The Easter Bunny has been busy this spring, with innovative chocolate products taking pride of place on supermarket shelves around the world. PLA has found that there is something to make everyone smile, from a traditional Christian chocolate cross and royalty-themed chocolate ducks, to real egg shells filled with praline, decorate your own egg kits, and a cocktail egg from Brazil.
Brasil Cacau has extended its line of chocolate eggs with three new varieties: Pe-de-Moleque (a Brazilian sweet made with toasted nuts); Cocada (a Brazilian sweet made with coconut); and Caipirinha (a Brazilian cocktail). The Caipirinha variety is a milk chocolate egg with crunchy lime, filled with bottle-shaped, lime-Caipirinha-flavored milk chocolate sweets.
North of the equator, US consumers will be able to celebrate Easter with Russell Stover's solid milk chocolate cross. The "cross" comes in a windowed, Easter-themed box.
In the UK, meanwhile, Marks & Spencer has launched a new hand-decorated milk chocolate product for Easter inspired by the popularity of the royal family. The retailer's Royal Ducknesses features two decorated hollow milk chocolate "ducks" with sugar-paste crown shapes. They come without artificial colors or flavors and are presented in a see-through plastic box.
Consumers in Germany, on the other hand, will be able to buy praline chocolate in real egg shell, new from Gut Springenheide. Presented in a windowed paperboard box, the product is available in white, red, and green.
Finally, Italian consumers who feel like being artistic can now decorate their own eggs. Italy's Molino Spadoni has introduced a new dark chocolate egg that includes a decoration kit, sold under the Specialita del Trentino brand name. The kit includes two dark chocolate egg shells, a blank greetings card, a base to support the egg, a wrapper, a satin ribbon, and a string to hold the egg together. Consumers can fill the eggs with miniature eggs, toys, candy, or other surprises to personalize their Easter egg gifts.