Nestle have taken the decision to bring Les Recettes De L’Atelier to the UK, four years after initially launching the premium chocolate in France and Switzerland in 2014.
The brand, which includes a variety of milk and dark chocolate blocks with fruit and nut pieces, is currently exclusive to Sainsbury’s stores for the next year, but Nestle have said a possible wider distribution is possible.
Currently, Les Recettes De L’Atelier is available in seven different flavours, which include salted caramel;raisins, almonds and hazelnuts; anberries, almonds and hazelnuts; orange zest and cacao nibs; whole roasted almonds and hazelnuts; roasted almonds and blueberries, almonds and hazelnuts.
Nestle have stated that the products will follow the rest of their UK confectionery range, in the sense they will be free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. The range itself uses cocoa exclusively from the company’s own sustainability program – the Nestle Cocoa Plan.
The global giant have said that premium chocolate is one of the fastest growing areas in confectionery, however there is a notable gap in what it offers in the UK. This is why Nestle opted to launch Les Recettes De L’Atelier in Switzerland and France first.
“The consumers in Switzerland and France appreciate high quality chocolate and are at the forefront of the artisanal trends throughout the food industry… Nestlé has traditionally strong positions in this segment in both markets,” said Sylwia Gorska, the company’s spokesperson.
“Les Recettes De L’Atelier’s growth is outstanding, well ahead of the category growth… It has grown to become Nestlé’s fastest growing confectionery brand in Europe,” she added. “In less than three years, the brand took the third position in the premium tablets market in Europe.”
Gorska also added that Nestle have a “really strong” innovation pipeline over the coming tears for the brand, while there will also be more premium options under some of their flagship brands, such as KitKat, “in the not too distant future.”
“There are a number of great opportunities in premium confectionery… it’s an area of our business that we will continue to invest in to develop innovative products and bring something new to the category,” she said.
