea since January in collaboration with E-Max Trading, an importer and distributor of confectionery in South Korea. E-Max sister company Winwin International is the local distributor.

Introduced in 2019, Mr. Candy is certified by the Vegan Society of Indonesia, and has been successful nation-wide.

"We hope to collaborate with South Korea for long-term business, and will provide our best innovative products," said Robin Setyono, Director, Inasentra Unisatya.

Mr. Candy comes in two flavours: ice cube flavour that contains peppermint, and frezzy bites which is a mix of peppermint and spearmint. Inasentra also has other Mr. Candy variants, including Mr. Candy C which has a high Vitamin C content.

Consumers in Korea can find Mr. Candy at traditional markets first, followed later by wider availability in places such as convenience stores, supermarkets, and drug stores.

Inasentra Unisatya makes candies with different textures as well as chocolate.

Iranians prefer traditional sugar confections

The modern sugar confectionery market is immature in Iran. Traditional products were popular in 2016, consultancy Euromonitor said, with geo-specific confectionery in different cities that are often sold as souvenirs. Gaz (گز) from Isfahan, a type of nougat; sohan (سوهان) from Qom, a saffron-laced toffee; and baklava (باقلوا) from Yazd, a layered pastry with nuts soaked in sugar syrup, are all popular traditional sugar confectionery in Iran. 

Sugar is popularly consumed with tea as sugar 'cubes' which are cut into irregular shapes by hand. Sugar-free products are also increasingly popular among Iranian consumers, as they are increasingly concerned with their appearance and health.

The Iranian sugar confectionery market is dominated by Shiva Manufacturing Company, the key leading player in pastilles with a wide range of products in different shapes and flavours accounts for a 22% retail value share in 2016. Next in line is Dadash Baradar Company (Aidin) which accounts for 15% market share by retail value in 2016. It is known for boiled sweets, toffees and mints. Draje Food Industries is in third place, accounting for 8% of retail value sales of sugar confectionery, mainly in pastilles.

Sugar confectionery is expected to grow steadily with a CAGR of 1% in constant 2016 terms from 2016 to 2021, and will be higher than that seen in the review period (2011 to 2016). Domestic suppliers will expand their activities while multinational brands are expected to enter the market. The consumption of new premium brands is expected to grow over the forecast period due to increased consumer curiosity and the willingness of the younger generation to spend more on these products. 

Interested?

Buy the Euromonitor Confectionery in Iran report (December 2016)

Sugar confectionery market to grow at 4% CAGR through to 2021 in Indonesia

Perfetti Van Melle Indonesia PT is known for the Mentos brand in Indonesia.

A large variety of affordable sugar confectionery, coupled with marketing efforts from leading manufacturers in Indonesia has been driving sales in this product category in Indonesia, says research consultancy Euromonitor in its Confectionery in Indonesia report.

Perfetti Van Melle Indonesia PT continues to lead sugar confectionery with a value share of 23% in 2016. The company is known for the Mentos, Alpenliebe, Fruit-tella, Marbels, Golia, Chox and Chupa Chups brands. Over the review period of 2011 to 2016 the company invested heavily in new product development as well as marketing in order to maintain its leadership of the category, Euromonitor said.

Sugar confectionery is expected to increase at a value CAGR of 4% at constant 2016 prices over the forecast period from 2016 to 2021, driven by the Indonesian consumer characteristics such as the willingness  to try new products. Euromonitor believes that manufacturers are likely to work on brand differentiation in the face of tough competition. They are also expected to launch new products regularly, while at the same time maintaining stable prices.

Interested?

Buy the Euromonitor Confectionery in Indonesia report

Perfetti Van Melle is 2016 gum leader in Indonesia

The positive volume growth of gum confectionery in Indonesia in 2016 was due to improved distribution of gum, especially chewing gum, as a result of the rapid expansion of modern retail outlets. Purchasers were also encouraged by the benefits of gum, including fresh breath and teeth whitening, says research consultancy Euromonitor.

PT Perfetti Van Melle Indonesia continued to lead gum with a value share of 58% in 2016, Euromonitor said. Perfetti Van Melle Indonesia has been successfully using promotions to build a wider consumer base and higher brand awareness.

Volume growth in gum is expected to remain positive over the forecast period from 2016 to 2021, with improved distribution expected to ensure product availability. Leading gum manufacturers are likely to continue price promotions and new product development, which would further boost growth in gum over the forecast period, Euromonitor said.

Interested?

Buy the Euromonitor Confectionery in Indonesia report

Nestlé replacing vanillin with natural vanilla in the US

Source: Nestlé. 

Nestlé USA will remove artificial flavours such as vanillin and FDA-certified colours like Red 40 and Yellow 5 from all of its chocolate candy products by the end of 2015. The company said the move has already been taken by Nestlé in other parts of the world and will cover more than 250 products in the US. Products will begin appearing on store shelves by mid-2015, and will be identified by a No Artificial Flavors or Colors claim featured on-pack.

The company said ingredients from natural sources can include annatto, which comes from the seeds found in the fruit from the achiote tree, to replace Red 40 and Yellow 5 in the BUTTERFINGER centre. In CRUNCH, natural vanilla flavour, which contains a minimum of 35% ethyl alcohol by US law, will replace vanillin.

“Nestlé is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company and our commitment to remove artificial flavours and certified colours in our chocolate candy brands is an important milestone,” said Doreen Ida, President, Nestlé USA Confections & Snacks. 

“We know that candy consumers are interested in broader food trends around fewer artificial ingredients. As we thought about what this means for our candy brands, our first step has been to remove artificial flavours and colours without affecting taste or increasing the price.”

“We never compromise on taste. When making these changes to more than 75 recipes, maintaining the great taste and appearance consumers expect from the chocolate brands they know and love is our #1 priority,” said Leslie Mohr, Nutrition, Health and Wellness manager, Nestlé Confections & Snacks. “We conducted consumer testing to ensure the new recipe delivers on our high standards for taste and appearance.”

According to Mohr, this change affects Nestlé’s current portfolio of chocolate brands including NESTLE CRUNCH, BUTTERFINGER, BABY RUTH, SKINNY COW, RAISINETS, GOOBERS, SNO CAPS, 100 GRAND, OH HENRY and CHUNKY. 

Going forward, all newly launched chocolate and non-chocolate candy products (gummies, sours, etc.) introduced by Nestlé USA will be made without artificial flavours or colours. Additionally, Nestlé USA is actively pursuing the removal of caramel colouring from its chocolate products. Caramel colouring is an exempt-from-certification colour additive, which is used in only nine of the more than 250 chocolate products.