How Haigh’s Chocolate is winning customers by resisting shrinkflation

As one of the oldest family-owned chocolate makers in Australia, Haigh’s Chocolates in Adelaide continues to lead through innovation and fashion collaboration gift sets, and remains committed to keeping the chocolate bar size untouched which is surely good news in the era of shrinkflation.

While some big chocolate companies are downsizing chocolate bars, Haigh’s Chocolate’s Head Chocolatier Ben Kolly says block sizes remain the same – an approach that has held them in good stead over the decades. He says there’s no reason to compromise when a product is doing well.

The fourth-generation family company employs more than 900 people across 24 retail stores in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra and soon Queensland, making them one of the largest importers of ethically sourced raw cocoa beans and a ‘bean to bar’ specialist.

Last September, the company unveiled its new $120 million production, warehouse, and online fulfilment facility in Salisbury South.

The pristine development is where you’ll find state the art European machinery including specialised panning, enrobing and moulding line. Haigh’s employ more than 400 people at this warehouse alone.

Now they’re stepping into the retail sector in Queensland for the first time, introducing three new retail stores by the end of November, with Queenslanders being very vocal for the brand to make its way to their state.

Swiss-born Ben Kolly has been working at Haigh’s Chocolates for 18 years and living in Australia for 35. He is a huge part of the brand’s success – helping develop chocolate blends that keep them a step ahead of competitors.

He says the secret to the Haigh’s winning formula all comes down to understanding how to blend raw cocoa bean which is sourced from various countries including South America, West Africa and the Pacific region.

“We don’t take any shortcuts with ingredients and while margin and the profitability are important, for us it’s a tradition and commitment to craftsmanship and quality that nobody who works here wants to ever compromise.”

Ben Haigh refuses to bend on quality. Picture: Supplied

He likens the production of cocoa beans to the wine industry; what grows in the soil reflects the end result – and with climate change comes the need to source from various locations too.

“There are over 600 different type of flavour components in cocoa beans – very similar to grapes – and depending where the product is grown, the terroir, the soil, each cocoa bean will taste differently,” Kolly said.

“Each region we ethically source from brings a different flavour profile, and we carefully blend them for various flavours to make truffles, different caramels and different centres.”

Kolly says understanding a brand’s identity plays a huge part in its longevity in the world of chocolate making. There’s no Willy Wonka trickery here.

“For us, we are a product that’s a specialty item – a small luxury – and it’s connected with a lot of childhood memories for many who purchase it and it’s that identity as a trusted brand that has kept us at the front in Australia.

“I do believe customers still want something special to treat their loved ones with, and they come to us for that very reason. But it’s also in the customer service; we’re very particular about the way we present the chocolates in store to the way we sell them in our shops.”

Haigh’s Chocolates’ collaboration with Paolo Sebastian. Picture: Supplied

Haigh’s has recently collaborated with Australian couture house Paolo Sebastian, started by Paul Vasileff 19 years ago from South Australia. While the fashion designer trained in Milan in Europe, he brought his vision back to Adelaide where he continues to craft gowns that woo at Paris Fashion Week and beyond.

Steeped in sentimental storytelling and romancing the idea of memories, Vasileff leans on a delicate palette of shades from soft pink, powder blue and deep navy intricately finished with gold accents and signature design motifs: the cocoa bean and the nightingale songbird.

“I have fond memories of receiving Haigh’s chocolates a child; it’s an iconic South Australian brand that has stood the test of time and it’s inspiring,” Vasileff said.

“I really wanted to marry the two brand concepts together and tell a story through this special gift packaging.

“My work as designer is all about dreaming, it’s like bringing a fairy tale to life, and using the nightingale as a symbol in our embroidery and in our storytelling felt relevant to this collaboration.”

Ben Haigh with Paul Vasileff of Paolo Sebastian, the eye behind the box design. Picture: Supplied

While Paolo Sebastian couture and wedding pieces can fetch up to $36,000, the new collaboration is a chance to take a piece of the designer’s creative heart home for a limited-edition item.

“I wanted to come up with packaging design that you want to keep on. your shelf, something that will spark joy, remind you of a moment or a place,” Vasileff said.

“All the artwork is hand drawn, and I imagine people holding this up close and inspecting it. It’s very personal and a labour of love – like my fashion design is,” he says.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of every Haigh’s Chocolates Paolo Sebastian collaborative product will go towards Bowel Cancer Australia and their work supporting those impacted by bowel cancer.