Following a good Christmas campaign, the Alicante-based company, owner of brands such as 1880, Doña Jimena, El Lobo, and Imperial Toledana, is taking part in the international trade fair for sweets and snacks, ISM Cologne (Germany), at which it will present its latest products and try to boost its export growth.

Confectionary Holding currently exports 15% of its production to more than 40 countries in Europe, the US, Latin America, and the Near East and far East, and it expects to continue increasing its penetration in those markets where it already has a presence, especially in those where the position is well consolidated. At the same time, it will also be opening new sales channels in target markets.

As for the Christmas campaign, which accounts for some 65% of the group’s turnover, the CEO, Andrés Cortijos, has said “in general, and without yet having the definitive figures, we are expecting to close the Christmas campaign with year-on-year sales growth in both our domestic and international markets”. For Cortijos, the Christmas fare market is increasingly competitive, and he added “the group will continue to grow thanks to its value-added products, increased distribution, and diversification via the incorporation of other sales channels and the strategic alliances put in place with other companies”. He also pointed out that the group’s online sales were continuing the positive trend seen over the last few years and that the company is forecasting growth of more than 35%.

For this year (2019), Confectionary Holding will be focusing on growth in other non-Christmas sweet categories, the aim being to reduce the seasonal nature of sales via different kinds of products. The new line of healthy snacks 1880 Vida Natural and El Lobo Estilo Natural, Spread Creams, the product conceived for multi-channel development (retail distribution, catering, and industrial) and Wafer Florbú biscuits, filled with El Lobo nougat; these are the products with which the group hopes to reduce the seasonal nature of its sales. At the same time, it will continue to encourage the launch of innovative products, which currently account for more than 20% of turnover.

NEW PRODUCTS FOR ISM COLOGNE

The main new products that Confectionary Holding will be presenting at Cologne ISM include the new Bandeja 1880, which makes it the first Christmas fare brand with an exclusively dark chocolate (70%) assortment, made up of nougats, pralines, and chocolates. The group will also be presenting the improvements to its selections in the Bandejas 1880 ready-to-use line, where new products have been introduced.

Confectionary Holding will also be announcing its recent strategic alliance with the biscuit manufacturer, Florbú, the aim of which has been to develop a wafer filled with El Lobo nougat. It will also be setting in motion the international launch of the 1880 and El Lobo healthy snacks range, made with fine and natural ingredients, including almonds and honey, with no palm oil or added sugar or gluten.

The new product line “1880 Vida Natural” is made up of different flavoured bars: dark chocolate (70%) and almonds; Jijona nougat snacks and bars made up of 65% almond and 35% honey; and also caramelised almonds in an individual format, the idea being to make healthy products compatible with moments of pleasure.

The “El Lobo Estilo Natural” range contains dried fruits, including almonds and peanuts with chocolate, Alicante nougat, Jijona nougat, and two choices without added sugar: almond imperial nougat and almond cream nougat. There are also small truffles in individual containers.

Visit us at 11.1 Stand H021 – J020 from 27 to 30 January

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TDC is currently made up of 27 companies manufacturing nougat, marzipan, and chocolate and specialising in industrial processes with almonds and other derivatives in the Valencian Autonomous Community. The member companies generate an aggregate turnover of €1.2 billion, and 20% of their production is sold abroad, most of it in North and South America.

José Manuel Sirvent, tenth generation of one of the most representative companies in the Christmas fare sector, and with a long track record in the business, is to take over from Jesús Pérez Llácer.

The new chairman TDC is thrilled to be taking on his new role, which he will combine with his responsibilities running the Confectionary Holding Group.

José Manuel Sirvent has thanked all TDC members for the trust they have placed in him to take over the job as chairman, and he has highlighted as one of the sector’s main challenges “the passing on to the consumer of the positive nutritional values of nougat and chocolate products and their derivatives as part of the Mediterranean diet, and winning Government support for this”.

About TDC

Founded in 1997, the Valencian Association of Nougat, Derivatives, and Chocolate Manufacturers has as its mission the representation, coordination, defence, and promotion, as well as the training and advising of its members. The institution’s Secretary General is D. Federico Monconill Gallo, professional with an extensive track record in the management of corporate interests in the sector.

TDC is a member of the Joint Commission for the Collective Bargaining Round Table of Spain’s nougat and marzipan manufacturers. What is more, it is the natural sponsor of the Jijona Nougat Foundation and it has a permanent mandate for investigating and reforming the sector’s Health & Safety Regulation.

TDC is also a member of the International Association, THE CHOCOALTE WAY, which was established in 2014 to promote, protect, and boost recognition of the heritage, artistic, historic, cultural, material and immaterial value linked to cacao and chocolate production in Europe.

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The agrifood group, reference player in the Christmas fare market, is for the fourth year in a row renewing its support for this initiative that tries to improve the employability of women fighting to extract themselves from social exclusion. The Adecco Foundation has on its books more than 5,125 women looking for work.

Under the banner “Never mind the Gender, is there Talent?” the #EmpleoparaTodas awareness campaign will help integrate into the workplace those women who are victims of gender violence, single mothers, the long-term unemployed over the age of 45, those with disabilities, and/or women at risk of social exclusion and looking for work. In 2017, 515 women found work thanks to the Adecco Foundation’s workplace integration campaign and the support from business.

Confectionary Holding will also be collaborating in “Women’s Week”, which from the 5^th to the 9^th of March will include various workshops focused on encouraging the employment of women at risk of social exclusion.

With this initiative, Confectionary Holding will also be encouraging women to take their place in the labour market on an equal footing, following figures released by the OECD that show that only 66% of women have jobs compared to 80% of men.

This year, the Adecco Foundation’s awareness campaign enjoys the support of the well-known actress and film star, Mabel Lozano, who in recent years has taken a position as a staunch human rights defender.

Based on the creative concept of the speech by Charlie Chaplin in the film “The Great Dictator”, in the campaign Mabel Lozano condemns via a speech the inequality faced by women in the labour market.

VIDEO

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The group is forecasting an upbeat campaign, due to the recovery in consumption and the growing demand for value-added products, and over the holiday period it is launching a whole range of new features on all its brands.

Over the last few years, innovation has been core to the company’s strategy, the aim having been to introduce into the market new products that meet consumers’ needs and demands, without of course forgetting the quality, tradition, and craftsmanship that characterise the agro food group, which boasts more than 300 years of history.

As highlighted by Confectionary Holding’s CEO, Andrés Cortijos, “innovation is one of the levers that enable us to grow while adapting to our consumers”. What is more, our aim is that consumers should be able to put together their Christmas hamper according to their needs and circumstances. This is made possible by the fact that Confectionary Holding manufactures all the different categories of Christmas fare.

The agro food group, which exports its products to more than 45 countries worldwide, also expects to increase its exports by 8% in the Christmas campaign. The European Union remains its main export market, followed by Latin America and the United States. But it is also opening new markets, like Asia and the Middle East, where demand has been growing for its Doña Jimena chocolates, as a Spain brand concept and souvenir, and also for its 1880 gourmet products.

This Christmas, Confectionary Holding’s production is likely to top 4 million kilograms, and the festive campaign is set to represent around 65% of the group’s total annual turnover.

During this campaign, what is the reference player in the Christmas fare market will continue to diversify its distribution channels and it expects mailing via its online store, www.confectionaryholdingshop.com, to rise by around 30%, the main destination being foreign markets.

NEW FEATURES FOR THE CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN

Confectionary Holding is launching a new line of 1880 products, for which it is retrieving the original nougat recipe from the 15^th century that uses only the best quality raw materials like almonds and honey. According to documents from that period, nougat, which was first introduced by the moors in the province of Alicante, in Jijona, was made with dried fruit and honey. 1880 is using the 15^th century recipe and introducing it into 21^st century consumer channels.

The new line of crafted 1880 products includes: Bloque Artesano de Turrón de Jijona and Bloque Artesano de Turrón de Alicante, Turrón de almendra y Miel, Turrón de Almendra Natural Tostada y Miel, Turrón de Chocolate negro 70% con Almendras, Polvorones Artesanos and Almendras rellenas artesanas; all are made with the highest quality raw materials.

It is basically a new family of 1880 products, which for Andrés Cortijos “takes us back to the 15th century, promoting the craftsmanship and origins of this Christmas fare’s production and ingredients, with all the guarantees and quality of 1880 products.”

Christmas of course would not be the same without the Bandejas 1880 trays, which, bolstered by their Product of the Year Award in 2016, are now regarded as a Christmas must-have. With a ready-to-use format, the different trays are made up of the best-selling Christmas fare products.

Turrones El Lobo presents a new Family Pack made up of three bars of the most classical and popular nougats (Jijona, Alicante, and the crunchy chocolate bar).

Meanwhile, Doña Jimena has also been innovating and presents a new nougat concept in the form of a fan, thereby consolidating its position as a typically Spanish and Andaluz product both in the domestic market and abroad. A highly original format that is fast becoming a reference product as a typical Spanish souvenir throughout the whole year.

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Confectionary Holding believes that unemployment is the main cause of inequality and poverty in Spain’s society, especially when it involves those people made vulnerable by other factors.

Thanks to Confectionary Holding’s support in campaigns like #EmpleoParaTodas, the Foundation is giving a boost to its employment project for women, victims of gender violence, with disabilities, single parents, and also those over-fifties who have been long-term unemployed.

The #EmpleoParaTodas awareness campaign condemns the fact that the integration of women into the workplace still faces stereotype situations and a social culture that has failed to adapt.  For this reason, it is calling for a commitment from both business and society at large to facilitate women’s integration into the workplace.

Via its brands, 1880, el Lobo, Doña Jimena, and Imperial Toledana, Confectionary Holding has collaborated with the Adecco Foundation for several years now. Confectionary Holding’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme includes other projects in collaboration with organisations, such as UNICEF’s children’s programme, Fundación Manuel Peláez, Spain’s Food Bank, and the “One toy, one dream” campaign, among others.

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Confectionary Holding, which channels 23% of its production into international markets, expects to close its 2016-2017 year (ends in March 2017) with a 9% increase in exports

In the year ahead, the group will be concentrating on building up its presence in its existing markets as well as on opening up new ones.  Even though the US, Latin America, and Europe remain its main export markets, the company also regards Asia and the Middle East as key to future growth.

As Andrés Cortijos, Confectionary Holding’s CEO, pointed out that “the strongest demand growth in Asian markets is for our Doña Jimena brand, as a Spanish brand concept and souvenir, while in the Middle East there is strong demand for our sweets and our 1880 gourmet products”.

As part of its strategic plan, Confectionary Holding is also this year stepping up its presence at the sector’s main international events. Following its visit to ISM Cologne in January, the company is attending GULFOOD in Dubai, which ends today, and it will also be at FOODEX JAPAN (March 7-10) among other international events.

At these gatherings, the Alicante-based group will be presenting its innovative Formas 1880 line, as well as its complete Bandejas 1880 range, recently boosted by the 2016 award, Gran Premio a la Innovación y Producto.

It will also be presenting a new sweet line under the emerging non-Christmas category, the result of innovation, alliances, and diversification.

In Cortijos’s words, “it is a new project that provides applications and functionalities not yet thought of in the market, and it will also give rise to new consumers and value enhancement for this category.”

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Confectionary Holding is upbeat ahead of the Christmas campaign, following the pick-up in consumer demand. The group expects the Christmas campaign to boost online store orders by around 15%, helped by Black Friday.

www.confectionaryholdingshop.com is the first online store belonging to a multi-brand manufacturer in the Christmas fare sector, and it has helped to make the supply of Christmas sweet goods less seasonal.  More than 35% of Confectionary Holding’s online sales are abroad. But Spain remains the group’s largest market, followed by France, Italy, and the UK.

CONFECTIONARY HOLDING’S ONLINE STORE ANNOUNCES ITS NEW OFFERS FOR THE CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN

Confectionary Holding’s online store is now offering the group’s latest new products for this Christmas campaign, such as the Jijona 1880 Nougat Tree, the Alicante 1880 Nougat Stocking, and the 1880 Chocolate with Almonds Campaign. These form part of a limited homemade edition of classic 1880 nougats, their Christmas shapes meaning that they can also be used to decorate the tree.

There are also nougat and praline assortments from El Lobo, which include three different products in the same box, so as to optimise purchases and consumption.

And last, but not least, there is Bandejas 1880, which, boosted by its 2016 Innovative Product of the Year Award, includes this year the Praline Tray as a new product.

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According to Andrés Cortijos, Confectionary Holding’s CEO and member of the Spanish think-tank CSCMP Spain Round Table, “companies need to adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution with a value chain that focuses on the consumer and by digitalising their supply chain processes.”

During his speech, Cortijos added that “we are at the beginning of what is regarded the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the technology revolution that is causing a shift in socio-economic and cultural patterns.”

In his view, “in this new scenario, it is the consumer who calls the shots”, and he went on to encourage companies to “prevent their competitiveness from being eroded by building 4.0 value-added chains”.

Regarding the supply chains, the CEO of Confectionary Holding stressed how he sees these evolving towards a more integral concept, the Value Chain, on which it will again be the consumer who calls many of the important shots.

He also stressed that there will be a dual aspect to the “Supply Chain”, with the “virtual” or “digital” part becoming increasingly important.  According to Cortijos, this is likely to give rise to new (previously unknown) partners, who will play vital roles, such as: technology providers, as guarantors that technology will be incorporated into our day to day in a competitive way, data science as a transformation mechanism for the huge amount of information available via the Big Data sources, in Smart Data, and in Systems and processes related to the cyber security protecting our networks and data, for example.

As an example of successful 4.0 projects in the industry, Andrés Cortijos drew attention to Confectionary Holding’s digital commitment, with its 1880, El Lobo, Doña Jimena, and Imperial Toledana brands.  He also underlined the growth opportunities available to those SMEs developing well defined strategic lines accompanied by the mechanisms that guarantee their sustainable implementation.

The third edition of E-Logistics Networking, under the name “Logística 4.0 – Smart Logistics and Big Data: the future of logistics” brought together logistics sector and supply chain experts.

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Cortijos made these comments during his participation in the “Art of leading” round-table session held as part of the economic-business forum “Lideres con estrategia”, organised by APD (the Association for Management Progress) and in which important representatives from companies such as PwC, Vodafone, Actiu, Ecisa, Blinker, and Carmencita also took part.

Cortijos believes that the best way to deal with economic uncertainty is with an innovative and transversal strategy, so as to convert challenges into business opportunities.

He used as an example the strategy of Confectionary Holdings, which over the last few years has managed to consolidate its position as one of the leading companies in the international market for Christmas sweets and chocolates. Cortijos explained that his company’s strategic plan 2016-2019 “introduces innovative ideas for quantifying the qualitative, aligning and connecting strategy, and involving and committing human capital”.

The “Art of leading” round table, chaired by Jesús Soto, the regional director of Vodafone, also included Soledad Berbegal, head of Communication and Corporate Strategy at Actiu, Enrique Peláez, CEO of Ecisa, Juan Carlos Valero, CEO of Blinker, and Jesús Navarro, Chairman of Carmencita.

The conference also included the presentation by Sandra Deltell, partner at PwC, of the report “Redefining business in a changing world”.

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Confectionary Holding continues to report positive growth rates, thanks to constant innovation in its new product development and also to its international expansion. Exports to existing markets (mainly South America) rose by 18%, and 20% of total production was earmarked for foreign markets, with the company now exporting to more than 50 countries across five continents.

According to management at the agri-food group, one of the reasons for the growth is the new trend in consumption of Christmas fare, which favours higher value-added products, which “bring functionality to consumption, greater choice at the table, and innovation and quality”.

A breakdown of the different brands shows the strongest sales growth at 1880, thanks to the launch of 4 Bandejas 1880, with Bandeja Selección 1880 being named Innovation Product of the Year 2016. In addition to the traditional classic nougat bars, Bandejas 1880 combined the most popular and characteristic products in the different Christmas fare ranges: nougats, marzipans, Christmas sweets, and chocolates.

There were also upbeat results and growth rates from the group’s other brands, such as Turrones El Lobo, Doña Jimena, and Imperial Toledana, which all played their part through their respective channels in the Group’s 30% sales growth.

FOOD FAIR

From the 25th to the 28th of April, Confectionary Holding will be exhibiting at Alimentaria, the International Food and Beverage Fair in Barcelona, in order to boost the international exposure of its new products.

Bolstered by its Innovation Product of the Year 2016 award, it will be presenting its product, 4 Bandejas 1880. Together with Bandeja Selección 1880, it will be exhibiting Bandeja de Mazapanes 1880, Bandeja de Dulces de Navidad, and Bandeja de Chocolates.

In terms of product innovation, it is worth highlighting the gluten-free product Marquesas Sin Gluten, 1880 for celiac sufferers, the new Praliné de Chocolate con Galleta María El Lobo, and the new El Lobo truffle range.

Novelties at Doña Jimena will include the traditional Polvorones (crumble cakes), Mini Mantecados (puff pastries), Roscos de Anís (anise ring biscuits) and pastries, the traditional Sweet Selection, The Homemade Specialty Selection, and the Bombones Doña Jimena Selection.

Confectionary Holding at the Alimentaria Fair: Pabellón 2 Stand C165

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