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Premium Chocolate in the U.S.: Mass, Gourmet, Prestige and Super Premium, 4th
edition
November 1, 2008
In 2007, premium chocolate sales were $3 billion, having grown 17.3% since the prior
year and a healthy 200% since 2003. Conventional chocolate sales, in contrast, grew
only 0.7% over the prior year and 4% since 2003. The growth in premium chocolate
sales is part of a wider purchasing trend of consumers adopting special occasion
brands as their everyday brands.
This all-new report investigates the market and forecasts its growth to 2012. It also
analyzes 10 trends driving the premium chocolate category:
• Bean to bar & microbatch production
• Dark milk & upscale white chocolate
• Sustainability
• Premiumitizing the familiar
• Exotic flavors
• Exotic functions
• Ultra dark bars
• Ethical chocolate: organic & fair trade
• Large tablet bars
• Filled bars
Research Methodology
This report relies upon several data sources to track chocolate sales. These sources
use different assumptions with differing degrees of accuracy. To estimate the size of the
retail U.S. chocolate market, Packaged Facts uses apparent consumption data
published in the Department of Commerce (DOC)’s Current Industrial Reports:
Confectionery 2007. Company and brand-level sales data were provided under special
arrangement with Information Resources, Inc. (IRI).

2. In addition to DOC and IRI data, this report relies extensively on company financial and
product information, extensive literature searches in industry trade publications and
exclusive interviews with senior company staff.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Executive Summary
Methodology & Scope
Premium Chocolate Defined
Table 1-1: Premium Chocolate Segments, by Price (dollars/ounce &
dollars/pound)
The U.S. Chocolate Market
Table 1-2: Retail Sales of Chocolate, Quantity & Value 2003-2007 (in millions of
metric tons & millions of dollars)
Total U.S. Premium Chocolate Market
Table 1-3: Premium, Conventional & Total Chocolate Retail Sales; Premium as
% of Total, 2003-2007 (billions of dollars & percent)
Retail Sales by Product Category
Distribution Channels
2008: A Challenging Economic Climate
Retail Chocolate Sales Forecast
New Product Introductions
New Product Claims
Trends
Table 1-4: Top 10 Premium Chocolate Trends
Sales by Company
Table 1-5: IRI-Tracked Premium Chocolate Sales by Company, One Year and 4-
Year Sales Change; Ranked by One Year Change (in dollars and percent)
Sales by Category
Chocolate Demographics
Chapter 2: Market Size & Growth
Methodology & Scope
The Evolution of Premium Chocolate
The Premium Price Threshold
Table 2-1: Premium Chocolate Segments, by Price (dollars/ounce &
dollars/pound)
Table 2-2: IRI-Tracked Top Ten Selling Premium Chocolate Brands, by Average
Price per Pound, 2007 (dollars/lb)
The U.S. Chocolate Market
Table 2-3: Retail Sales of Chocolate, Quantity & Value 2003-2007 (in millions of
metric tons & millions of dollars)
Figure 2-1: Growth Rates for Total Chocolate Retail Sales and Quantity Shipped,
2003-2007
The U.S. Premium Chocolate Segment
Table 2-4: Premium, Conventional & Total Chocolate Retail Sales; Premium as
% of Total, 2003-2007 (in billions of dollars & percent)

3. Table 2-5: Premium, Conventional & Total Chocolate Retail Sales Growth, 2003-
2007 (percent)
Figure 2-2: Premium Chocolate Retail Sales & Growth Rate, 2003-2007 (billions
of dollars and percent)
Retail Sales by Product Category
Table 2-6: IRI-Tracked Premium Chocolate Market Sales and % Market Share by
Category, 2007 (in dollars and percent)
Table 2-7: IRI-Tracked Premium Chocolate Penetration Rate in Total Chocolate
Sales by Category, 2007 (percent)
Figure 2-3: IRI-Tracked Premium Chocolate’s Sales Growth by Category, 2004-
2007 (percent)
Distribution Channels
Per Capita Consumption
Table 2-8: Per Capita Consumption of Chocolate by Pounds & Value, 2003-2007
(pounds & dollars)
2008: A Challenging Economic Climate
Figure 2-4: IRI-Tracked Premium Chocolate’s Sales Growth, 4-Week Periods,
2007-2008 (in millions of dollars)
Retail Conventional and Premium Sales Forecast
Figure 2-5: Premium & Conventional Chocolate Retail Sales, 2007 & 2012 (in
billions of dollars)
Chapter 3: Trends & Opportunities
Introduction
New Product Introductions
New Product Claims
Figure 3-1: New Chocolate Candy Introductions, 2003-2008 (number of SKUs
and percent)
Table 3-1: Top 10 Premium Chocolate New Product Claims, 2003-2007
New Trends Introduction
Table 3-2: Top 10 Premium Chocolate Trends
Trend 1: Bean-to-Bar & Microbatch Production
Trend 2: Dark Milk & Upscale White
Table 3-3: Bean-to-Bar Producers
Trend 3: Sustainability
Trend 4: Premiumitizing the Familiar
Trend 5: Exotic Flavors
Trend 6: Exotic Functions
Trend 7: Ultra Dark Bars
Trend 8: Ethical Chocolate: Organic & Fair Trade
Table 3-4: Imports of Certified Fair-trade & Organic Cocoa Beans, 2002-2006
(pounds & percent)
Trend 9: Large Tablet Bars
Trend 10: Filled Bars
Chapter 4: Major Marketers
Market Overview
Sales by Company

4. Table 4-1: IRI-Tracked Premium Chocolate Sales by Company, One Year and 4-
Year Sales Change; Ranked by One Year Change (in dollars and percent)
Sales by Category
Figure 4-1: IRI- Tracked Premium Chocolate Sales Growth by Company, One
Year Change and 4-Year CAGR (percent)
Table 4-2: IRI-Tracked Premium Chocolate Sales by Company and Category,
One Year Change and Percent Market Share, 2007 (in dollars and percent)
Table 4-3: IRI-Tracked Premium Chocolate Sales by Brand, Category, One Year
Change and Percent Market Share, 2007 (in dollars and percent)
Company Snapshots
Lindt
Ghirardelli
Godiva
See’s
Ferrero
Russell Stover
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Mars Snackfood
Hershey
Green & Black’s
Endangered Species
Nestlé
Guylian
Chapter 5: The Consumer
Introduction
Marketer Reputation
Table 5-1: Consumer Satisfaction Index for Top Food Manufacturers, 2003-2007
and Percent Change (index & percent)
Chocolate Demographics
Table 5-2 Purchasing Indexes by Demographic Breakout; Chocolate Purchases
by Marketer: Dove Promises, Ferrero and Godiva, 2008 (U.S. adults)
Appendix: Addresses of Selected Marketers
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