Top Chocolate Trends for 2022
The world changed in 2020, and now chocolate makers around the world must innovate to meet accelerating consumer needs in confectionery and snacking. These include increased attention to emotional well-being, healthier lifestyles, provenance, craftsmanship, sustainability, and the explosion of at-home occasions.
It has been a treasured treat since the Mayans discovered it in Mexico thousands of years ago, but in today’s fast-paced world it is constantly evolving. Exciting new chocolate experiences are being created every week, for every season, around the world. Whilst preserving traditional classics, chocolate is reinventing itself for the new generation.
The Chocolate Confectionery market was worth over $22 billion retail sales in North America in 2019, according to Euromonitor, bigger than Potato Chips, Pretzels and Snack Bars combined. It is also growing and forecast to increase in value by over 20% in the next 5 years. The makers creating new occasions for chocolate lovers, and value for cocoa farmers, will be best positioned to win.
Keep reading for some of the top trends driving this pace of change in chocolate, together with innovation highlights from North America and the rest of the world.
Top 6 Trends to Watch in Chocolate
1. Desserts to Drinks
While dessert flavors in chocolate are maturing, drinks flavors are growing. This is because taste explorers are seeking new experiences and are hungry for novel sensorial delights. They are already embracing new & fusion-style beverages, so they are open to trying them in treats too; and sharing the experience with others.
2. Cacao Discovery
Today consumers are faced with unprecedented choice in chocolate. It means they are demanding evident added value to convince them to pay more. Cacao is the key to premium success, as the fundamental ingredient in chocolate.
3. Seasoning Twists
As snacking increases and lines blur between categories, consumers are enjoying more sweet & savory moments. The opportunity for chocolate is to cross into new formats, offer more functional benefits particularly in dark chocolate, and go beyond salted caramel to draw on new sources of salt for the next generation of flavors.
4. Chocolate Roots
Millennials & Centennials pursue a happy and healthy life. They want holistic, authentic chocolate experiences that are good for them and the planet.
5. Treats Like Me
People love chocolates that feel personal and special. It’s the chance to express your own personality. The opportunity is to transform chocolate from universal to unique, especially in gifting.
6. Wholesome Bites
Maintaining a high quality of life is important to consumers that want to stay “Forever Young”. This desire to live actively for longer means they care more about chocolate matching their lifestyle.
- 64% of Healthy Agers say "Chocolate needs to be tasty and good for me"11
- 54% of consumers love “Nutty” chocolate, vs. 36% for “Fruity” and 25% for “Dessert” flavor12
See What Chocolate Trends Can Do:
Sources
- Barry Callebaut proprietary study, 2019
- Global Data 2019 Q4 Consumer Survey
- Barry Callebaut proprietary study, 2019
- Barry Callebaut proprietary study, 2019
- Mintel Better for you Snacking US, Dec 2019
- Global Data Consumer Survey Q4 2019; Mintel Flavor in focus: flavoring ingredient trends, Dec 2019
- Barry Callebaut proprietary study, 2019
- Global Data 2019 Q4 Consumer Survey
- Barry Callebaut proprietary study, 2019
- Barry Callebaut proprietary study, 2019
- Mintel Better for you Snacking US, Dec 2019
- Global Data Consumer Survey Q4 2019; Mintel Flavor in focus: flavoring ingredient trends, Dec 2019