Happy birthday Thorntons
This week, Ferrero-owned chocolate brand Thorntons celebrates its 105th birthday.
From opening its first shop in Sheffield, UK, in 1911, the brand has certainly developed and expanded over the years. The brand acquired its first factory in Derbyshire in 1948, and in 1954, its Continental range was created. It even created what it claims was the world’s first edible billboard in 2007, which weighed 390kg and was consumed within three hours.
And last month, Ferrero revealed it would be investing £4.9 million in media spend to promote the relaunch of the Thorntons brand. As part of the campaign, the brand’s first TV ad in seven years will be screened in November.
Speaking of chocolate, yesterday I attended the International Cocoa Organisation’s Cocoa Market Outlook conference in London. Representatives from the cocoa and chocolate industry, government and financial sector gathered to discuss prospects for cocoa supply and demand; the industry’s requirements for quality and growing pressure of regulations; the market for cocoa semi-finished products and the recipe for growth in chocolate confectionery.
While experts suggested both Africa and Latin America can learn from each other in terms of production methods and farmer initiatives, the overriding issue of regulation, and the lack of harmonised regulation, still remains a challenge.
Coverage from the event will be featured in our November issue. If there is anything you’d like us to consider for the magazine, please contact [email protected].
