News
Elevate products, developed by Blommer R&D experts, surpass standard confectionery options by delivering a delightful texture and rich flavor. Elevate coatings which utilize Cocoa Butter Equivalent (CBE) technology were meticulously formulated to seamlessly integrate with cocoa butter, while exhibiting superior bloom resistance, ensuring a longer shelf life and maintaining the visual appeal. This intentional formulation achieves a fabulous chocolate-like sensory experience in both flavor release and meltability.
As Blommer continues to evolve their business strategy to provide our customers with great products at a great value, the decision has been made to close the Chicago manufacturing facility. The Chicago facility is the original (1939) manufacturing plant of the Blommer group.
Deforestation is a global challenge and a major threat to the environment and communities that depend on forests for their livelihoods. Particularly in the two major cocoa-producing countries of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana where significant deforestation has taken place since the early 2010s, largely driven by the expansion of agricultural commodities, including cocoa. To address deforestation and promote sustainable cocoa production, Fuji and Blommer are proud to announce two exciting new sustainability partnerships.
Today Blommer Chocolate Company (USA), the largest cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in North America, and DouxMatok (Israel/USA), a food tech company spearheading sugar reduction, announced the launch of additional chocolate and confectionery products. Earlier this year, Blommer launched the innovative Discovery product line, empowered by DouxMatok’s award-winning sugar-based sugar reduction solution, Incredo Sugar. The first products were chocolate-flavored chips and they have now expanded the product line to include additional coatings to support utilization in a broader range of food applications, including but not limited to panning, enrobing, and molding.
Blommer Chocolate Company, the largest cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in North America, announces the opening of a new R&D Applications Lab, located in downtown Chicago, IL in The Merchandise Mart . This space represents an expansion of R&D capabilities, full of new and improved ways to support the business as well as Research & Development.
DouxMatok (Israel/USA), a food tech company spearheading sugar reduction with its sugar-based sugar reduction solution, Incredo Sugar, and Blommer Chocolate Company (USA), the largest cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in North America, announce a strategic commercial partnership to produce and sell a game changing portfolio of chocolate products with significantly less sugar. Together, the companies have developed a breakthrough in chocolate applications, and are launching initially with a chocolate-flavored chip, which will be available to the Blommer network of customers in North America.
Blommer Chocolate is pleased to announce a few new organizational changes to better serve our customers. David Meggs will move into the Chief Operating Officer role, leading the commercial team (Sales, Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain) in addition to Operations of our four North American production facilities. This move will allow us to more closely align our commercial growth strategy with the supply side of the business. David joined Blommer in 2017 and has an extensive background in the food industry in various sales, business development, and engineering roles.
Today marks World Environment Day and is therefore a perfect opportunity to have a close look at one of the initiatives that Fuji Oil is taking on reforestation: One Million Tree Initiative.
Blommer Chocolate Company is partnering with One Tree Planted, a global reforestation nonprofit, to plant 1 tree per 2,000lbs of Milk Chocolate sold. This tree planting initiative comes in addition to their commitment to protect and restore forests in their commodity supply chains and will directly benefit the ecosystems and communities around their own and their customers facilities.
The Fuji Oil Group is partnering with One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization in the United States, to plant 100,000 trees in Western Ghana, a cacao producing area through a donation of US $100,000. This tree planting will be carried out as part of the Cacao Sustainable Procurement Commitment announced by the Group in June last year.
Learn about Kouamé Akissi Therese, a cocoa farmer in Ivory Coast, Africa and how Villages Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) have helped her and her family become more financially secure.
The Fuji Oil Group demonstrates that it is well on track to become a corporate sustainability leader, securing a place in the prestigious A list of the non-profit environmental organization CDP.
The Fuji Oil Group released today the “Sustainability Report 2020”, for the first time based on the core of the “GRI standards”. It also announces the publication of the “ESG data book”, the “GRI standards comparison table” and the expected release of the “Integrated Report” later this month.
City offers trick-or-treating guidance and previews ‘Halloweek’ activities to celebrate a Halloween unlike any other. Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced a plan to safely celebrate Halloween in Chicago that emphasizes social distancing and other safety precautions while allowing trick-or-treating and other fun activities throughout the week.
Depending on community needs identified by the farmer organizations and their members, we facilitate the construction of social infrastructure projects such as school buildings, health centers, maternity wards or water access.
The national literacy rates in Ivory Coast are still low at 43% overall and 33% for women. As part of our work in communities, Blommer trains women in 18 months literacy courses, supplying learning kits and paying for the instructors.
Using proven Farmer Field School (FFS) models, we engage farmers directly, providing a combination of training, materials and techniques to enable farmers to fight pest and disease, and improve farming practices. The Farmer Field School model is applied throughout all Sustainable Origins™ programs.
Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are a critical piece in Blommer's Community Development work.
Blommer promotes the creation of Income Generating Activities by providing technical assistance and material to women in cocoa farming communities.
Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS) are set up within each cooperative in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. CLMRS are responsible for identifying Child Labor issues and report any potential violation.
As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, Fuji Oil Holdings, along with subsidiary Blommer Chocolate Company, today announced two global initiatives that address the most significant social issues faced by the cocoa industry. The first is a commitment to eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor (WFCL) in the Company’s cocoa supply chain by 2025 and, ultimately, to eliminate all forms of Child Labor as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) by 2030. The second is a commitment to distribute 1,000,000 forest tree seedlings by 2030 to areas deforested as a result of cocoa farming.
The arrival of the novel coronavirus has further exacerbated public health and regulatory pressures on food suppliers and processors by uncovering the tight linkage between poor food nutrition and obesity, susceptibility to serious illness and adverse environmental impacts.
This paper presents evidence that “better-for-you” and sustainable products are driving growth and that sweets & snacks must answer the call to deliver more of these versions, especially as these categories have been identified as the #1 public health target to make nutritional improvements.
HOW can we go about hosting a virtual chocolate tasting? Use all your resources to get the word out that you are hosting a virtual tasting. Share how your customers can participate and how to receive their tasting kit. Social media, such as your Facebook page, is a great way to spark interest in addition to advertising in your store or in the windows. Partner with a local organization like a nearby high school music booster or a local charity and let them advertise within their network for a percentage of the proceeds.
As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, Fuji Oil Holdings, along with subsidiary Blommer Chocolate Company, today announced two global initiatives that address the most significant social issues faced by the cocoa industry.
Enhanced sanitation, staggering shifts among the safety measures Blommer has taken.
Blommer Chocolate Co.'s Kip Walk shares his views on how consumer demand and government regulations are making it critical for companies to develop and implement transparency initiatives.
“I’m pleased to share David Meggs has taken on a new role as Blommer Chocolate Company’s Chief Commercial Officer,” said Peter Blommer, President of Blommer Chocolate. “David will work to better align and integrate all aspects of the Blommer customer experience from developing new products and applications, to Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service.”
Blommer’s plants and warehouses continue to be open and operational. As we have previously reported during the past weeks, we have instituted increased safety, sanitation, access and other precautionary measures in response to COVID-19.
With the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) situation evolving, Blommer Chocolate Company would like to share the actions that we are taking to minimize the risk to employees and address the business continuity concerns of our customers.
In order to find the most current flavor trends, we conduct our own primary research by analyzing desserts from buzz-worthy restaurants with seasonal menus around the country.
Rose Potts has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the Stroud Jordan award by the American Association of Candy Technologists (AACT). The award will be presented at a banquet honoring Potts during the AACT National Technical Seminar on October 15.
Retail Confectioners International (RCI), a trade association serving the chocolate and confectionery industry, recently awarded the 2019 Henry J. Bornhofft Memorial Award at their Annual Convention & Industry Expo. Diane Trout, account manager and business development for The Blommer Chocolate Company, was this year’s honored recipient.
“Diane Trout embodies the values and culture of what makes RCI and this industry so special: camaraderie; loyalty to family, colleagues and customers; and passion for chocolate and everything related to it,” stated Steve Blommer, former VP of Business Development for The Blommer Chocolate Company. “I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition than my dear friend, Diane.”
CNFA, Blommer Chocolate team up to strengthen production of high-quality sustainable Ivorian cacao beans
Sale to Fuel Global Growth Trajectory
PMCA’s Production Conference Program Committee has named Carly Meck, R&D Scientist, Blommer Chocolate Company, as the twenty-second recipient of the Marie Kelso Memorial Award. Ms. Meck presented a paper titled Mysteries of Conching Revealed as part of the Developing Flavor in Chocolate seminar on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 during the 72nd Annual Production Conference.
Founder’s Reserve chocolate line will fund clean water project supporting thousands in Cote d’ Ivoire, Africa
Third generation, family-owned chocolate manufacturer expands capacity and offers new premium line to confectioners and chocolatiers.
Hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales, leading chocolate and cocoa companies commit to develop cooperative, multi-stakeholder framework to address deforestation and forest degradation in the cocoa supply chain.
The dream of a fat substitute that delivers taste with no nasty side effects has long haunted food scientists. Now, an Indianapolis man thinks he has found the answer: Epogee, a new product that could revolutionize foods from peanut butter to baked goods to fries.
Blommer Chocolate Company, the largest chocolate ingredient supplier in the U.S., recently unveiled its Wonder Line of confectionery coatings made with Epogee. It comes in flavors such as milk and dark chocolate and yogurt. Wonder Line coatings have about one-third fewer calories than standard coatings and almost two-thirds fewer calories from fat.
Take the wheel when it comes to communicating the flavors in your confections with customers and staff.
Chocolate is one of the most craved flavors in the world and most of our customers have very strong feelings about their favorite pieces of chocolate. However, if you ask them to describe what their favorite chocolate tastes like, they may have trouble articulating it.
Blommer Chocolate Company, the largest cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in North America, today announced the acquisition of a manufacturing plant in China’s Jinshan district near Shanghai.
During the American Association of Candy Technologists’ (AACT) National Technical Conference being held at the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort in Lincolnshire, Ill., the organization presented Marlene Baxter Stauffer, director of quality assurance and regulatory compliance at the Blommer Chocolate Co., the 2015 Stroud Jordan award.
Throughout history no time period has had a greater impact than the 19th century on shaping the chocolate products of today. Rudolph Lindt developed the first conche in 1879, which led to flavor improvement of chocolate. Daniel Peter was the first person to successfully incorporate milk into chocolate in 1876 after many others had tried and failed. In 1847, Joseph Fry added additional cocoa butter into chocolate, giving us the ability to form the chocolate bars of today.
Olam International (Olam), a leading agri-business operating across the value chain in 65 countries, and The Blommer Chocolate Company (Blommer), North America’s largest cocoa processor, today welcomed the First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire, Madame Dominique Ouattara, to officially open a primary school complex close to Olam Cocoa Processing in San Pedro.
Jointly financed by Olam and customer partner Blommer, the Dominique Ouattara School Complex provides the community with a much-needed education facility. It has the potential to teach 300 children and has a canteen, nurses’ station and library.
PMCA’s Production Conference Program Committee awarded Rose Potts of the Blommer Chocolate Company, the 2010 Hans Dresel Memorial Speaker Award. This award recognizes an individual’s outstanding contributions to the confectionery industry. The award was presented to Ms. Potts on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 during PMCA’s 64th Annual Production Conference Dinner.
Blommer Chocolate Co. pairs its fine-flavor chocolates with a range of wines, demonstrating how the interplay of flavors enhances the tastings of both.
Blommer chocolates and Beringer wines provide several interesting pairings, intertwining and enhancing flavor notes in some instances while expanding palates in others.
Companies continue to search for ways to combat the high price of utilities, which, for most in the food-processing industry, is the second-largest direct conversion cost behind only the cost of labor. Becoming more energy efficient is possible for every organization, and doing so can save money in more areas than just your utility bill.
In 2011, Blommer Chocolate initiated a comprehensive energy conservation program as part of its efforts to reduce waste throughout its manufacturing operations. Reducing energy consumption is a priority for the company, but energy savings isn’t the only objective for instituting such a comprehensive program.
Inside the Blommer Chocolate Co. factory you’ve smelled but never seen — and the family that’s run it for all of its 75 years.
Fat bloom is inevitable, but once you understand the fundamentals you can prevent it from occurring prior to the end of shelf life. It is a physical defect that appears during storage of chocolate and is characterized as a whitish layer on the outer surface.
The December issue of Food Technology contains an overview of the chocolate confectionery market. This article focuses on the production and quality testing of chocolate.
The supply threat is real. Aggregation of farmers remains the single biggest challenge to overcome.
Sensory Evaluation for the Small to Mid-Size Confectioner Protect Your Flavor to Protect Your Brand
Small to mid-size companies can maintain the quality of their signature products by defining their attributes and tasting daily.
Alkalized Cocoa Powders
Printed in Time For Kids magazine
Alkalized Cocoa Powders
