The brand, which includes a range of dark and milk chocolate blocks with fruit and nut pieces, is exclusive to Sainsbury’s stores for the next 12 months before a possible wider distribution, said Nestlé.
Les Recettes De L’Atelier is currently available in seven different flavors, including raisins, almonds and hazelnuts; orange zest and cacao nibs; whole roasted almonds and hazelnuts; salted caramel; roasted almonds; blueberries, almonds and hazelnuts; and cranberries, almonds and hazelnuts.
Nestlé said the products follow the rest of its UK confectionery range in being free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors. The range uses cocoa exclusively from the company's own sustainability program the Nestlé Cocoa Plan.
No.3 in Europe’s premium chocolate tablets market
The Swiss food giant said premium chocolate was one of the fastest growing areas in confectionery, yet there has been a gap in what it offers in the UK – that is why Nestlé chose Switzerland and France to launch Les Recettes De L’Atelier first.
“The consumers in Switzerland and France appreciate high quality chocolate and are at the forefront of the artisanal trends throughout the food industry… Nestlé has traditionally strong positions in this segment in both markets,” said Sylwia Gorska, the company’s spokesperson.
“Les Recettes De L’Atelier’s growth is outstanding, well ahead of the category growth… It has grown to become Nestlé’s fastest growing confectionery brand in Europe,” she added. “In less than three years, the brand took the third position in the premium tablets market in Europe.”
Gorska added that Nestlé has a “really strong” innovation pipeline for the brand over the coming years. Additionally, there will be more premium options under some of its biggest brands like KitKat “in the not too distant future.”
“There are a number of great opportunities in premium confectionery… it’s an area of our business that we will continue to invest in to develop innovative products and bring something new to the category,” she said.