We have collected secondary research that will be used in efforts to provide information and background to our topic of origin of chocolate and its impact on a customer’s buying decision. Statistics on chocolate and various types of Canadian consumers has been provided through this venue of research. Secondary research has aided us by providing insight on our target market or consumers who buy chocolate and list potential factors of consideration for our further studies. We have configured a summary report of relevant sources to our topic of research. This will act as a foundation for our primary research which will fill in the gaps and specific information we need to answer our research question.
Most consumers who eat chocolate do not have knowledge about “different regions and strains of cocoa bean deliver subtly different taste profiles, as do varied fermentation methods, soils and even seasons…” (Addy, 2011). Emphasis is placed on the origin of the manufacturing of the chocolate by both consumers and manufacturers but cocoa beans are not grown in the same country as they are manufactured; for example, Swiss chocolate. Swiss chocolate is manufactured in Switzerland but its cocoa beans are from Africa. 50% of Swiss chocolate cocoa beans are from the West African nation of Ghana as revealed by Kaspar Meuli (2012). This is supported by M. Harris as he discusses that “While many of us count Dutch, Belgian, Swiss, French or German chocolate as favourites, chocolate elitists are quick to point out that cocoa beans don't actually grow in those places” (2003). El Rey Chocolate epitomizes how customers’ perception of a brand can hinge upon its country of origin. According to an article by Rohit Deshpandé in Harvard Business Review (2...
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...). Snob appeal hits the chocolate industry. CanWest News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/461388198?accountid=10969
Kazemi, F., & Esmaeili, M. (2010). The Role of Media on Consumer Brand Choice A Case Study of Chocolate Industry. International Journal Of Business & Management, 5(9), 147-154.
Meuli, K. (2012). Facing cocoa shortage, Swiss chocolate makers aim to boost African production. Worldcrunch. Retrieved from http://www.worldcrunch.com/business-finance/facing-cocoa-shortage-swiss-chocolate-makers-aim-to-boost-african-production/c2s4387/#.UtrzY_VyjIU
Petty, C., Still, K., & Auner, J. (2010). ASKINOSIE CHOCOLATE: SINGLE-ORIGIN OR FAIRTRADE SOURCING?. Business Case Journal, 17(2), 1-15.
Print Measurement Bureau. (2013). Chocolate/Candy Bars. Retrieved from: https://www.kmrsoftware.net.proxy.ufv.ca:2443/netquestapp/pmbquickreports/default.aspx
While Europe and the United States account for most chocolate consumption, the confection is growing in popularity in Asia and market forecasts are optimistic about the prospects in China and India (Nieburg, 2013, para 9). According to the CNN Freedom Project, the chocolate industry rakes in $83 billion a year, surpassing the Gross Domestic Product of over a hundred nations (“Who consumes the most chocolate,” 2012, para 3). If chocolate continues grow popular in Asia, it stands to become even more lucrative.
The videos provided for this subject builds a great understanding on what happens behind the scenes and how the production cycle of chocolates turns deadly for few. The chocolate industry is being accused having legit involvement in human trafficking. The dark side of chocolate is all about big industries getting their coco from South America and Africa industries. However, it is an indirect involvement of Hersheys and all other gigantic brands in trafficking (Child Slavery and the Chocolate Factory, 2007).
Chocolate: A bittersweet saga of dark and light. New York: North Point P, 2005. McNeill, J. R. "The Columbian Exchange. " The Columbian Exchange.
Market research and information about the industry is very important to the organization because it will allow the organization to position itself well in terms of sourcing chocolate raw materials and in identifying the market for its products. For example, understanding that some chocolate product purchases are seasonal, e.g., at Christmas; around Mother’s Day; and, on Valentine’s Day, allows the organization to have more product on hand and to create displays, in store, that will increase purchases and attract more customers when existing customers tell their friends about the availability of high end products, at reasonable prices, in their store.
Chocolate or cacao was first discovered by the Europeans as a New World plant, as the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. In Latin, Theobroma literally means: “food of the Gods” (Bugbee, Cacao and Chocolate: A Short History of Their Production and Use). Originally found and cultivated in Mexico, Central America and Northern South America, its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican people made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl, a Nahuatl word meaning “bitter water” (Grivetti; Howard-Yana, Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage). It was also a beverage in Mayan tradition that served a function as a ceremonial item. The cacao plant is g...
When cacao became available in Spain, it was modified with cinnamon and other spices; sugar was used to sweeten the mix. Somehow they were able to keep their drink invention among them for nearly 100 years before it escaped to Europe. Sweetened chocolate became an extreme craze for the continent. In a letter of 1779, a viceroy noted: “In this country [New Spain] cacao is primary food not only for persons of means as in other countries, but also among the poor people.” It seems that the people of Spain were content with sharing this savory chocolate among all the people, rather than those in other parts of Europe.
Before looking into the chemical and psychological effects of chocolate, it is important to go back in time and see where chocolate originated. Even from the very beginning chocolate was viewed as a powerful food. The idea of chocolate first began in 1500 BC when the Pre-Olmecs and Mokaya peoples found that the beans that grew on the cacao trees could be used as food (Semenak, "Chocolate in History"). Moving forward to 600, the Mayan and Aztec civilizations used the chocolate beans in a more meaningful way. The Mayans created a drink from the beans and drank it during weddings and other important ceremonies. Only those of the highest class could indulge in what the Mayans referred to as the “God Food” ("Food: The History of Chocolate"). Similarly, the Aztecs created a drink out of the cacao beans, and according to Susan Semenak’s 2012 newspaper article, “Chocolate in History,” the Aztecs used it as a “love potion.” Pretty soon, the beans became so c...
Starbucks founder Howard Schultz made it a point that in order to create the best brew, the best coffee beans were required. Starbucks utilizes only the highest of quality beans for their coffee products, which requires them to carry out a rigorous quality control process. Coffee beans vary in complexity and taste depending on where they are grown. Essentially, the harsher the environment the coffee is grown the better the over all taste. “Robusta beans are popular among some cheaper coffee distributors because they are grown in a more stable and predictable environment resulting in a cheaper price and taste” (Onward 83). Robusta beans have been domesticated, meaning they are “deliberately planted, protected, cared for, and used by humans” (The Human Mosaic 267) Arabica coffee beans are grown on steep mountains in high climates or in dry lands with intense heat. This stress produces b...
The aim of this report is to present and critically estimate the market strategies of an international and a local chocolate manufacturer in Austria. The analysis is carried out in three stages – macro-environment (PEST analysis), micro-environment (Porter’s Five Forces Model) and company comparison (SWOT analysis). In the end, recommendations are given for the local brand Wiener Schokolade König.
Hershey Canada is one the largest competitors in the chocolate bar market. Hershey brands have a strong market value and a long history dating back to 1903. Hershey Canada owned three of the top five chocolate bars sold in 2000 to 2001. Hershey's three principle brands held ...
Central Idea: Explain how cocoa beans are processed to produce the chocolate we all know and love
The market can be further divided according to gender because both men and women have different tastes (chocolate shapes, packaging, and type of liquor). It is known that women are already consuming chocolate. In fact, the numbers of women that consume chocolate far outnumber the numbers of men that consume chocolate. It follows that there is a ready market for the commodity in question. Nonetheless, the reality that introducing alcohol to make liquor-filled chocolates increases the market.
Cocoa production is predicted of getting shortage of supply in 2020 (Nelson, 2017). The famous chocolate drink that Malaysian drink daily, Milo contains cocoa. Other than Milo, Koko Krunch, Nestle Crunch Wafer, KitKat are also mainly made from cocoa. Nestle as a company which largely depends on cocoa bean for its products, will become one of the victim of this cocoa supply risk. The biggest cocoa producer in the world, Ivory Coast, is facing the problem of diseases infected in cocoa plant, frequent rain, and buyers forcing producers to sell cocoa at very low price (The Guardian, 2014). In Malaysia and Indonesia, cocoa plantations are threatened by a tiny moth named as cocoa pod borer which eat the seed (Nelson, 2017).. These pests has cost cocoa
Alan’s Best Chocolates (ABC) is a leading company in the sales of confections and chocolates throughout the United States. The company’s products are sold from 50 stores across the country and maintain a high reputation for superior quality and taste. While the company’s sales have grown over the past ten years, the rate of growth has significantly slowed. One key factor for this slowing rate of growth is the shift in the marketplace to purchasing chocolates and confections online. For a company to succeed, it needs to plan on how to capitalize on this online marketplace by leveraging existing technologies, industry best practices, and aggressive marketing and sales campaign to ramp up the its growth projections for the foreseeable
Less companies overseas importing the chocolate meant less export receipts. Because the company was also earning less money the amount they were paying in governments tax would also decrease affecting the Governments income and its