Green & Black’s opens up new front with extra-dark chocolate

Green & Black’s, the upmarket chocolate brand owned by Cadbury, is boosting its premium credentials with the launch of an extra-dark chocolate bar. It will target consumers that want intense flavoured, high cocoa content bars.

The 85% Cocoa bar, which will launch on April 24, will tap into the growing market for high cocoa content chocolate and demand from discerning chocolate consumers who also want organic products.

According to the chocolate maker, the key to the product is to develop the taste so it is not bitter despite its high cocoa content.

The launch will be supported by a direct marketing campaign through London-based agency Brave. The agency has created packaging containing a complimentary sample, which explains that the bar is “made with even more of our precious organic cocoa.”

It will be sent out to 100,000 consumers that are known to buy high-content cocoa chocolate to encourage trial of the Green & Black’s bar.

Brave says the dark brown packaging aims to be simple to “reflect the pure, simple organic ingredients”. The campaign will use the ongoing strapline “It deserves a little respect”.

There has been a growing trend towards dark chocolate over recent years as it is perceived as a “healthier” than milk chocolate. Cadbury has been increasing its presence in the market with the launch of Flake Dark last summer (MW July 13) and is also relaunching its core Bournville brand, which dominates the mainstream market.

Rival Nestle is launching into the market with the launch of boxed-chocolate brand Black Magic into a bar format (MW February 22).