I grew up in a Catholic Country, and moreover in a catholic school. “Semana Santa” more than a high season Holiday, represented for me a time of quietness and reflection. Living in a Western country, Eastern and chocolates bunnies are the most significant image of Eastern holidays, and the biggest fun for my small daughters.

But what about chocolates consumption in Latin America for Eastern Time, due to the rapidly growing urban middle class, a big opportunity for seasonal chocolate has raised, where “sales are projected to rise by a robust 22% in retail volume over the 2012-2017 period and this growth is being driven by middle-class urban consumers. One key example of seasonal chocolate’s dynamic performance in Latin America could be found in Argentina where seasonal chocolate posted a retail volume growth of 4% in 2012. Demand was mostly driven by the popularity of local brands like Bon o Bon (Arcor SAO) which is regarded as both high in quality and relatively affordable”*.

Despite the differences of culture, and economic situation, seasonal chocolate is an important period for chocolate companies that implement different strategies to increase either market penetration or differentiation. Nevertheless, companies have to keep an eye in the development of Latin-America in which big opportunities appear even, with customer behavior’s that were not expected.

* Easter Presents a Sweet Opportunity for Chocolate Brands March 30, 2013; Euromonitor international.