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The Hands Off My Chocolate range comes in a series of flavours |
A new Netherlands-based confectionery brand, Hands Off My Chocolate, aims to expand in travel retail by offering a differentiated format and proposition to consumers, including what it says is the first “˜chocolate drops’ bar in the world.
The brand was developed by owners Kitty Smeeten and Thomas de Groen and is now available through Schiphol Airport Retail in Amsterdam, as well as at Rotterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven airports.
Smeeten explained: “We each worked as innovation consultants before we started Hands Off My Chocolate. I had worked for large international brands in food (Nestlé, Pepsico, Sara Lee) and Thomas for Albert Heijn.
“In 2012 we thought it would be great to introduce our own brand and own products. We discussed what product category would fit us both best. As we are both chocolate lovers this was the easiest part of starting of our own business. We started to interview chocolate lovers and we learned a lot about what people really like and don’t like about chocolate.
“Chocolate isn’t just candy. It’s something you enjoy and preferably do not want to share. It’s a treat for yourself: 35% of Dutch consumers even hide their chocolate from others. That’s why we came up with our brand name Hands Off My Chocolate.
“Good quality is key. Real Belgian chocolate [from which the product is made] is seen as one of the best types of chocolate in the world. Shape matters too: chocolate lovers don’t like big angular chunks. So we came up with the first chocolate drops bar in the world. The drops fit your mouth perfectly. Every drop has a written text: “˜MINE’ and on one drop “˜YOURS’ with a large cross.”
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The quirky brand image adds a point of difference |
The line comes in five versions, including combinations featuring milk, dark and white chocolate and a mix of each. These include White meets Milk chocolate; Melting Milk Chocolate; Milk meets Dark Chocolate; Friendly Dark Chocolate and Double Dark Chocolate.
The brand’s USP, said Smeeten, includes the unique shape, its “fun and edgy positioning” as “Hands Off My Chocolate: too delicious to share” and the new variants between white, milk and dark chocolate it offers.
Travel retail will be a key channel for the brand, added the partners.
“We have developed a nice tin, especially for travel retail,” said Smeeten. “This tin is a nice gift for anyone you want to grant a moment for themselves. At airports especially people are looking for a gift without taking the risk that the receiver doesn’t like it.
“A present you buy at the airport has to look good and has to be easy to carry. That’s why we have chosen a relatively small tin. Some travellers are looking for a little present for every family member or just a treat for themselves. This is where our single bars are relevant too.”
The bars are 120g each, and there are also three varieties of tin with three bars each inside. Retail prices at Schiphol are €3.95 per bar and €13.95 per tin.
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The brand has already been acclaimed in its native Holland, where it is available through Schiphol Airport Retail and other travel retailers |
About her own passion for the business, Smeeten said: “I’ve loved chocolate for as long as I can remember. Actually it was one of the main reasons that I studied food technology. After finishing my studies I worked for several leading brands and introduced over 100 new products [to the market]. Starting our own chocolate company and brand is the best thing that has happened in my career.”
De Groen said: “I love turning consumer insights into tangible products. What better product than chocolate? With my experience in a leading retail chain and an innovation company, I have learned a lot about consumer behaviour and how to be relevant. That means offering consumers something they really want, not [just something] you can make. Building a brand from scratch is a very exciting journey.”
On their wider ambitions for the brand, the partners said: “We want to become a worldwide icon; a chocolate bar and brand that people love all over the world.
For more information, contact kitty@hands-off.com
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The company has a number of packaging innovations, including for travel retail |
