Food Processing - December 2007 - (Page 18)

The Dove line will be further extended next year with Dove Beautiful (“with skin-nourishing vitamins C and E, biotin and zinc”) and Dove Vitalize (“with energy-releasing B vitamins, plus the natural goodness of cocoa flavanols”). They know their chocolate This is a company that has studied chocolate for nearly 100 years. That beanto-bar knowledge led to the discovery in the late 1980s of flavanols, a class of plant compounds, in cocoa and their role in heart health, specifically cholesterol control. Mars claims to have done the earliest research and has more than 100 published papers and 80 U.S. patents relating to the subject. The research resulted in the mid-2006 introduction of CocoaVia, a groundbreaking product that put chocolate’s health benefits front and center. While that product “continues to be an important part of our product portfolio,” according to Lachman, the flavanol message is being moved more mainstream under the Dove brand. “The health benefits of cocoa flavanols have been incorrectly simplified to equate flavanols with percent cacao in chocolate products,” says Lachman. “It is the process by which the cocoa is processed that will help retain the flavanols. Mars has been the global leader in cocoa flavanol research, and we have created the [patented] Mars Cocoapro process.” Furthermore, “In 2008, we will introduce a new CocoaVia beverage, which will deliver twice the amount of flavanols in a convenient format,” he adds. President Todd Lachman says the Snackfood division in late 2006 kicked “into high gear improving the speed and flexibility of decision-making.” In addition to the R&D facilities in the U.S., Mars is the only manufacturer that has a research center in an “origin country.” Research from the Mars Center for Cocoa Science in Bahia, Brazil, augments the main research and development facility in Hackettstown. Two pilot plants are in production facilities in Elizabethtown, Pa., and Cleveland, Tenn., the latter specializing in baked products (Twix cookie bars and Combos pretzel-like snacks). Elizabethtown recently underwent a $70 million expansion and upgrade, especially to meet increasing demand for Dove chocolate. More than chocolate “Product development starts in a very cross-functional way,” says Jerome. “Within each business unit, people are charged with idea capture and generation. Plus, this is a big, global company, so good ideas get shared between sister units. A really good idea from Germany gets brought here. Our ideas are exported there.” Even “traditional” R&D, the chemistry of candy, is augmented by in-depth “consumer ethnographics” – why people like what they like and how they shop. “It’s like being an anthropologist,” says Jerome. “We even develop algorithms – psychographic and ethnographic – to understand the target audience.” While Mars Snackfood has an undeniable focus on chocolate, it has several other successful products. In the candy realm, Mars WWW.FOODPROCESSING.COM Dove has become Mars’ premium chocolate brand. Its Origins line debuted in 2007, and Vitalize and Beautiful will bow early next year. http://www.kemcosystems.com http://www.kemcosystems.com http://www.foodprocessing.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Processing - December 2007

Contents Editor's Plate NewsBites Rollout Food Biz Kids Processor of the Year: Mars Snackfood U.S. Mass Production Meets Custom Manufacturing Product Development: Bone appetit! Show Report: Pack/Process Expo and Worldwide Food Expo New Product Profiles Toops Scoops

Food Processing - December 2007

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