Having won Product of the Year twice in a row for products including Fruit-tella Curiosities and Mentos Fanta, innovation is second nature to Perfetti Van Melle-owned sweet brand Mentos.
Its latest offering, Mentos Discovery, is yet more proof of its creativity. The new product, as the name suggests, boasts 14 different flavoured dragees – a Dutch name for the individual hard chews, a term Mentos has adopted in a bid to remain true to the brand’s Dutch heritage – of a selection of wonderfully “exotic flavours”, including lychee and passionfruit.
It’s not just the range of flavours that set Mentos Discovery apart but the fact that each pack contains the same 14 flavours in the same order, every time, according to brand manager Sarah du Plessis says.
With yet more upcoming launches – a “big project” that she apologises for being “obviously not at liberty to share yet” – it is clear the brand owner has much more innovation in the bank.
“We know that confectionery is very playful. It’s known for often having new textures, new flavours, and new tastes. Consumers are always looking for the newest product to try and share, so it becomes a thing to be the first,” says du Plessis.
“If you’re not innovating, you’re not going to grow your brand – it’s absolutely critical.”
When asked how innovation within Perfetti Van Melle’s (PVM) vast confectionery portfolio – which includes household brand names such as Chupa Chups, Fruit-tella and recent addition Trident – doesn’t cannibalise its many brands, du Plessis says it’s about balance.
“I think it’s a balancing act…it all goes back to the target audience. Different innovations lend themselves to different consumers. Mentos is all about saying yes to freshness and embracing fruit and freshness. It’s aimed at those 18 to 24, as those are the most adventurous consumers and are most willing to try new things.”
Inflationary pressure and competition
Innovation is also Mentos’ solution to the current challenges and inflationary pressures affecting both the sweet category and the broader FMCG sector, according to du Plessis.
While many brands are worried about the slowly encroaching discounters and their enticing value-priced private label products, du Plessis claims own-label threat is not an issue for Mentos.
“Discounters have always been a big part of our sales. It’s not new news to us. We have projects in the pipeline and have active conversations and plans with Lidl and Aldi. We are very active with the likes of Home Bargains. They are at the forefront of when we’re creating new products.”
Du Plessis also flags that Mentos’ ever-expanding portfolio has products with multiple different price points. “This enables us to be really competitive in each channel segment,” she says.
“We’ve got single rolls, we’ve got three packs, we’ve got a price mark pack which protects particular channels and customers. And then we have our five-pack in major malls. So, when we’re doing big innovation, we really try and make sure that we can cater to everywhere and that there is a lot of choice.”
Navigating HFSS regulations
Recent years have seen increased scrutiny and regulation around advertising and in-store placement of high-fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) products.
Du Plessis says Mentos is not as greatly impacted by these regulations as all of its gum is sugar-free, and other products in its portfolio are also non-HFSS.
“We have 13% of the sugar-free HFSS category – which makes us the third biggest manufacturer. We’re massively punching above our weight, which is amazing,” says du Plessis.
“It’s just something we really believe in… but having that said, we’re not going to go make 50% of the portfolio sugar-free because that is also not the right decision. It’s about balance.
”Sweets are a category where people are wanting a treat. They know sugar is sweet. They know that if they’re having a treat, they’re having something naughty, but are prepared to forego the consequences.”
“So we think it about giving people a choice. Sugar-free is not the normal natural go-to in confectionery. Other companies may have had more of a knee-jerk reaction. For PVM it was always important that each of the brands had sugar-free [products], and we all had sugar-free well in advance before the rules and regulations came in.”
From sugar-free to new innovative products, Mentos is making sure it is giving consumers more and more ways to treat themselves.
