Research Proposal For Cargill Cocoa And Chocolate North America

The premium chocolate industry is a large market in the United States and continues to grow around 10% annually. It is also populated with very strong

At Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, Jim Harris was the COO (chief operation officer) and was with the company for about 18 months and was observing the increased demand for their chocolate. “America’s finest dark chocolate” company wanted to increase production by equipping factories with new machineries and equipment but did not want any difference in the taste of the chocolates they produced. As the company totally agrees on not compromising the taste of chocolates and increase the production in order to meet the rising demand for their chocolates they should probably get into customizing chocolates blend for the mass-market retailer in order to grab huge market share, increase accessibility of the chocolate to customers and provide variety of choice to the customers by maintaining the taste they are known for. As the demand is increasing from 50%, 100%, to 150% by the start of 2006, Harris has to make a significant decision in order to invest Scharffen’s capital budget in expansion of the Company. Harris is recommended to acquire the required machinery in order to fasten the production and increase the capacity of the plant and should be careful about the quantity to be produced as the acquiring of machinery will increase productivity multiple times but the initial demand for

When the cocoa beans arrive at the factory they are processed into the cocoa products that can be used in manufacturing chocolate. These include cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Most processing occurs away from the countries where cocoa is grown because it is more efficient to process and manufacture the products close to where they will be consumed.. What happens during processing has a direct effect on the flavor and qualities of the resulting chocolate.The taste and texture of a particular chocolate product depends on the each recipie , which remains a guarded secret of the company. Mars uses different types and proportions of cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and other ingredients such as milk and sugar to make their products consistent with the brand.

Barry Callebaut is one of the largest cocoa producers worldwide with an average annual production estimated to be around 1.7 million tons of coca. In year 1996, the merging of Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut and French company Cacao Barry took place. In the present the company’s headquarter is in Zurich, Switzerland. The company’s mission statement is clear, which is to improve the life conditions of their farmers and the community, through improved productivity and helping in community development. In order to do so, they ensure that their farmers are earning an equitable income, in addition caring for their health and the well-being of their families too. Since cocoa communities are mostly located in remote areas, they often have limited infrastructure development. Barry Callebaut is concerned with this issue

Hershey’s and Cadburys are moving towards the premium chocolate market through the acquisition or upmarket launches (Zietsma, 2007). The profit potential present in this sector supported by its 20% annual growth rate make it very attractive for large organizations to come forward and avail this opportunity. There is a low threat of new entrants prevailing in this chocolate industry because of the high capital requirements and expected retaliation by current manufacturers. Current players in the industry also possess some barriers to entry for new entrants by maintaining economies of scales with their large production capacity and keeping their product differentiation with their specialized and novelty chocolate products. Even though there are low switching costs and easy access to distribution channels, but still the brand loyalty of the customers including the Rogers’ Chocolate itself make it harder for new firms to come into the competition.

While Europe and the United States account for most chocolate consumption, the confection is growing in popularity in Asia and market forecasts are optimistic about the prospects in China and India (Nieburg, 2013, para 9). According to the CNN Freedom Project, the chocolate industry rakes in $83 billion a year, surpassing the Gross Domestic Product of over a hundred nations (“Who consumes the most chocolate,” 2012, para 3).

The premium chocolate industry is having an intensive competition in Canada with the strong growth potential. Industry growth opportunity imposes increasing competition from rivals and threats of new entrance that adds pressure on overall profitability. Even though Roger’s has been able to establish its place in the chocolate industry with its strong brand recognition and products’ quality, it still needs to be on top of ever- going market changes, by continuously

Dutch processed cocoa powder has been washed with an alkaline solution to neutralize its acidity. The result is cocoa that is less bitter and that will taste richer. In addition, Dutch processed cocoa is darker in color compared to other forms of cocoa powder. Dutch process cocoa is a closer match to cacao powder in terms of its antioxidant content than other cocoa powders. This is important since antioxidants are one of the reasons that people use cacao powder. Even though cacao powder is an antioxidant superfood with an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) score of 95,500 µmol per 100 g, Dutched cocoa's score is still impressive at 40,200 µmol. This is far higher than other superfoods such as acai berries, which have an ORAC score of 18,500 µmol.

The premium chocolate market has been growing at 20% annually, showing that buyers are willing to pay more for a better tasting and better quality chocolate. The declining growth of the overall chocolate market and rapid growth of the premium chocolate market is positive for current producers of premium chocolates in that the decline

Theo Chocolate was first established in March 2006 by Debra Music and Joe Whinney in the Fremont- neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (theochocolate.com, our story). For Theo, they want to do more than just chocolate. It is about the land, the people, the dedication, and the interconnected relationships that bind all of them together. That is why Joe Whinney- Theo’s founder- first pioneered the supply of organic cocoa beans into the United Strates in 1994. Traveling and working in the tropics of Central America and Africa, Joe fell in love with the land and

Coco’s Chocolate Café was inspired by a lifelong love of all things chocolate. I wanted to get out of the office and into the community to create a sumptuous haven where people could indulge in rich, creamy, warm chocolates and make them an integral part of their daily lives,

In pursuit of upscale segments of the market and an increased market share, Consumer Food Groups (CFG) purchased the rights to become a distributor of Montreaux’s European chocolate products in the United States in June 2011. As CFG is the division which produces confectionery products for Apollo foods, they contribute not only to one-third of the company’s total revenues and net income, but are a vital part of Apollo’s ranking as second in the global confectionery business. Upon acquisition of the rights for Montreaux’s chocolates CFG formed a new division, Montreaux Chocolate USA. Under the leadership of David Raymond as division manager and Andrea Torres

The Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker is experiencing an exponential year over year growth rate of their premium product. This is a situation that all new businesses strive for and although Scharffen Berger is pleased with their growth, they are facing a potential dilemma. The company must consider how they will keep up with growing demand while having enough capacity to handle the increase in production and maintain their high quality standards.

The Cherry Lady falls under the premium chocolate industry. Thus, the porter’s model can be utilized by The Cherry Lady as a framework to structure and analyze its industry. According to the Model, the premium chocolate industry can be impacted by five distinct forces such as rivalry among existing firms in the industry, threats from substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, threats of new entrants, and bargaining power of

A central aspect of the dynamic problem facing a business in an evolving and competitive industry is the decision about additions to productive capacity. The purpose of this report is to provide strategic advice for the CEO of Bonkers Chocolate Factory (BCF), the U.S division of a multi-national candy company operating in the highly competitive chocolate products market.