Castronovo Chocolate added to its Signature Collection with two dark milk chocolate bars, both of which spotlight cacao from different regions of the world. The Patanemo, Venezuela Dark Milk 66% shows off Venezuela as one of the producers of the world's best cacao. This bar boasts a simple, premium ingredient list of just: organic cocoa beans, organic milk powder, organic cane sugar and organic cocoa butter for a flavor with indulgent notes of coffee, walnut, caramel and nutmeg. Due to the richness of the bar, Castronovo notes: "This is a chocolate to savor sparingly and enjoy."
Another new dark milk chocolate addition to Castronovo's Signature Collection is the Tumaco, Colombia Dark Milk 60%, which was named a Good Food Awards Winner in 2018. Castronovo notes that "the region is troubled with violence due to its location as a port city and fine cacao offers an opportunity for a positive change in the area." Unlike many cacao product producers, Castronovo sets itself apart by paying three times more than commodity prices for its beans, which is why it charges $12 to $14 per each high-quality bar.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Premium Dark Milk Chocolate Bars
- An opportunity exists for an increasing demand for high-quality chocolate bars made with organic, premium ingredients.
- Luxury Chocolates Made with Fine Cacao
- A market disruption opportunity exists by producing chocolates made with higher quality, ethically sourced cacao while charging a premium price.
- Good-for-you Chocolates
- A trend exists for chocolatiers to create high-quality, healthier chocolate bars by using natural and organic ingredients without sacrificing taste or quality.
Where This Applies
- Chocolate Manufacturing
- There is a potential opportunity for chocolate makers to improve the quality of their product by using ethically sourced fine cacao, while meeting the growing demand for unique, high-quality chocolate flavors.
- Organic and Natural Food Industry
- There is room for disruption in the organic and natural food industry by creating premium, good-for-you chocolate bars using sustainable and ethically sourced cacao.
- Specialty Food and Gourmet Industry
- There is an opportunity for artisanal or small-batch chocolate makers to create specialty, luxury chocolate bars using only the finest ingredients, while charging a premium price for their products.
