A 600 billion yen market! The “Great Midsummer Battle” in the Chocolate Industry
Meiji with "Almond Chocolate," Lotte with "Koala March" and "Ghana," Ezaki Glico with "Pocky," and Morinaga with "Choco Balls. The keywords are cacao savings and health consciousness!
The stereotype that chocolate is sweet may be being overturned.
This was the impression of a FRIDAY reporter when he visited a convenience store near the editorial office in mid-August, when the sweltering heat continued.
At lunchtime, a woman in her 40s or 50s was shopping in the confectionery section. She was wearing a jacket and staring at the chocolate shelves with only her wallet, and after a moment of hesitation, she picked up a “Chocolate Effect 72% Cacao” and got in line at the cash register.
Chocolate Effect” is a high-cacao chocolate launched by Meiji in 1998 (the cacao content of ordinary chocolate is about 30 to 40%). The cacao polyphenols contained in cacao have fat-burning and antioxidant effects, and are said to prevent arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure.
Chocolate is usually associated with Valentine’s Day, but these health-conscious chocolates have also become a necessity for summer office workers.
High-cacao chocolate is also rich in dietary fiber, which is good for the skin. Recently, research has shown that it also has a dementia-preventing effect. Chocolate is now changing from a snack for children to a health food,” said Chihiro Matsubayashi, a confectionery expert and winner of “TV Champion’s” “Confectionary connoisseur championships.
Meiji, which sells “Chocolate Effect,” is a long-established manufacturer with Japan’s oldest existing chocolate bar “Milk Chocolate” (launched in 1926). The company also has “Almond Chocolate” launched in 1962, “Kinokonoyama” (launched in 1975) and “Takenokonosato” (launched in 1979), which have caused a “mushroom-takenoko controversy” on the Internet.
Among these powerful products, the “Chocolate Effect” is unique. Consumers’ image of chocolate is that it is sweet and tasty, whereas this product is not sweet but tastes okay.
In fact, Chocolate Effect did not sell well for about 17 years after its launch,” said economic journalist Takai Naoyuki.
However, the development staff persevered and visited more than 100 cacao farms in Central and South America to improve the quality of the product. Mr. Takai continues.
The tide turned in 2002. Through joint industry-government-academia research with Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, and Aichi-Gakuin University, Meiji discovered that high cacao chocolate had effects such as preventing high blood pressure and increasing the blood concentration of good cholesterol. This was reported in the media and the “chocolate effect” came into the limelight. Today, it has grown into a huge brand with annual sales of 20 billion yen.
With both its long-selling products and the new series that triggered a new boom, Meiji now has the number one share of the 600 billion yen chocolate market.
