NEWS

Chocolate and candy are a must-have during Eid. It’s a time when people get together – candy is central to that. Eid always means a spike in chocolate and candy sales.

Ülker always begins its preparations months in advance, taking into account the needs of consumers. This year, they rolled out 28 new chocolate products and 29 candies.

Pladis Türkiye’s President Mete Buyurgan stated that Turks consumed nearly 569 million Ülker chocolates in 2015 – that’s about seven times the population of Türkiye itself. “Eid is an important time for us and customers alike. We make everything with great care. Customers love Ülker’s Ece, Çikolatin, Gum Mastic Toffee, and Lokumcuk candy at Eid.”

He added that Ülker alone held 32% of Türkiye’s market share in 2015. When it comes to how they get ready for Eid, Buyurgan said:

• “One of our innovations this Eid is wrapping special bags for Ece and Çikolatin, as they are our two biggest products. Ülker Ece is the country’s largest “filled” chocolate maker. Çikolatin is one of our oldest products. It’s been produced since the 1950s.
• We’ve unveiled Lalezar milk and dark chocolate medallions – and in a rather chic package at that.
• Standing out among our list of 29 new candies are a couple of new Lokumcuk flavors –pomegranate and pineapple. Last year we had added lemon, tangerine, blackberry, and apple.
• Ülker Toffee Gum Mastic is another Eid favorite. We also unveiled a few other flavors for toffee-lovers as well: caramel, watermelon (for summer people), and blackberry & raspberry (for fruitoholics).

Buyurgan noted that Ülker values customer feedback. “We’ve asked customers about what they think about Eid. They’ve reminded us once again Eid means being together, excitement, contentment, and diversity. On the last note, customers want their chocolate and other candy to be colorful, fun, exciting, and to reflect the true spirit of Eid. They place a lot of importance on variety, abundance, and presentation. Hence, we do our best to do the same.”

Note to the editor:

The chocolate industry in numbers

• Türkiye’s chocolate market was at a turnover worth TL 5.3 billion liras in 2015. That is approximately 289 thousand tons of chocolate (Nielsen and Ipsos, Household Consumption Panel).

• Eid chocolate comes both boxes and in bulk (by the kilo). Turks prefer to give boxed chocolate as gifts during Eid, to buy bulk chocolate to serve their own guests at home.

• Almost everyone across Anatolia likes chocolate-coated hazelnut and peanut during Eid.

• Bulk chocolate is particularly popular in the Central Anatolia region, whilst boxed chocolate is popular in Türkiye’s Marmara region (Source: Ipsos, Household Consumption Panel).

• Cacao butter gives chocolate a very special and delicate crystal structure. To maintain that, chocolate products must be kept between 18 and 22 ºC.

The candy industry with numbers

• As of 2015, Türkiye’s candy market is worth TL 966 million (59 thousand tons of goods). The turnover share of snacks as long is 3.7% (Nielsen and Ipsos Household Consumption Panel).
• Türkiye’s mini candy market – also as of 2015 – is roughly 26 thousand tons in scale. That’s a turnover of TL 250 million (Ipsos Household Consumption Panel).
•  Türkiye is consuming more candy than ever, especially right around Ramadan and Eid al-Adha. During Eid alone, candy sales jump six fold.
• Turks consume 48% of their candy during Ramadan. By region: Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia – 41%; Aegean – 20%, Marmara – 16%, Mediterranean – 9%, Central Anatolia – 8%, Black Sea – 7% (Ipsos Household Consumption Panel).
•  Mini candy should be kept in a dark, cool place (below 30 °C).