Normally held at the beginning of February in Cologne, ISM 2021 opted for a digital edition to showcase the top innovations in confectionery due to the cancellation of the physical event because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The top three innovations at ISM in 2021 are:
- Confiserie Burg Lauenstein GmbH with the Lauensteiner tea leaf tin from Germany
- Selectum GmbH with the Paddies Cheesetastic from Austria
- Francois Doucet with KARA Fruity from France
"For ISM, the New Product Showcase is an important medium for making the high number of innovations transparent to the trade audience. With no physical trade fair taking place, it was important to us to support the industry with the business platform ISM as a stage for presenting their new products. We are delighted that with 70 exhibitors from 20 nations and in total 110 products, the digital response was very high. This underlines the innovative power of the industry and how much it needs ISM as an industry platform for sweets and snacks," said Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse.
Central platform
The New Product Showcase has been the central platform for the industry's new products since 2009 and has established itself as an appealing attraction for all decision-makers at ISM. Normally, ISM/ProSweets presents the new products to the visitors in a high-calibre special exhibition during the trade fair.
As was the case in the past years, the top innovations were selected by an independent jury of experts from the industry, trade and field of science.
First place went to the Lauensteiner Tea Leaf Tin, which 'combines tea and chocolate with each other masterfully'. According to the jury, true chocolate perfectionists were at work here. That alone would have been prize-worthy, but the packaging and overall contents also stand for high quality. Unanimously - something that doesn't happen all that often - the jury was convinced that the winner is not just a chocolatey highlight for tea lovers.
Second place this year went to the ‘Paddies Cheestastic’ that impressed as cream-filled, tender crunchy pastry puffs filled with a fine cheesy cream. For the jury, a cutting-edge, practical, to-go micro snack that is rich in protein. Being gluten and palm oil-free was a clincher.
‘KARA Fruit Taste’, the tenderly coated crunchy cereals covered in the finest fruit chocolate convinced the jury with its top confectionery quality and fruity, crispy-light combination of different ingredients and ultimately claimed third place. A delicate shell made of fruit chocolate conceals a core comprising of gluten-free, crunchy cereals. People who are looking for a light summer snack, but who don't want to do without chocolate, can fall back on the KARA crispy chocolate balls during the hot months, too. Thanks to its small size, it makes the ideal light, yet chocolatey in-between meal snack.