Whether it's for muesli, ice cream or yoghurts, growing numbers of food manufacturers are adding chocolate pieces to enhance the appeal of their products. "At the moment, there is enormous demand for pebbles or nuggets," reports Andreas Broocks, Factory Manager at HERZA Schokolade (www.herza.de), a leading producer of small chocolate shapes for the food industry.
"These chocolate chips vary in shape and size so that they appear to have been hand made. We originally created these products for the makers of muesli mixes. We are now also selling relatively large quantities to ice cream producers." Because the nuggets are not only mixed into the ice cream, but also used as decorations, the products are available with a shiny finish or coating. But that's not all: "Right now, variations on the coating theme are a hot topic," says Andreas. "To encourage shoppers to keep buying their products, manufacturers are keen to make them look different - with pieces of chocolate covered in a gold or silver coating, for example." Special effects can also be achieved with two-tone products. For example diamonds, where one side is made of light and the other side of dark chocolate. HERZA's normal business is to supply a wide range of small chocolate pieces in every shape and size imaginable. The portfolio ranges from standards such as shavings, air cushions, flowers, matchsticks and leaves to second-bite chocolate pieces featuring, for example, coffee-flavoured brittle, biscuit or fruit chips, to melt-in-the-mouth nougat and truffle products, caramel, yoghurt and dairy confectionery pieces. New additions are chocolate sticks in varying lengths. These are between 10 and 15 mm wide and up to 38.5 cm long. "We have developed these sticks especially for the baking industry," says Broocks. "The advantage is that the bakeries can break the chocolate to the length they require. For example, the baking-stable sticks can be inserted into croissants before they are baked."
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