Cadbury's Creme Eggs are the fruit of yesterday's innovation

Cadbury's Creme Eggs are the fruit of yesterday's innovation
Tags: Business Strategy and Profitability, Food & Beverage, Marketing / Branding / Promotion
May 5, 2011

With Easter having just passed, one has to wonder how Cadbury's (Kraft) Easter Crème Eggs are made? What innovation was required?

According to Cadbury's website, the Easter Crème Eggs owe their beginnings to the two greatest developments in the history of chocolate – the Dutch invention of a press for separating cocoa butter from the cocoa bean in 1828, and the introduction of a pure cocoa by Cadbury Brothers in 1866. The Cadbury process made large quantities of cocoa butter available, and this was the secret of making moulded chocolate or any fine eating chocolate.

To make a Crème Egg, molten chocolate is poured into two plastic molds of half-eggs cut lengthwise, after which blobs of white and orange fondant, a sweet icing-like mixture, are dropped inside. The fondant pushes the chocolate out around the mold and settles in the middle. Then the two halves are brought together rapidly and cooled for about a half hour.

The push for a modern day larger egg

According to an article in the April 23 Wall Street Journal, the push is on for Kraft Cadbury to make a larger Crème Egg. David McGuire, a 34-year old creative director from Cornwall, England, has started a Facebook group: "I would BUY an Easter egg-sized Cadbury's Crème Egg." His group took off and its size exceeded 3,000 members. But sheer size of his group has not appeared to faze the Kraft Cadbury organization. Their first reaction seems to be that it is technically difficult to make a larger egg, nutritional politics prevent it, and the economics (or profitability) cannot justify it.

Same old naysayer remarks

But Kraft Cadbury's negative responses are the same cries of discouragement innovation chefs and food technologists face from today's food executives. We can't possibly develop an innovative product because: 1. It is technically too difficult. 2. It may be too expensive. 3. It doesn't meet the politically correct nutrition levels; and 4. We can't make it profitably. I could probably list another 10 negatives.

Unfortunately, most food executives continue to cultivate a culture of negativity within their R&D departments. Instead, they need to implement a positive "can do" mentality that rewards innovation with promotions and financial rewards – otherwise shut down the R&D department.

Enjoying the fruit of innovation

Thankfully, Cadbury took the time (decades, in fact) to develop the technology that has enabled millions of consumers to enjoy the Easter Crème Egg throughout the years. Cadbury first introduced crème-filled eggs in 1923. They now churn out 360 million eggs a year.

Not only do millions of people savor this annual treat, but it has spawned additional consumer creativity. According to a blogs.smithsonianmag.com, passionate consumers have created everything from deviled eggs, Cadbury Eggs Benedict and fried eggs to crepes and even Cadbury Crème Eggs McFlurry. Now that's blending yesterday's and today's innovation technology.

Kraft Cadbury, prove to us that you can make the giant crème egg!

New Food Innovation Process Workshop in June

Restaurant companies should commit to establishing and developing new food innovation processes within their corporate environments that are independent from the old established processes. The Food Innovation Institute will be sponsoring a two-day workshop in June at Johnson & Wales Culinary School in Denver. This event will be a pilot class that will be used to formulate best practices for the restaurant industry. Please contact me if you are interested.

Please contact me at dsuderman@foodbevbiz.com or follow the Food Innovation Institute website (www.foodbevbiz.com) for more information on our 2011 Food Innovation Workshops.