The must-attend virtual confectionery event Confectionery Live finally came to a close yesterday, on 21 June 2023, having welcomed over 800 attendees representing 83 countries.
As the second edition of Confectionery Live, we decided to centre content topics around our overarching theme ‘Sustainable. Ethical. Lasting’ and over the two-day period, we witnessed the ingenuity of those working across the supply chain in the confectionery industry to ensure greater sustainability.
On the first day of Confectionery Live, we heard from speakers such as Ari Melmaud, CEO of Incredo Sugar who spoke about their particular solution to combat sugar reduction while not impacting the final flavour of the confectionery, alongside Tom Snick, CEO of Guylian and Kerrina Thorogood, Commercial Partnerships Director at Fairtrade whose presentations had a common theme: ensuring chocolate is sourced ethically and supports the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.
Throughout day one, attendees were also treated to Royal Duyvis Wiener’s century-long insight into chocolate processing as Frank Cone, Sales Director and Roy Smith, Technology Manager spoke about combining innovation with tradition, versatile chocolate processing lines and ingredient trends. They delivered their presentations from their 2000m2 Technology Center, speaking from the heart of the company’s facility where they are able to support customers in exploring new innovations and trends.
During day two, attendees heard from Tanis delivering on technical topics including centre filled gummies, vegan aeration and the future of starch, covering big trends in candy processing currently, as Janne van Rangelrooij, Food Technologist and Manon Kerremans, Manager Innovation Center, showcased their expertise and know-how in these areas.
60 Decibels returned for this edition to speak with Editor Caitlin Gittins as Ellie Turner, Deputy Agriculture Lead spoke in more detail about their Farmer Thriving Index and the importance of using data to measure impact, while Clay Gordon, Technical Editor of International Confectionery Magazine and Founder of The Chocolate Life delivered both a solo presentation on sustainable packaging and a panel discussion that looked at sustainable projects and their meaning with panelists Luca Urbano, Co-Founder of Inhabit and Matthew Chambers, Chairman of the Chambers Federation taking part.
Attendees got to witness topics explored in the first edition return – as the ethical sourcing of cocoa remained an important topic – but also hear about newer innovations, such as the upcycling of cacao fruit, colour trends and insights and alternative ingredients in the confectionery industry, showcasing how Confectionery Live follows closely these trends and the information to know.
Thanks to the support of our sponsors Royal Duyvis Wiener, Tanis, CEPI Spa and Wymbs Engineering, attendees were treated to a rich range of insightful content and streamlined solutions ranging from chocolate processing to candy processing and bulk handling, showcasing how topics such as automation, efficiency and sustainability were reflected in their latest machinery. Their exhibitor booths displayed their latest innovations and solutions for attendees to peruse.
Partnering once again with our knowledge partner FMCG Gurus, Eleanor Johnson, Data Analyst touched upon health-consciousness in consumers in her session and discussed how brands can tap into this trend without compromising on taste or nutrition.
From the Confectionery Live team, we’d like to extend a big thank you to our sponsors, for their support, to our speakers, for taking the time to deliver insightful sessions, our knowledge partner FMCG Gurus for delivering their consumer insight once more and to our attendees, for joining us for two days of jampacked content.
“We are pleased to announce that the second edition of Confectionery Live has been a big success,” said Jon Pittock, Publisher, Hand Media. “We took lessons learned from the first edition in January to make this an even more streamlined, informative experience for our attendees. We look forward to returning in February 2024 and continuing the tradition of being a vital source to the industry. I am proud of the Confectionery Live team, with special mention to Caitlin, for curating an insightful and engaging conference agenda with speakers from all across the globe.
“It was also a pleasure for this edition of Confectionery Live to be co-located with the launch of Bakery Live, proving over 30+ hours of content for both the confectionery and bakery industries. It is clear that the confectionery market is a thriving one, full of continuous evolution and a desire for change and betterment. On that note, I am excited to reveal that we will be launching further initiatives to the confectionery sector within the next six months, so watch this space.”
