House of Dorchester highlighted an
interesting point to us recently. What constitutes “British” chocolate these
days and just how much of the chocolate claiming to be British actually is? Natalie
Dimmock from House of Dorchester has some interesting thoughts to ponder.
“There was a time when big names
associated with the UK
chocolate industry could convincingly lay claim to their ‘British’ credentials,
with companies like Cadbury taking on such a sizeable scale of production that
the business built a whole town to accommodate the work force.
Fast track to today, when chocolate
continues to dominate the confectionery market. With sales of chocolate
increasing by 17% over five years, the popularity of chocolate products looks
destined to increase. Growth can in part
be attributed to the recession, which has fuelled the ‘cheap night in’ - a
concept which inevitably incorporates a chocolate indulgence. However, in a
year when ‘Brand Britain’
has taken on a whole new dimension, it has to be noted that a number of
‘chocolate players’ continue to trade on their British heritage. But, when you
dig deeper, how many of these brands can truly be defined as a veritable and
credible Team GB brand, flying the flag for British industry?
Firstly, it is important to identify
what actually constitutes a thoroughly British chocolate brand. If we are to be literal about this, then
being British should only apply if the company remains under British
ownership. Anyone reading the financial
pages of the nationals will be aware that a large number of British
manufacturers are now under Icelandic or American ownership. There are many chocolate brands whose history
is rooted in the UK or who
may refer to the fact that they are UK based. Green & Blacks,
Terry’s, Elizabeth Shaw, Bendicks, Cadbury’s, Rowntree – these are all popular
brand names with an undisputed UK
heritage. But to qualify as being a
full-blown British chocolate brand, surely the relationship with Great Britain
should permeate throughout the business rather than just relate to the origins
of the company?
For me, to be eligible to cite the
British chocolate brand claim, it needs to meet the following criteria:
- The parent company that owns the brand,
must be British owned
- The chocolate product must be physically manufactured
in the UK, accepting that the liquid chocolate / cocoa mass will need to be imported from
cocoa growing countries
- The chocolate must be made according to an
original, British derived recipe
- The packaging which supports the chocolate
product should be sourced from the UK
- British transport companies should be used
to transfer the product to its various retailers / consumer outlet destinations
- Added kudos can be derived from the formal
approval of the product by British taste authorities such as the prestigious
Great Taste Awards. The holding of a
Royal Warrant and therefore the recognition of the product by the British Royal
family will also go some way to asserting bona fide British brand status
In the current market, upon closer
inspection, many chocolate brands which are inferring the ‘Buy British’ call to action,
are in reality duping consumers. A
number of players have moved their production out of the UK, citing the ability to streamline costs
abroad, to locations such as Germany,
Poland, Sweden, Slovakia
or Belgium
as the rationale for the relocation.
But surely in a society where
companies are being encouraged to increase the level of transparency in their
dealings with consumers, more should be done to put in place clearer British
brand guidelines? When consumer research
is telling us that brand integrity is being held in such high regard by our
customers, how can so many chocolate brands be allowed to continue what effectively
constitutes the dissemination of misinformation.
This becomes all the more critical
when we examine the positive impact the true British brands play in the UK. Aside from the obvious benefits relating to
the creation of jobs in roles across a myriad of disciplines ranging from
manufacturing to marketing and sales, British brands also play a vital role in
protecting our heritage. With so many UK chocolate
players being acquired by international conglomerates, there is a real risk
that the chocolate industry could leave our shores for good. We should be doing everything possible to
ensure the chocolate making skills that have been honed and passed down from
generation to generation remain an essential ingredient in Britain’s
colourful culinary culture. And, at a
time when we are seeing consumers re-embracing ‘artisan’ and choosing the
passion and expertise associated with hand-crafted chocolate products over those
manufactured on a mass production basis, smaller British chocolate brands
should be allowed to enjoy some payback for their long term investment in UK industry.
House of Dorchester is certainly not
the only British chocolatier to abide by the ‘British brand’ code of conduct
and we congratulate all our colleagues who remain committed to maintaining the
same high standards associated with authentic British chocolate. Our fear is
that too many consumers, whilst believing they are supporting a British
chocolate brand, are perhaps unwittingly adding to the demise of the UK chocolate
making industry.
