Chewing Gum Consultant

Professional Chewing gum industry meeting point

SWEET MAGIC – Bulgaria 03/03/2014

Filed under: Market & Fairs,New product — Joan Mestres @ 11:20 AM
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This is a Dutch company based in Bulgaria. I thank Mr Hans Boom and Ms Daniela Savova for their time and explanations during the Fair.

They are really specialists on cotton candy, but what is of our interest in this web-site is the cotton gum. There not so many companies in the world producing this speciality, and some of them do it as a “side product”, so it is always nice to find someone that really focuses on this. I invite you to visit their website: http://www.sweetmagic.eu and see their products here:

Cotton gum cotton gum2 cotton gum display

 

OAK LEAF – Canada 27/02/2014

Filed under: Market & Fairs,New product — Joan Mestres @ 12:13 PM
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This Canadian company, which belongs to the Sweetworks group, is a real specialist in gum balls. They supply any type of hollow ball you can imagine. The ones that caught my eye in the show were the balls with metallic-like coating. Their shine is really special, and the perfection level at which they are produced is really outstanding. There are, of course, other types of hollow balls (filled, printed, extra-sour,..) which you can find in their web-site:

www.sweetworks.net/tag/gum

but I cannot refrain from attaching some pictures here:

OAK LEAF-Sour-Mega-Eggs-Powder-Filled OAK LEAF-Shimmer-Lime-Green-1in-Gumballs-156x164 OAK LEAF-Shimmer-Yellow-Gumballs-156x164 OAK LEAF-Shimmer-Silver-Gumballs-156x164 OAK LEAF Spooky-Eyes-Group-156x164 OAK LEAF-Bubble-King-Assorted-156x164 OAK LEAF-8oz-Shimmer-Blue-Gumballs-Peg-Bag-Copy-156x164

 

I thank Mr Mauricio Bobadilla for the time he spent with me and the explanations.

 

 

ISM 2014 . Report 26/02/2014

Filed under: Market & Fairs — Joan Mestres @ 2:31 PM
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It has taken me a while to write this report about the Fair but finally here it is.

I came back from ISM with mixed feelings. From one side, I was really excited to see new products and hear companies that are doing really well. I think ISM is a must for every company that wants to be “seen” in the world of confectionery. From the other side I saw a lot of empty space, like if there were less exhibitors than other years. Some exhibitors i talked to, were complaining about the high cost that attending the fair represents for them and some mentioned that this show should take place every two years instead of yearly. Some of the halls were partially empty (with curtains covering the space). However, i checked the official figures and they do not confirm this feeling. See the number of exhibitors according to the organization:

2010: 1.503

2011: 1.494

2012: 1.412

2013: 1.402

2014: 1.465

So, if we see this, it seems that 2014 has reversed the decreasing trend from last years. I’m sorry to say that this was not my perception.

In terms of number of visitors, these are the figures:

2012: 38.827

2013: 38.521

2014: “approx 35.000”

I do not know if the fact of not having the ProSweets show in parallel (like in previous years) has helped that. This year there is Interpack (in May, in Düsseldorf) so this show is probably considered as more interesting for machinery suppliers than ProSweets. Next year there will be ProSweets again, where suppliers for the confectionery industry exhibit their products (machines, ingredients, packaging material, etc.)

In any case, here is the link to the official report of the ISM organization where you will find more details about this edition: ISM

During next days I will be showing the different chewing gum novelties that I found in the show, as i did last year. i must say that this year the list will be, unfortunately, shorter because some companies did not launch any novelties.

 

ISM 2014 25/01/2014

Filed under: Market & Fairs — Joan Mestres @ 10:15 AM
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It’s been a while that I do not post in my blog. That’s bad! But the good news is that ISM is here again and tomorrow I fly to Cologne/Germany to attend once more this show! Looking forward to meet old friends there and hoping to get many news to share with you during next weeks!!

 

CHOCOLAT FREY – Switzerland 23/04/2013

Filed under: Market & Fairs — Joan Mestres @ 11:09 PM
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Today is the last post about chewing gum companies that I visited in ISM. And today’s company is an important one: Chocolat Frey is an institution in Switzerland and abroad. They produce chocolate (their main product, as the company name indicates) and chewing gum. It was founded back in 1887 (!) and employs about 870 people today. The production of chewing gum started in 1974. It belongs to the mighty Migros group. One can feel the presence of Migros almost everywhere in Switzerland. You can read more about the company in their web-site: www.chocolatfrey.ch and even in wikipedia. However they have their own website specifically designed for chewing gum: www.chewinggum.ch

In terms of chewing gum, they have their own brands (SKAI and CANDIDA) but the company is strong in production for private label. This ISM they presented premium coatings with different colours. Their dragees are excellent and they have in their range sugarfree bubble gum dragees, which is not common at all! Chocolat Frey also offers many types of packaging: blister, sleeve, flip-top box, zip bag, plastic bottles… All their products are sugar free and they have dental chewing gums which contain different active ingredients which make the product (e.g. Candida) a functional gum.

I thank Mr Benjamin Frei for his time and explanations during ISM.

 

SAET SWEETS – Spain 22/04/2013

Filed under: Market & Fairs — Joan Mestres @ 3:07 PM
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This company, founded in 2005 (although with origins dating back to 1916!) and located south of Barcelona, is not a chewing gum producer. They are experts in licorice and also in tabletted products (both dextrose and sugar free). They launched some products in those fields last ISM.

The company employs 10 people and it is managed by Mr Javier Torrents (to who I thank for his time during the Fair). I mention them here because they distribute chewing gum. They have an interesting format: small tins that make them suitable for private label. You can see here one of them (Bad Toro) and some other examples:

bad torotins saet

In those tins they can put chewing gum or many other confectionery products.

You can read more about the company and find their catalog in their web-site: www.saetsweets.com

 

ALADIM – Brazil 19/04/2013

Filed under: Market & Fairs — Joan Mestres @ 10:35 AM
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Today’s post about a Brazilian bubble gum maker: ALADIM, based in the city of Mirassol, produces not only gum but also chewy candy, jellies, powder drinks, toy candy,  lollipops and hard candy!

The company was founded in 1965 and is still family owned (second generation of Amendola). You can read more in their website: www.aladim.ind.br

In terms of gum, they produce cut & wrap bubble gum  and lollipops filled with gum. Interestingly, one of the cut & wrap products named DOIDAO paints the tongue in blue. Another one, “MAGIC COLOR”, changes color. This is obtained by using the right combination of colorant. The rest of cut & wrap gums contain stickers (cars, dinosaurs, robots, …)

I thank Mr Daniel Benmuhar for his time and explanations during ISM.

 

Chewing gum (non producers) 12/04/2013

Filed under: Market & Fairs,New product — Joan Mestres @ 11:23 AM
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In ISM I met not only many companies producing and selling their chewing gums, but also some others that are only taking care of the commercial part, and leaving the production to others.

Of course the number of the producers in the fair are much higher than the number of these commercializing companies, but I’d like to mention at least three here:

– BLINK.

This Danish company combines confectionery with fashion. They are experts in mints but they also have now a Gum version. Their packaging is really outstanding: Tin boxes with incredible designs which give a premium look to the product. Their BlinkGum comes in three different flavors and the gum itself is a two-layer compressed piece. So, in this case, not only the packaging is unique, but the product inside is exceptional. This is the link to their web: blink

– KERRY GUM

German company selling gum (coated dragees filled with liquid) in many different interesting packagings. Design is also in their focus. The plastic bottles are their strong point and they are modifying them to adapt to different circumstances. Like the football, basketball or tennis versions, or the one with a lanyard.:

GumBox_KerryGum_Fussball_mGumBox_KerryGum_-Basketball_m GumBox_KerryGum_Tennis_mGumPocket_KerryGum_Lanyard_m

They also have blister presentations. One of the versions (which I did not find in their website but was presented in ISM) was Keery Gum Energy, which claims to contain Caffeine, Guarana and Taurin. This the link to their website (only in German): Kerry gum

-MAXX SWEETS

German company commercializing chewing gum dragees in different presentations. I am sorry, I could not find their web site.

 

JAKE – Spain 09/04/2013

Filed under: Market & Fairs — Joan Mestres @ 4:31 PM
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JAKE SA is located in the Murcia region, South East of Spain. It was founded in 1976 and owned nowadays by Mr Emilio Vicente. It employs over 100 people. You can learn more in their website:  www.jakesa.com

They produce many types of confectionery: Hard and soft candy, jellies, licorice and… of course, gum! They focus on kids products, around the concept of fun. They also stress the fact that many of their products are Gluten free.

Within the gum segment they are experts in balls (hollow or filled), melons, bottles and other round shapes. JAKE has also lollipop filled with gum. Some of the brands are FRUTI SPLASH (liquid filled balls presented in individual flow pack), SUPER GUM (lollipop with gum), BLUE/RED/GREEN EXPLOSION (filled balls which paint the tongue with color). The novelty of this last ISM was the brand MEGATRON which includes both a lollipop and a super sour ball presented in individual flow pack.

You can find the full catalogue clicking here

I thank Mr Antonio López for his time and explanations during ISM.

detalle-megtrón

 

LOTTE – Korea / Japan 05/04/2013

Filed under: Market & Fairs,New product — Joan Mestres @ 1:53 PM
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Today’s turn for one of the big names in the chewing gum industry: LOTTE

This huge group has even an entry in Wikipedia! They have many branches in different industries (electronics, tourism, publishing, building, finance, retail, …) but chewing gum was in the origin of the company back in 1948. Other food products in their range are: Drinks, Fast Food and Ice creams.

Lotte is producing chewing gum in many different factories, most of them in Asia, but I’d like to focus here on the new products presented last ISM by their headquarters:

Lotte Korea presented “Tri VIEW”. This is a tab (or ministick) with three different layers (this format is very trendy now in the market). The top and bottom layers are chewing gum whilst the middle layer is chewy candy. This allows for great flavour combinations, not only in terms of taste but also in terms of impact and lasting. I attach a photo taken with my iPhone (so I apologize for the “sub-optimal” quality!)

IMG_1918

Lotte Japan introduced two products. I discussed on a previous post about “ZEUS” (28th Aug 2012). This is also a three layer tab (or ministick) with the same concept as Tri VIEW and some others (discussed in the post I mentioned). ZEUS GUM comes in different flavors with “sexy” names: Aurora curtain, Snow storm, Thunder spark, Rain shower,…

Another product is “ENGINE”, which comes in cubic format with a slight coating and presented in a flip top box. There are different versions of the product, such as X-TRA SPEED, X-TRA WILD and X-TRA BURST and the product contains caffeine and guarana, so fall perfectly into the category of functional gum. The cubic presentation is also interesting because it is not very common in the market.

 

lotte xtra speedlotte engine open

 

zeus 2zeus 3zeus 4