Premium Confection & Chocolate

Is life too short to eat ordinary chocolate? For more and more Americans, the answer is yes. Whether it is an indulgent escape during a hectic day, or the anti-oxidant benefits of cocoa flavanol-rich dark chocolate, consumers are reaching past the traditional candy bar, and choosing premium. Just as we have grown to prefer premium gourmet coffee, our preferences for chocolate and confection are growing and shifting to premium products.

What defines premium? For us, premium is a gourmet confection that goes beyond the ordinary - providing an emotional connection or reward, and of course high quality and great taste.

Here are a few quick category facts. Consumers spend $2.5 billion per year on Premium Confection & Chocolate in the United States. The category is growing at 15% per year. Woman aged 25 to 54 are the largest consumer group. At a price of $8 to $16 per pound, Premium Confection and Premium Chocolate Bars are widely available and affordable. Super-Premium and Artisan products can range up to $60 per pound or more.

Join us for a quick tour through premium. Then click on Shop ROCA® Buttercrunch Toffee or visit your local supermarket to try one of our great ROCA® flavors. Brown & Haley is proud to be one of the companies changing America's chocolate experience. And we are glad that you can purchase a bag of ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee, and enjoy premium confection for the price of a latté.

Premium Confection

Premium Confections

Much of the growth is coming from premium confections, which blend chocolate, nuts, caramel and toffee into individually wrapped delights. Each piece provides 'bountiful indulgence' that satisfies the senses with contrasting textures and flavors against a rich chocolate backdrop. European styles include the hazelnut lightness of Italy's Ferrero Rocher® and the richness of Switzerland's Lindt Lindor Truffles. America's leaders are nostalgic Nuts and Chews from See's® Candies, gooey caramel Ghirardelli SQUARES™, and the buttercrunch sensation of our own ROCA® toffees. We respect each of these wonderful confections...(but we know you'd prefer nuts and buttercrunch toffee with your chocolate).

Premium Chocolate Bars

Premium Chocolate Bars

Consumption of premium chocolate bars is also growing, as people seek ultra-fine chocolate flavors, high cacao percentages, and even single origin or organic lineage. Lindt and Ghirardelli are the market leaders (Lindt & Sprüngli liked the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company so much it bought the company). Scharffen Berger of Berkeley offers high cacao and single origin bars (The Hershey Company respected Scharffen Berger so much it purchased the company). And for many of us, the first premium bar we ever tasted was Tobelerone® with its distinctive triangular shape. Many, many more bars are widely available in America (Valrhona®, Droste®, Dagoba, and Côte d'Or® to name a few), making it is easier than ever to satisfy your yearning for an exciting premium bar.

Super-Premium and Artisans

Super Premium and Artisans

Near the top of the mountain are the super-premium players. The Godiva® romantic gold ballotin box has made its mark on many a budding relationship. At Joseph Schmidt, the colorful chocolate creations and the packaging are both works of art. And look downtown in major cities to find European brands like Neuhaus Chocolatier, where the truffles are flown in fresh from Belgium (honestly). These are wonders of flavor and presentation, but can be a little pricey for everyday indulgence.

At the pinnacle of premium are local artisans, who make traditional and innovative confections by hand. Have you ever tried a truffle infused with chile peppers, or a caramel enrobed with dark chocolate and topped with sea salt? Most communities have a chocolate artisan, and most chocolate artisans make wonderful products. We have several here in Washington state - Fran's® is one of our favorites. If you are looking for a unique treat, find a local Artisan, and taste their recommendation. The price is higher than commercial production, but the experience can be very special.

Hershey, Nestlé, Mars and Cadbury

Premium Confection and Chocolate from Hershey, Mars, Nestlé and Cadbury

As consumers trade up from candy bars to Premium Confection, the industry titans are not standing idly by. The Hershey Company bought Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt in 2005, and is offering premium Hershey's® Special Dark chocolate bars and bags of Mauna Loa chocolate-coated macadamia nuts. Mars is positioning Dove® as a premium brand, and has opened ultra-chic Ethel's® chocolate lounges in Chicago. Nestlé is working to re-invigorate Cailler® bars and Perugina® confections, and Cadbury recently acquired Green & Black's organic premium bars. With all this attention from the titans, we know that the trend to premium is real.

The verdict is clear - premium is here to stay. In confection, just like in wine, cheese and coffee, we will have more to talk about, more to choose from, and much more to enjoy. And with our new ROCA® flavors such as CASHEW, MOCHA and Honey Roasted PEANUT, we are doing our part to enrich the experience.

No relationship exists or is implied between Brown & Haley and other companies described on this page. Inclusion on this page of trademarks (whether registered or unregistered) for products not manufactured by or for Brown & Haley does not imply any claim on or ownership by Brown & Haley of these trademarks. ROCHER is a trademark of Ferrero Group. LINDT, LINDOR, GHIRARDELLI and GHIRARDELLI SQUARES are trademarks of Lindt & Sprüngli. SEE'S is a trademark of See's Candies. SCHARFFEN BERGER and JOSEPH SCHMIDT are trademarks of Artisan Confections Company. TOBLERONE and COTE D'OR are trademarks of Kraft Foods. VALRHONA is a trademark of Valrhona. DROSTE is a trademark of Droste Holland. DAGOBA is a trademark of Dagoba Organic Chocolate. GODIVA and the gold ballotin are trademarks of Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. NEUHAUS is a trademark of Neuhaus Chocolatier. FRAN'S is a trademark of FRAN's Chocolates Limited. HERSHEY'S is a trademark of The Hershey Company. MAUNA LOA is a trademark of the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation. DOVE and ETHEL'S are trademarks of Mars, Incorporated. CAILLER and PERUGINA are trademarks of Nestlé. GREEN & BLACK'S is a trademark of Green & Black's Limited.

ROCA, ALMOND ROCA, MOUNTAIN, AMERICAS'S FINEST CONFECTION, and BROWN & HALEY are registered trademarks of Brown & Haley. CASHEW ROCA, MOCHA ROCA, CANDY CANE ROCA, PEANUT ROCA and THE ORIGINAL BUTTERCRUNCH TOFFEE are trademarks of Brown & Haley.