Mondelez Counts on Oreo Chocolate Bars for ‘Big Splash’

The company will expand into the U.S. chocolate market with the bars made with Milka chocolate.

September 09, 2016

DEERFIELD, Ill. – Mondelez International isn’t letting a little thing like Hershey’s rejection of its takeover bid slow it down. The snack maker announced its “big splash” plan this week to enlarge its presence in the U.S. chocolate market with its Oreo chocolate bars, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Mondelez will start selling Oreo chocolate bars made with its Milka chocolate later this year in a limited amount before a national launch in 2017. At the same time, the company will also debut a new line of premium chocolate bars under Green & Black’s. “We have a very small presence in the U.S. [chocolate market], so entering this category represents a significant white space opportunity for us,” said Tim Cofer, chief growth officer for Mondelez.

The Oreo bars will have several varieties, including one with “bits of Oreo cookie mixed with crème enrobed in [Milka] chocolate,” said Michael Mitchell, a company spokesman. Another bar will have an Oreo wafer in the center with a crème top and bottom. Meanwhile, 17 Green & Black’s varieties will be available by the close of 2016, with another 20 bars hitting shelves ahead of Valentine’s Day 2017.

Cofer estimates the overall U.S. chocolate channel to be around $14 billion. Mondelez is banking that pairing Oreos with its Milka chocolate will help spur U.S. sales.

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