Mondelez to enter US chocolate market with Oreo and Green & Blacks

Cadbury owner Mondelez International has unveiled plans to foray into the US chocolate market with its Oreo and Green & Blacks brands.

The decision to expand Mondelez's presence in the US confectionary segment was announced at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference in Boston. The company currently has a very small presence in the US chocolate category.

Mondelez International chief growth officer Tim Cofer said: “With our strong brands and global expertise in chocolate, we see enormous potential to grow our US business and expand the category.

“The US is the world's largest chocolate market, valued at $14bn. However, per capita consumption is only about half that of many developed European chocolate markets.”

In the mainstream segment, Mondelez is pairing Oreo with European brand Milka. The new combination was globally successful and is currently available in more than 20 countries.

In the premium segment, Mondelez International plans to offer its Green & Blacks brand, maintaining its heritage of providing the finest ingredients from sustainable and ethical sources.

The new Green & Blacks range contains 70% dark chocolate, which will be available in tablets, and sharing and gift packs.

The company said that they have sourced cocoa from the Cocoa Life programme, and it contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.