Romanians’ appetite for the "food of the gods" pushed up the business of Heidi Chocolat maker by 14%, up to 43 million lei (roughly 12 million euros) in 2008. In spite of the current economic conditions that brim with pessimism, Erwin Vondenhoff, managing director of the chocolate maker, counts on a further 15-20% increase this year, focusing on a broad communication and rebranding process, investments in technology and improvement of products’ quality.
People still eating chocolate despite financial crisis
Erwin Vondenhoff (photo), managing director of one of the largest chocolate makers in local marketplace, says the current poor economic context is no real threat to solid brands with a well-nurtured identity.
“It is not about cars or real estates, it is chocolate. People have eaten chocolate for hundreds of years, as a personal reward when they are happy, or as comfort food when they are depressed or stressed. In the midst of a financial crisis, you would wonder which brands are the most affected and which the least. Is it you have a solid brand, and consumers choose it, or you don’t, and consumers choose other products, sometimes cheaper. As a generalized trend at European level, for the middle-class products, without a well nurtured identity, the crisis will be imminent”, said Erwin Vondenhoff.
As he commented, in the midst of shaky economic conditions, people are no longer open to experiment new products as they were before, preferring the brand that offer safety. In light of this, foreign producers who plan to move into the local markets, will have to deal with major drawbacks resulted from the financial crisis.
“In times of crisis, emotionally speaking, people seek for safety. A brand should confer safety. I don’t think people are willing to experiment new things any longer. This is why it would be so difficult to foreign choc
