Hershey Buys Dagoba Organic Chocolate

The leading snack food company and largest North American manufacturer of chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products, Hershey, acquired Dagoba Organic Chocolate. The terms of the deal have not been published yet.

Hershey’s chocolate products include Reese’s, Kit Kat and Almond Joy. Although organic line extensions of existing brands are faltering, marketers acquiring organic brands find more and more success. The company stated on a conference call with analysts that it planned to spend more on marketing and merchandising in the forth quarter to revive sales and margins since retailer orders of new products had been disappointing.

The manufacturer of natural and organic chocolate, Dagoba, produces natural and organic chocolate bars, hot chocolate and chocolate-covered coffee beans which are sold in natural and gourmet food stores.

The organic chocolate category is worth 20 million US $ and grew 57.2 % in 2005, compared with a decline of 0.1 % for conventional chocolates, reported the Nutrition Business Journal.

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