With a 58% increase in product launches for the date, industries in the sector take a total of 399 items to the shelves
The chocolate industry is optimistic about Easter, which will be celebrated on April 17th. According to a survey by the Brazilian Association of the Chocolate, Peanut and Candy Industry (Abicab), an entity that represents the sector, this year, associates take to the shelves 399 items for the date, with 150 launches, including new partnerships, formats, flavors and product combinations.
According to Ubiracy Fonsêca, president of Abicab, it was possible to observe a recovery in the sector based on its ability to adapt. “Brazil has one of the biggest Easters in the world and can be celebrated in different ways and flavors. As we are in the third year of the date with the pandemic scenario, industries already have plans within this scenario. With the easing of isolation and the advancement of vaccination, there is a tendency for consumers to return to gift products to their family and friends on the date, something so characteristic of this holiday, which is celebrated with the ones we love most “.
It will be the first year since the beginning of the pandemic that retailers will have 100% open physical commerce throughout Brazil, which in itself should attract consumers to physical stores. This is what a survey by the company The Insiders, carried out in early March with 1,900 respondents, points out.
According to the survey, 94% of consumers intend to buy traditional Easter eggs, with 60% of them going to physical stores and supermarkets, while 40% will shop online, via e-commerce or chat apps.
Easter 2022 production is still in progress, but in relation to 2021, the industries produced about 9 thousand tons of Easter eggs and products, which demonstrates a slight recovery and 6% growth in production compared to 2020. The positive data proves that the industry was able to keep up with the evolution of the target audience profile and the change in behavior, meeting the needs and preferences of this new consumer.
Data from a study carried out by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), in partnership with the Federal University of Minas Gerais and the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), showed that the consumption of sweets in the country grew 47.1% during the health crisis, and, among adults aged 18 to 29, 63% began to consume sweets twice a week or more.
“As for all Brazilian manufacturers, for us Easter is the most important event in the chocolate segment and has a great weight in sales volume. The expectation of Ferrero do Brasil this Easter is to exceed the sales recorded in the previous year. Something that must happen, given that it will be the first Easter with reopened stores since the beginning of the pandemic, which becomes an additional attraction for shopkeepers and consumers, who have spent the last two years with closed stores and/or with restricted entry. This fact alone should guarantee a higher sales volume of the products”, says Renato Zanoni, sales & country manager Brazil at Ferrero Rocher, a multinational located among the leaders in chocolate sales in Brazil.
Optimism has been the general rule among all chocolate manufacturers, on the expectation of sales at Easter this year. “The pandemic was a storm for retail, but the economy has been showing signs of recovery. Without a doubt, this will be the best Easter in the history of Cacau Show. To meet the high demand of consumers who were already looking for Easter items, we brought our campaign forward by two weeks from the expected date. So far, Easter products have performed very well, especially children’s items with eggs and gifts. We bet on more than 55 items in the campaign portfolio. Among the main highlights are launches of flavors that Brazilian consumers love, such as Dreams banoffee and hazelnut mil-folhas. In addition, we have partnerships with major brands such as Warner, Netflix, NBA, Capricho, Amarula and Paçoquita, in addition to other options that promise to please everyone. As expected, so far, sales are going well. In numbers, the expectation is for an increase of 60%, compared to the previous year. For this, there was an increase in production of, on average, 24% (units)”, says Ana Luiza Costa, category manager at Cacau Show, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the country.
Hershey, another traditional brand of chocolates, decided to invest in solidarity actions at Easter this year. In partnership with the NGO Network Gerando Falcões, it launched the Transform Easter with Hershey campaign in which, throughout the month of March, each purchase made in the brand’s e-commerce, regardless of the product or value, will be converted into a bar of Hershey’s chocolate and intended for families in communities assisted by Gerando Falcões.
“In the last two years of the pandemic, the economic impact generated greater rationalization in consumption. Easter was still a great time for chocolates, but there was a slowdown in Easter eggs, and a rise in other formats, such as chocolate bars. Hershey contributed to the movement, betting on special editions during these years, and in 2022 it intensified the strategy by launching the Hershey’s Milkshake Crispy bar, and the Hershey’s Wafer + Strawberry with White Chocolate, both innovative in the Brazilian market, and in limited editions – the which has been performing in a very successful way”, says Camila Ribeiro, the company’s head of Latam marketing.
This year Lacta, one of the leading brands in the chocolate sector, celebrates 110 years with great expectations of good results at Easter. “In 2021 we had the best Easter in the last 10 years, in terms of turnover. We sold practically all our production for the date. Once again, we bet on the e-commerce strategy and had a 91% growth in sales in this channel compared to the previous year. In 2019, digital commerce represented 3% of total Easter sales and in 2021 it reached 12%. This year will be no different, we have a complete portfolio, with democratic options and for every moment, from individual consumption, to gifting and sharing”, says Renata Vieira, chocolate marketing director.
In addition to this data, Renata points out that Lacta is coming strong with e-commerce, innovation, metaverse, “we will have a digital bunny that will help with checkout, and will also help people who need accessibility. The site will also have a sweet friend service, and an affiliate system. For sure, 2022 will be a different year, of reunions, so we expect the chocolate market to have an expressive growth and Lacta will follow it”, she says. The company expects to grow 10% in 2022, compared to last year. Easter sales represent 20% of the company’s annual revenue. Since the pandemic began, e-commerce has been gaining ground within the brand’s strategy – channel sales grew by 91% in 2021 and now represent 12% of total Easter sales (against 8% in 2020).
Lacta’s Easter planning takes about 18 months and production, which started on October 17, ended on February 21. The company hired 500 temporary employees for production, with a six-month work contract, 83% of which are women.
