CONFITECA, the local leader in Ecuador, is launching this year a triple layer product, following the trend of the market (I talked about them in previous posts). It goes under their brand “PLOP!” and it is presented in individual flow packs and with different flavors:
– Pinneapple – Melon – Watermelon
– Mint
– Strawberry – Banana
This is a sugar free product.
Mondelez has filed a patent related to a new system of printing gum. you see the link to the article in confectionerynews.com here and the link to the patent itself here
Printed gum has been around for decades. I remember “Fruit Stripes” by Wrigley…
but the newest launch in this field has been “ID” from Mondelez, so this patent refers to this product. I presented this one on my post on 13th August 2012.
There are also hollow balls in the market which are printed on the coated surface. Come to my mind the ones from Confiteca (Ecuador) named “agogo” and the one from Zed Gum (Ireland) which I discussed in my post about this company from last ISM.
Confiteca, with headquarters in Quito – Ecuador and factories in Ecuador, Colombia (Confitecol) and Peru (Confiperu), is a leader in the chewing gum market in his area.
The company was founded in 1963 and owned by the Chiriboga family. It has about 1250 employees at the moment. They cover a very wide range of products, which includes chewing gum, hard and soft candy, chocolate and toys. More details in www.confiteca.com . I thank Mr Isaac Almeida for the time spent presenting the range of products.
Also, the range of chewing gum brands is extensive: TUMIX and ARTIC (dragees), AGOGO (Hollow balls),KATABOOM (balls filled with liquid) and SUPER HIPER ACIDO (filled with acid powder).
In last ISM, Confiteca presented PLOP!!, a 5 units sugarfree gum in multipack and individual flowpack presentations. also TUMIX Sugarfree with a new presentation: individual flow pack.
This follows the trend that we find in many countries, which is the move towards sugarfree products, healthier for the teeth and withy more added value, moving away from the low cost / low margin products.
This company has a product which I consider specially interesting. It is not a novelty but I think it is worth mentioning here, because there are not many products like this in the world. It is a cotton gum, named DR LOOK PELUKLOCA. As this is a delicate product and can be easily damaged during transport and storage, it is presented inside a plastic jar which protects it conveniently. Here a photo:
Once again, I visited the confectionery fair in Cologne/Germany. It is always nice to see old friends, customers, competitors,… Always eager to learn what’s new and to see the changes in the market. This year I could find some new chewing gums (from Colombina, from Maghreb, …) together with some already known types. Interesting to note the revitalization of the “Cheiw” brand, from the Spanish company Damel. This was a top brand in the 70s and went through difficult times recently, but it seems that it is going up again, even if far from the golden times because now the Spanish market is clearly dominated by Wrigley and Cadbury (and always the interesting presence of Fleer with some market share). Also news from this market is the absence in the ISM Fair of the well-established firm “Fiesta”. It seems that the company is going through a restructuration process.
In terms of products I’d like to note the “Dr Look – Pelukloca” from Confiteca (Ecuador). This is a cotton gum presented in well-sealed plastic jars to avoid deformation and to ensure air-tightness. This (cotton gum) is a complex product to produce from the technological point of view, so it has always interested me. It is delicate and has always struggled to survive on the shelves of the different markets where is has been launched. I have seen it in USA, in Spain, in Korea but not in many more places.
Generally speaking, I found less exhibitors this year, with many empty spaces. It seems to me that the Fair is getting smaller and smaller (I do not know about the official figures of visitors). We already lost some years ago the presence of big names such as Wrigley, Cadbury, Perfetti and more recently Arcor and others. Lotte still keeping a relatively small booth (in relation to the size of the company). This year we missed the presence of companies from troubled countries like Egypt, Syria, Pakistan,… The Arab Spring left its effect in the fair.
Some comments around the fair said that there is not enough novelties or generation of business to justify a yearly fair and that it would be more interesting to have this type of show every two years.
However, the parallel event – Prosweets – seems to be taking off successfully. Last year we did not have Prosweets because we had Interpack Fair in Düsseldorf in May 2011 and the organizers decided that having Prosweets and Interpack in the same year would be too much. Wise decision!
Chewing Gum Consultant 