AAK’s AKOMEL™ capitalises on current growing premiumisation of caramel trends
Over the past few years, even despite rising concerns over sugar intake, global confectionery NPD and product launches has been on the rise. More specifically, the sector has been experiencing a rise in developments within ‘indulgent and premium’ categories. Premium ingredients and flavours were in fact some of the most important trends seen in 2020 as global confectionery launches have been experiencing double-digit growth since 2019.
Luis Parra, Global Business Director Chocolate & Confectionery Fats at AAK, stated:
“Generally, we are seeing a movement towards more sophisticated, adult-oriented sweets that consumers would want to give as a gift on a special occasion. With its luxurious mouthfeel and rich taste, caramel delivers an indulgent experience that’s in tune with this.”
AAK Launches AKOMEL™
AAK, one of Food Matters Live’s Global Thought Leaders at our 16-17 November event, are a prime example of industry experts meeting this increase in demand within the sector. AAK has developed a new portfolio of clean-label and plant-based fats from sustainable sources, AKOMEL™, a range of non-hydrogenated, non-trans and low-saturated fat options created for chocolate and confectionery manufacturers.
The Global Business Director further comments:
AKOMEL™ solutions are tailored vegetable fats and therefore a particularly good choice when developing caramel products for the growing premium market, where high-quality ingredients and cleaner formulations are key drivers.”
Capitalisation of growing trends
AAK’s AKOMEL™ portfolio capitalises on the growing premiumisation of caramel, a trend which has seen significant growth over the past few years, according to Parra. Caramel is, in fact, one of the fastest-growing confectionery categories with its market size expected to reach USD 3.99 billion by 2025. Additionally, caramel is the fastest-growing flavour component in indulgent categories such as chocolate and confectionery.
The halt of the pandemic
It is interesting to note that the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 put a temporary halt on the growth of the confectionary market as factories and production unites were forced to close due to government issued lockdowns. Today, however, the market is estimated to hit USD 227.4 Billion and grow with a significant CAGR of 3.7% from 2020 to 2027. This noteworthy growth in the forthcoming years is driven by the significant rise in demand for appropriate substitutes of sugar-heavy carbohydrates.
Rikke Mikkelsen, Customer Innovation Director at AAK added:
“At AAK, we’ve got our finger on the pulse of the caramel market. We are ready to supply our extensively tested AKOMEL™ solutions for a range of applications, and our co-development experts are always on-hand to support our customers’ projects.”
About AAK
AAK specialise in plant-based oils that are the value-adding ingredients in many of the products people love to consume. They make these products better tasting, healthier, and more sustainable.
Learn more about AAK, their plant-based oils and the abundance of benefits the brand brings when making products taste better, healthier and be more sustainable at your Food Matters Live this November, where this forward-thinking brand will be speaking as one of our Global Thought Leaders.
