Confectionery is better, together.

AAK & CONFECTIONERY

When today’s consumers indulge, they want every bite to be pure perfection and are on the lookout for healthier options. That’s why we deliver the best solutions to help you create silky smooth, delightfully delicious confections that fulfill the highest expectations.

We offer a wide variety of both market-ready and custom-made solutions including cocoa butter substitutes and cocoa butter equivalents for compound coatings, as well as confectionery fats for fillings, inclusions, caramels, ice cream coatings and spreads.

Sustainability from plant to brand.

At AAK, we have the same better sourcing approach for all our key raw materials, including the shea, palm, coconut and sunflower oils used in our specialty chocolate and confectionery solutions. Our sustainability work is embedded in all parts of the AAK value chain, from the crop all the way to the brand on the store shelf.

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CEBES^®

High performance fats used for compound coatings. Cebes line of fats are typically made of fractioned palm kernel oil and can be offered as non-hydrogenated, zero trans and low in saturated fat.

NEUTRESCA™

Fats based on palm kernel and coconut oils. Neutresca features several non-hydrogenated filling fats. They can also be used in ice cream coating applications.

CONFAO^®

High performance filling fats. Confao line of fats are offered as non-hydrogenated, zero trans and low in saturated fat.

SILKO™

Fats used for chocolate flavored and pastel coatings and drops. Silko line of coating fats are available in a wide range of melting points.

ILLEXAO™

Our line of cocoa butter equivalents. Illexao line of fats have the same physical properties and triglyceride composition as cocoa butter.

SPECIALTY LECITHINS

Lecithin is a key ingredient that delivers improved functionalities in several applications. Our natural emulsifiers help you create chocolate that meets specific needs, including processability with reduced viscosity and control of product yield.

A Legacy of Confectionery Expertise

We put our hundred-plus years of confectionery experience to work for you. We’ve grown—from being the first to develop cocoa butter substitutes over a century ago, to the first to offer non-hydrogenated specialty fat solutions to the confectionery industry. But we haven’t stopped there. We continue to create and innovate, to help you solve current and future challenges in developing and producing delicious confections that delight the senses.

CO-DEVELOPMENT SUCCESS STORIES

CHOCOLATE NUT BUTTER SPREAD

CHALLENGE: Reformulating a chocolate nut butter spread for longer shelf life
HOW WE DID IT: With a thorough understanding of our customer’s application as well as experience and expertise of our R&D
RESULT: A creamy smooth spread that didn’t separate on the store shelf
A new customer came to us with a challenge: they were experiencing separation during shelf life in their chocolate nut butter spread. By closely examining the existing spread’s fat crystallography, we identified the culprit: the fatty acid composition of the oil they were using didn’t have the right relationship with the rest of the spread’s ingredients. We partnered with the customer to solve this complex technical challenge. Through a series of testing protocols and evaluations, we were able to recommend a new oil blend that prevented separation and ensured that both the composition and the sensory panel feedback were just right.

ENROBED NUTRITION BAR

CHALLENGE: Creating a clean label compound coating for a nutrition bar
HOW WE DID IT: By formulating an emulsifier-free blend that functioned like the original
RESULT: A clean label nutrition bar that exceeded the customer’s expectations in the marketplace
A customer wanted to remove the emulsifiers in the coating on their nutrition bar to present an overall clean label. They still needed the coating to perform with the same functionality, but without artificial, chemical or unrecognizable names like ‘sorbitan tristearate’ on the label. The customer sent us a sample of their existing coating and we got to work, analyzing its behavior and matching its gloss, shelf life, integrity, and sensory attributes. Our non-hydro product was able to match specifications regarding melt point, crystallization and fat content. Even better? The label can now read ‘vegetable fat’ instead of ‘sorbitan tristearate’.

CARAMEL

CHALLENGE: Providing a prospective customer with a high performing vegetable oil
HOW WE DID IT: By developing a unique fat blend to match very specific requirements
RESULT: A successful, sustainable solution developed, tested and approved in just 8 weeks
A prospective customer was in quite a dilemma—they had a supply chain issue and no one could answer their needs, especially due to the compositional and functional demands of their unique fat blends. We established a deep ‘technical to technical’ relationship to understand the customer’s production parameters, which was critical in developing a fat blend to match the customer’s specifications, as well as the finished product’s functionality. Since the success of this solution, we have worked on numerous new co-development projects together.

HIGH PROTEIN BAR

CHALLENGE: Increasing protein in an enrobed confectionery bar without sacrificing texture or taste
HOW WE DID IT: By creating a five-member co-development project team to consider each aspect
RESULT: A market-leading new product delivering protein content, texture, flavor and appearance
Our customer wanted to increase the protein in their enrobed confectionery bar, but off-the-shelf products they had tried did not meet their texture and taste requirements. They needed a high protein compound coating with great functionality, that did not sacrifice texture or taste. We thought outside the box to create a co-development project team including the customer, a protein company, a flavor company, a compounder, and AAK. Together, we created a new product that delivered on each of the customer’s critical attributes and was a testament to the success of our co-development approach.

CARAMEL BITES

CHALLENGE: Creating a non-palm and non-hydro caramel to meet consumer demand
HOW WE DID IT: With our CONFAO® 30
RESULT: A great tasting, clean label caramel with relevant marketing claims
Today’s consumers want food that’s good for them and the environment, and they are reading labels more closely as a result. To address these concerns, we worked with a customer to reformulate a caramel with a non-hydrogenated and non-palm solution. This delicious caramel bite also features minimal waxiness or stickiness, and cold-flow resistance to keep its visual appeal, pleasing every candy lover out there.

INNOVATION CENTER

AAK is a global leader in supplying specialty vegetable fats and oils to the chocolate and confectionery industry. We help you deliver pure confection perfection, with our extensive portfolio of plant-based, multi-sourced cocoa butter alternatives and filling fats.

Our state-of-the-art facilities feature a collaborative confectionery lab where we work with you to co-develop innovative solutions. Together, we meet and exceed your desired attributes, for a better, more successful finished product.

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