08 February 2022 — Guylain, a Belgian fairtrade chocolate brand, unveils a new less-sweet version to go along with its rebranding strategy that includes transitioning to more sustainable production.
Guylain’s iconic chocolate seashells with hazelnut praliné, which is sold across four continents in 120 countries, has a revamped jacket and an upgraded recipe with less sweetness.
After 60 years of success, the brand is now shifting its focus to sustainability.
“By changing our design and brand, we also want to introduce a broader target group to the taste of our chocolate,” says Tom Snick, CEO of Guylian.
This is in the midst of rising trends toward planetary wellness, as illustrated by Innova Market Insights Top Ten Tendents for 2022, which names Shared Planet as the number one trend.
Nut roasting technique
Guylain’s new, less-sweet version of Guylain is due to the roasting of the hazelnuts in the praline. It sells approximately 800 million chocolates each year.
“All our hazelnuts are roasted in-house,” explains Ludwig De Kesel, master chocolatier of Guylian.
“We opt for the best quality and smallest hazelnuts. By roasting them in their shell, they give our praliné filling a strong and hazelnut flavor, which also tastes less sweet,” says De Kesel.
The blending of dark, white and milk chocolate and the praliné filling is what distinguishes Guylian’s seashells from other chocolates. The new recipe has resulted in a new look and a more sustainable approach.
Another interesting trend is that cocoa is appearing in applications ranging from meat and bread to alcoholic beverages.
There has also been a steady rise in launch activity of cocoa ingredients while cocoa and chocolate provenance claims are on trend.
Better planet snacking
Guylain chocolate will debut a new jacket
Guylain’s rebranding will help improve its sustainability credentials. Guylain will now commit to Fairtrade cocoa. The company offers suppliers the assurance of a fixed price for cocoa.
All new packaging will have the ability to be recycled. Guylian is looking for ways to reduce its use plastic and paper. The Sint-Niklaas production site, Belgium, has been fully climate neutral since the start of the year. This means that CO2 emissions have been kept low and compensated.
To prevent deforestation, palm oil and soya have been withdrawn from the production process.
“We want to set the tone for all chocolate brands with these developments” says Snick.
“Guylian consciously chooses a pioneering role by going completely for sustainability in terms of raw materials, packaging, CO2 emissions and Fairtrade.”
Selection of carefully selected chocolates
Guylian will relaunch with a limited curated selection that will be available year-round. The Temptations 100 g premium bars and the seashells are the main focus.
In addition, Guylian will be launching themed packaging around the key gifting occasions of Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Christmas. The packaging for duty-free channels will also be updated. The new packaging will go on sale in April.
“The packaging will have a more contemporary and fresh design, while retaining the luxurious look,” says Snick.
Edited and edited by Inga De Jong
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