Meiji The Chocolate - Success Case Study

Meiji The Chocolate - Success Case Study

Summary

Meiji, an established food manufacturer based in Japan, launched a gourmet chocolate bar named Meiji The Chocolate in 2014. However, the product failed to strike a chord with consumers as it lacked a distinct flavor. Subsequently, armed with research, the company revisited its strategy and introduced Meiji The Chocolate in 2016. Meiji offered the product in eight flavors - Brilliant Milk, Comfort Bitter, Elegant Bitter, Framboise, Matcha, Sunny Milk, Velvet Milk, and Vivid Milk - which are segregated into bitter and milk chocolate. The company adopted a Bean to Bar concept, procuring cacao beans from select plantations across the globe to create a dark chocolate with a distinct taste. Additionally, each bar of chocolate is fashioned as an assortment of differently shaped and patterned pieces to provide a varied consumption experience.

In September 2016, Meiji, a leading Japanese manufacturer of dairy and food products including confectionaries, introduced Meiji The Chocolate.

The new high-end dark chocolate bars were made available in eight flavors, targeted towards adults.

Within a year of its launch, 30 million Meiji The Chocolate bars were sold.

Scope

• Meiji took the bold step of formulating Meiji The Chocolate as a dark chocolate, even though the majority of Japanese consumers prefer milk chocolate.
• Japan is a major consumer of chocolates within Asia and consumption is growing.
• Sourcing good quality cacao beans that offer a distinct taste has been a key factor for the product's success.
• The packaging offers the tactile sensation of craft paper, and a foil stamp in the center of the front label is shaped as a cacao pod etched with abstract patterns to reflect different flavors.
• Meiji used mass production to keep product prices competitive.

• Understand the relevant consumer trends and attitudes that drive and support innovation success so you can tap into what is really impacting the industry.
• Gain a broader appreciation of the fast-moving consumer goods industry by gaining insights from both within and outside of your sector.
• Access valuable strategic take-outs to help direct future decision-making and inform new product development.