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Top: Favarger’s best-selling Swiss Chocolate Fondue and the Chocolate Fondue Kit |
SWITZERLAND. Swiss chocolate brand Favarger, which celebrates its 180th anniversary this year, launched its new Travel Retail Exclusive Edition products to duty free buyers at the Tax Free Asia Pacific show in Singapore last month.
The premium brand, based in Versoix near Geneva, majors on its Swiss heritage, which goes back to 1826. Favarger was a family-owned business until the end of 2003, when a Croatian businessman bought the firm, but the family remains very much involved. Christophe Favarger, the sixth generation of the family, is the current Operations Director.
Talking to The Moodie Report during the Singapore exhibition, Claudia Jaermann, Marketing Manager Travel and Domestic Retail, said: “Favarger has a lot of heritage. Our USP is the quality and standard of our products. We are very good technicians, we know how to produce chocolate using the best raw materials. We do all our own roasting of almonds and hazelnuts in our factory, for example. We are very strict on rules.”
As well as focusing on its Swiss heritage, the brand aligns itself closely with fashion trends. A recent venture saw Favarger participating at a young fashion show in Montreux called Le Podium Féminin de la Mode, where two 8kg chocolate dresses were showcased on a pair of brave models.
The fashion effect is seen in the brand’s marketing tagline – “Chocolate Designer” – and in the style of the outer packaging.
Favarger in travel retail
Since starting its travel retail push in June 2005, Favarger has gained global listings with, among others, Swiss travel retailers Nuance and Dufry.
Today, the Favarger range is available in Switzerland, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Croatia and the Czech Republic. A recent listing with Dufry will open new markets such as Tunisia, Morocco, Russia, Italy, France, Spain, Sharjah and Singapore.
Regionally, Asia is a particular target. The company’s products are carried by Nuance in Hong Kong and will also be available with Dufry at the new SkyPlaza in Hong Kong International Airport. In addition, King Power carries the brand at Macau and Pudong Airports. Inflight, Aegean Airlines in Greece carries the brand.
In Malaysia, Favarger recently started trading at The Flying Emporium at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The retailer is exclusively listing Favarger’s Chocolate Fondue, which is said to be the first of its kind in Malaysia, and only available in The Flying Emporium located at the domestic airside terminal. Retail price for the Favarger Chocolate Fondue Kit is RM130. Other Favarger assorted chocolates available at The Flying Emporium are Avelines, Nougalines and Nougat Surfin. They retail at RM10.50 each.
Favarger reports that all products are selling well, particularly the Fondue. During January and February of this year, the company held successful tasting promotions, resulting in a ten-fold increase in sales.
Promotions are very important to the ISO-certified brand, according to Jaermann, who spent eight years at Nestlé International Travel Retail masterminding the launch of Cailler, developing the Smarties characters and handling the Perugina brand. Promotional campaigns have been held at Singapore Changi Airport and at the Fiesta Mall in the Philippines.
In addition, Favarger offers a personalised mobile display unit with a width of 65cm, depth of 31cm and height of 168cm. A new display unit exclusive to travel retailers is under development, Jaermann told The Moodie Report.
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Favarger’s new travel exclusive gift boxes: laboîte 1826, laboîte love and laboîte swiss, all containing Avelines chocolates |
Favarger products
Favarger’s best-selling line in travel retail stores is the Swiss Chocolate Fondue, which is available as a Chocolate Fondue Kit (4 x 300g) containing a metal stove, a ceramic fondue caquelon, a candle and a 300g chocolate fondue pot, and as an individual Chocolate Fondue Pot (6 x 300g) presented in attractive, convenient packaging.
At the Tax Free Asia Pacific show, where it exhibited for the second time, Favarger introduced three new gift boxes, all exclusive to travel retailers:
laboîte 1826 (6 x 240g): Described as a nostalgic box to celebrate the 180th anniversary of Favarger, the gift box shows an image of the young founder of the company as a baby in 1826. It contains the company’s signature Avelines Original chocolate, described as a praline enriched with almond and hazelnut flakes.
laboîte love (6 x 240g): A modern gift box, ideal for special occasions, including Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. It contains the company’s signature Avelines Original chocolates.
laboîte swiss (6 x 240g): Dubbed “the perfect souvenir from Switzerland”, the product features trendy packaging featuring the Swiss flag colours of red and white. It contains the company’s signature Avelines Original chocolates.
Speciality products include:
Mini Nougalines (14 x 250g): Described as a three-dimensional product containing hazelnut cream in a crispy nougatine shell, enrobed in fine Swiss milk chocolate. The premium presentation gift box features a crafted product shape, said to be unique to the manufacturer, reflecting its design and modernity.
Avelines Assortment (14 x 360g): An assortment of praline delicacies blended with hazelnut chips and fine almond slivers. It contains the delicate, smooth Light Original, described as the perfect harmony of the Praliné and the light bitterness of the Avelines Noir.
Napolitains (12 x 400g): Inspired by the Avelines Light Original and the light bitterness of the Aveline Dark. The outer packaging has an elegant premium pack design and it is said to be ideal for travellers seeking a compact-sized Swiss chocolate gift.
For details, contact Claudia Jaermann, tel: +41 22 775 11 00, or e-mail claudia.jaermann@favarger.com Visit www.favarger.com
