The fudge, which actually does not contain bacon, only natural colors to achieve a bacon-like appearance, can be applied to ice cream, sweet pizzas, cakes and salads with plans to team it with other ingredients for multiple applications.
Plans to develop more applications
Pecan Deluxe, which makes flavored fudges, molded chocolate pieces, brownie chunks and praline nuts is now one of the biggest European suppliers of cookie dough pieces for dessert applications.
Jenny Baillie, business development manager, Pecan Deluxe Europe, said the bacon flavor fudge range is completely new to the market and the combination of savory/salty and confectionery-sweet flavors works brilliantly.
It is looking forward to working with manufacturers to develop additional applications to bring to market.
“Using bacon in sweet applications is quite common in the US; many food trends begin in the US and come over to the UK & Europe,” said Baillie.
“Chocolate-coated candied bacon is eaten as a snack in the US and is even available in the UK. One retailer has launched a bacon/banana trifle for Christmas, so this seemed like a logical product proposition. It also allows us to showcase our ability to innovate with flavors and colors, particularly with fudge.”
The range is available in regular or smoky bacon variants with the option of chocolate coating. It is bakestable and supplied in 3mm, 6mm and 9mm pieces.
It is suitable for ambient storage and there is a choice of packaging options, including bag-in-box or various bag formats from 200 g to 2 kg.
More adventurous with food choices
“Pecan Deluxe is an international organization and we watch and cater for food trends all over the world. With so many people traveling and using social media to share their eating experiences, we’re all becoming more adventurous in our food choices and enjoying more unusual taste sensations,” added Baillie.
“The reaction so far has been very positive. It looks like we may have sparked some creative thinking among our customers. We’re looking forward to seeing what product applications they come up with.”
She added the actual fudge only took a few days to develop, but sourcing and working with suitable flavors took longer and that was the main challenge - getting the flavor just right.
“There will always be a place for traditional butter fudge, but companies like Pecan Deluxe can work with this fantastic product to replicate and compliment any food trend that emerges in the future,” said Baillie.
“Fudge will be used increasingly as an ingredient in cookies, cakes, desserts, ice cream and even bread-based products to provide bold hits of color, flavor and texture.
“We’re constantly innovating, so our next launch could be a cookie dough, molded chocolate, sponge cake or a cheesecake piece.”
Pecan Deluxe Candy (Europe), part of US-based Pecan Deluxe Candy Company, was established in the UK in 1999 and supplies Europe, the Middle East and Australia from its offices and plant based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, Yorkshire.
The bacon fudge is made using natural colors and flavorings in allergen-controlled, BRC double A grade facilities.