Anthon Berg: 100 Years of Sweet Success.
Tim Lund Sydtoft Interviewed
Anthon Berg: 100 Years of Sweet Success.
3 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
2024 is a special and significant year for the Anthon Berg Liqueur bottle – 100 years of age. I am delighted to feature our first interview with Tim Lund Sydtoft, Travel Retail Area Director, Toms Gruppen A/S, who takes us through some of the highlights of the proud legacy and the development of this much-loved brand.
Peter Marshall (PM): Welcome to TRunblocked.com, Tim. This is quite some year for you – the Anthon Berg Liqueur bottle is one hundred years young. Please take us through a brief history of this unique brand.
Tim Lund Sydtoft (TLS): At the end of the 19th century chocolate had become very popular in Europe, and our part of the story started in 1884. Anthon Berg, a generous, visionary greengrocer from Copenhagen, decided to try his luck within cocoa beans and pioneered a dark chocolate covered marzipan bar that has become a Nordic icon. This established the building blocks of our DNA some 140 years later.
Getting inspiration from cognac beans in the international market, in 1924 Anthon Berg introduced liqueur- filled chocolate bottles without a sugar crust and with well-known spirit brands. This became very popular indeed and opened a completely new business opportunity.
PM: So how would you define Anthon Berg’s USP’s? What does Anthon Berg stand for?
TLS: In addition to the history, we just briefly touched upon – the really strong heritage – Anthon Berg is synonymous with premium chocolate, which is very important for us to secure a high-quality portfolio. You find in all our liqueur bottles well-known spirit brands that are covered in a premium dark chocolate. We have been able to create a unique, premium quality product, highlighted by the experience making you feel the “crack” when biting the chocolate.
Importantly, supplying the Royal Danish Court is a key USP for us. Thus, we actively place the crown at the front of our packaging – it is definitely something to be very proud of. Back in 1957 Anthon Berg was awarded Purveyor to the Royal Danish Court, so the members of the Danish Royal family have been enjoying a good deal of chocolate!
PM: Last year you relaunched your cocktail range – what were the results?
TLS: Last year we invited consumers to our “cocktail party” with six all-time favorite cocktail recipes made with premium spirits. The relaunch involved exchanging the four existing cocktails for six new, improved and co-branded varieties. The 6 different, popular cocktails were developed with bartenders to get the taste just right when enjoying a cocktail liqueur bottle. The purpose of the concept change was to expand our category of liqueur-filled chocolate bottles.
The relaunch had a very positive reception in the market – especially the co-branding, which is key to our liqueur bottle concept. Furthermore, the partner feedback was that the increased variety, improved branding and upgrade to the specific licenses in each of the 6 drinks received highly positive reactions. We still follow the relaunch closely for more learnings.
PM: Given that this is your 100 year anniversary for the liqueur bottle, do you have any special announcements to make with the evolution of your product range?
TLS: In my opinion it is a huge achievement to reach a milestone of 100 years! We feel very proud indeed of the long history that the liqueur bottle has enjoyed and still does. As you know, the Anthon Berg liqueur bottle is a small liqueur-filled treat shaped as a bottle, covered in premium dark chocolate. Each bottle contains different spirits from well-known brands around the world. We constantly look into new, exciting spirits partners to keep our liqueur bottle range relevant.
We are especially thrilled to have the opportunity to co-brand with Baileys. Earlier this year we launched “The Perfect Match” with Baileys and the journey continues. We are always on the lookout for more flavours to be added to our travellers exclusive line. Stay tuned..!
PM: Just how important is the Travel Retail channel to you and what are your expectations for expanding your global distribution?
TLS: As a company we have different channels and markets we focus on. With the exception of our home market in Denmark you find our brands in 4 different continents around the world and it’s still growing.
Naturally our Travel Retail sales were affected by Covid19, but we keep moving forward as the Travel Retail channel is key for us as a company. We maintain a solid position within premium confectionery in the Travel Retail environment, allowing us to reach even more consumers with our exquisite products and display them in a modern, high-end setting, which matches the Anthon Berg brand.
