May 9/Prepared Foods May 2011 “Hitting the Shelves” --Reformulating children’s products to attract the adult market is not a new tactic. Not too long ago, Jelly Bean introduced its line of Jelly Belly Cocktail Classics, with flavors such as Mojito, Pomegranate Cosmo and Margarita. While that particular move created some controversy, a few beverage marketers have taken a similar strategy to attract adults by creating upscale versions of another classic product for children...chocolate milk.

SIG Combibloc, an international supplier of carton packaging and filling machines, has reported companies are luring the elderly and “best agers” (a market segment defined by Wikipedia’s German version as “mature consumers or those over 50”) by increasing the cocoa content and using creative flavors equal to premium chocolate bars.

Examples include Moreno-branded premium chocolate milks, produced by Germany-based Nordmilch; since the product launch, it has merged with Humana to form DMK Deutsches Milchkontor, a company that exports to over 80 countries and has sales of some 4.8 billion euros (based on 2008 sales). Among the varieties are Dark Chocolate with 70% cocoa content, Marzipan and Nougat flavors. Similarly, a chocolate drink under its Candia brand has been introduced in Poland. It has a 70% cocoa content and primarily targets adults who “prefer a full, less sweet chocolate taste.”

The SIG Combibloc release mentioned other creatively flavored chocolate milks, including some more likely aimed at children. They include Philippine-based San Miguel Corporation, whose Magnolia-branded Choco Magic range boasts Chocolate/Melon and Chocolate/Strawberry chocolate milks.

However, there is little doubt as to the intended target for alcohol-spiked Adult Chocolate Milk from Arizona-based Adult Beverage Company. With the tagline “Re-taste your youth. At 40 proof,” and a website requiring age declaration before entering (www.adultchocolatemilk.com), it will be interesting to see if the product triggers unhappy parental groups, a la Jelly Belly’s Cocktail Classics.
--Claudia D. O’Donnell, Chief Editor