Herza Schokolade has launched two lines of chocolate pieces with licorice and tea flavor notes. The move comes as flavor pairing continues to be a key industry trend, and not just in foodservice. 

Combining flavors in new and unusual ways is also creating possibilities in classic categories, including NPD.

Intended for muesli, nut mixes, cookies and ice cream, the chocolate pieces “give brands a way to stand out from the competition,” Herza asserts. 

“These flavor combinations in small chocolate pieces are new,” Bodil Reimers, product developer at Herza, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“We wanted to interpret well-known flavors such as licorice or tea in a new way. We all know the combination of chocolate and licorice, but to find this combination in small chocolate pieces in muesli, baking products or ice cream is something out of the ordinary.”

Time for tea
Tea often conveys feelings of relaxation, enjoyment and well-being. 

The positive image of tea can be leveraged in product ideas with Herza’s new Tasty Tea Time range. Its six different varieties bring together various tea mixtures with chocolate indulgence. 

“We combined familiar flavors with chocolate and adapted this combination into small functional chocolate pieces, so our customers can create differentiating products in their market,” explains Carsten Braumann, head of sales at Herza.

For example, African Rooibos Orange zings up white chocolate leaves with the taste of rooibos and orange oil. Japanese Matcha Peach combines green matcha tea, orange and peach notes in double leaves of white chocolate. 

Indian Chai is well-suited for ice cream or snacks – the long, flat squares of milk chocolate have a spicy mix of ginger, cardamom and cloves. 

For an intense chocolate taste with fruity ginger and lemon nuances, there’s Asian Ginger Lemon. These broad dark chocolate squares are 50 percent cocoa and are great for hot chocolate beverages, among other things. The products are also available in organic versions.

Bitter and sweet licorice
Whether salty, with a bit of crunch or a bit of heat, these six products “leave no licorice wish unmet,” Herza maintains.

For example, the brown buttons of soft milk chocolate with mild licorice nonpareils are ideal as decor, mono-product or muesli ingredient. 

Consumers who like a peppery licorice taste can enjoy little rhombs of black cocoa butter glaze with chili and salty licorice, the company notes. 

Additionally, chopped pieces of cocoa butter glaze featuring fruity raspberry bits and intense licorice flavor. 

These products give customers a broad scope for creative NPD.

What’s ahead in flavors?
According to Tina Höhne, marketing communications at Herza, in 2021, there will be a trend to mix well-known and popular flavors with something new. 

“For example, flavor combinations such as smoky vanilla or cherry meets spekulatius (a gingery almond cookie),” she says. 

“Of course, immunity will be a continuing trend. As a manufacturer of small chocolate pieces, we’re always looking for flavors that transport a healthy image. We try to combine indulgent chocolate with flavors like hibiscus, elderberry, orange blossom and berries.” 

Herza offers its products in “all kinds of shapes and sizes, many flavors and with the functions our customers need in applications,” adds Reimers. 

“We combine all our customers requirements in our products: individuality, functionality, indulgence, customized shapes, sizes and formulations and innovative products.”