Ferrero Debuts Two New Products for the US Market

Ferrero, the world’s third largest chocolate and confectionary brand, is releasing two products to the US market next year. Kinder, a division of The Ferrero Group, will introduce a new kind a surprise egg that circumvents the US ban on original Kinder Surprise Eggs. Ferrero will also take a new twist on their classic tic tac mints.

The popular chocolate manufacturer announced the launch of its two new products during the Sweets & Snacks Expo which took place May 23-25 in Chicago. The company hopes their new treats will spark as much interest as their Nutella brand does in America. The launch comes right on time with the US chocolate market on track to hit $25 billion in 2019, according to a 2015 study by market research group Mintel.

Kinder, the world’s second largest chocolate brand, is debuting a new Kinder surprise chocolate egg in the US. The Kinder Joy Egg has two compartments: one features a small toy, and the other is filled with sweet milk, chocolate creams and two crispy wafer bites filled with cocoa cream. A miniature plastic spoon is also included in its packaging.

“Kinder Joy is a fun, new way to help parents bring little surprises to their kids anytime they want,” said Paul Chibe, chief executive officer of Ferrero North America. “The delicious, unique taste of Kinder Joy and the wide variety of toys will delight kids, while mom and dad will be surprised by the high quality of the confection and toys — it’s unlike anything currently on the US market.”

This launch comes after the FDA and Consumer Product Safety Commission had deemed the original Kinder Surprise Egg as unsafe for children. The product, originally launched in 2001, was composed of a milk chocolate shell with a plastic capsule inside that contained a small toy – which was considered a choking hazard. The new Kinder Joy eggs comply with FDA standards and will be sold in stores across the US in 2018.

The 50-year-old Kinder brand is sold in 170 countries, offering a range of chocolate products. By growing their geographic footprint, Ferrero hopes to edge out Cadbury, who is currently leading in this category.

“Once people try it, it does become one of those cultish brands,” said a Kinder spokesperson to Food Business News.

Another major launch from Ferrero USA is the expansion of their Tic Tac mints into the gum category. Tic Tac gum comes in the iconic packaging of tic tac mints. The gum pieces resemble the same shape and size of tic tac mints but with a larger serving size of six pieces, but consumers have the ability to customize their intake with the small pieces.

At the Sweets & Snacks Expo, Tic Tac gum won a 2017 Most Innovative New Product Award in the gum and mints category.

The two new products are set to be launched in mass grocery, drug and convenience stores across the US in January 2018.