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Bag-in-box success is sweet

Chocolate syrup manufacturer Mont Blanc Chocolatier adapts bag-in-box technology for use in coffeehouses and restaurants. Extended shelf life and shelf stability are said to be industry firsts.

Bag-in-box packages of Mont Blanc syrups are designed to sit on coffeehouse and ice cream parlor counters for simplified use by
Bag-in-box packages of Mont Blanc syrups are designed to sit on coffeehouse and ice cream parlor counters for simplified use by

Marketers of gourmet food products sold at retail often give as much time and attention to their packaging as they do to the products themselves. But when that same specialty product is used in a foodservice environment, it's typically presented to a customer on a plate--not in its original package--and any market presence gained through packaging is lost.

Such was the bittersweet case for Mont Blanc Chocolatier, the Denver, CO-based cocoa manufacturer. With its products already known in gourmet retail circles, the 13-year-old company sought to gain a stronger market presence in the cafes and restaurants where it's used.

Mont Blanc had made its foodservice debut years before via its powdered cocoa products sold in bulk bags to cafes and restaurants that used the cocoas as ingredients in ice cream and coffee drinks. However, Mont Blanc chocolatier and proprieter Michael Szyliowicz had a sweet vision: a new syrup version of his cocoa that would be easier to use than powders. It would be sold to foodservice establishments in a disposable bag-in-box package fitted with a portion-controlled dispenser and adorned with the Mont Blanc name. Shelf stable even after opening, it would sit atop coffeehouse counters to allow simple handling by employees as well as full view by restaurant customers.

Szyliowicz's vision became a reality this past February, when three versions of Mont Blanc's syrups--dark chocolate, white chocolate and white chocolate caramel--were introduced in bag-in-box packages at the Fancy Foods show in San Francisco.

Perfecting the package

"A lot of our customers use bulk powders," says Szyliowicz, "but syrups are so much easier to use. Syrup offers precise measurement and isn't as messy. We wanted to give our customers an alternative to powders. We worked to create a great chocolate syrup, and then to create the best package we could."

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