Gourmet Chocolate Sales Up

The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and Cupid helped sell more than a quarter of America's gourmet chocolate last year, and during the next four years will help drive overall sales to nearly $1.8 billion, according to "Gourmet Chocolate in the U.S.," a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com.

"Gourmet chocolates have come out of the closet and are showing some muscle in the mass market arena with exceptional branding that is making gourmet indulgence a household phenomenon," noted Don Montuori, of Packaged Facts. "Higher cocoa content, the health benefits associated with chocolate, and the introduction of organics, 'single origin chocolates,' and exotic flavors, such as grapefruit and habaneros, are having a major impact on this industry, helping it grow more quickly than
standard chocolate."

Seasonal sales tracked through supermarkets, drugstores, and mass merchandisers (excluding Wal-Mart) accounted for roughly 29 percent of gourmet sales in 2005, while overall tracked sales showed 20.2-percent growth over 2004. Packaged Facts projects that the overall gourmet chocolate market, which also includes untracked sales through specialty chocolatier boutiques, gourmet shops, convenience stores, warehouse clubs and other non-chain stores, will grow 6.4 percent from $1.3 billion in 2005 to $1.8 billion in 2010.