Italian confectionery giant Ferrero has launched its iconic Ferrero Rocher and Raffaello brands in a premium chocolate bar format.
Both brands are available in a 90-gram bar and come in seven different variants, featuring a number of chocolate varieties.
The Ferrero Rocher bars include milk, 55% dark and white chocolate variants combined with hazelnuts, almonds and salted caramel flavour, while the Raffaello bars are made of white chocolate blended with coconut, almonds and pineapple.
The new product range is the result of over three years of research on the development of more than 300 recipes.
The dome on top of the chocolate square recalls the distinctive shape of Ferrero Rocher and Raffaello.
Earlier this year, the company launched ice cream sticks in France in three varieties – Raffaello and Ferrero Rocher in dark and classic variants.
Ferrero saw a slight increase in operating profit last year, while turnover rose by 3.5%.
Premium Chocolate Bars
The launch of the new products sees Ferrero entering the fast-growing premium chocolate bars category, boosting the company’s competitive position, the company said.
The new Ferrero Rocher and Raffaello Bars will be available in the UK from August 2021.
They will be progressively rolled out in several markets across Europe by the end of the year, while consumers outside of Europe will have to wait until 2022.
In April, Ferrero released its Palm Oil Progress report for 2020, outlining measures taken to ensure sustainable sourcing. The Italian manufacturer also reiterated its commitment to sourcing sustainable palm oil that is 100% RSPO certified and segregated, and traceable to plantations. It updated its Palm Oil Charter in July.
The group has also introduced thinner packaging on its products, with a view to reducing the amount of plastic that it uses.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-Brands news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
