The consumer market for waffles and cookies is constantly growing. Although these products are not part of the basic products, they belong to the leisure and hospitality categories and are constantly increasing in demand. The global waffle market is currently valued at more than $105 billion, with a growth forecast to about 144 billion dollars by 2030, at an average annual growth rate of 4.6%. These data highlight the leading trends in the world and in Israel in the consumption of these products.
The Israeli consumer is among the leading countries in the world in the consumption of waffles and cookies. According to consumer market data, he consumes an average of 3.5 kg of cookies and 3 kg of waffles per year. These data indicate that Israel is among the largest consumers of baked goods in the world. Consumption trends are influenced by changing lifestyle preferences, such as a preference for healthier or innovative products.
High fidelity
The waffle and cookie market is divided into several subgroups such as premium products versus basic products, local production versus international brands, and products with filling versus products without filling. All these lead to differences in the prices and quality of the products for the consumer.
The leading brands in Israel include Elite by Strauss with series such as Reva Lesheva, Ad Chatzot and Pesek Zman. In addition, the Osem company offers long-standing products such as Argaliyot and Petit-Beurre alongside broad innovation in bakery products.
In the waffle category, the Man brand enjoys a respectable market share, while the Loacker brand, imported and marketed by the Leiman Schlussel company, is considered one of the leading brands in Israel and many other countries.
The cookie market in Israel is divided between basic products with large packages at a discounted price, and premium products such as Oreo, Lotus, Milka, Maraba, McVitis and Tim Tam. The premium products gain stability and growing demand over the years, mainly thanks to their high quality and reputation in Israel and around the world.
Israeli consumers tend to be loyal to well-known and high-quality brands. Although new brands are often presented on supermarket shelves, many of them fail to integrate into the local market due to the taste preferences of the Israeli consumer. Cookies such as Elite's Ad Chatzot and Reva Lesheva, alongside international brands such as Maraba, Oreo, Milka and Lotus brand chocolate chip cookies, marketed by the Diplomat company, continue to lead the market with significant market shares.
The waffle and cookie market in Israel and worldwide continues to grow, with constant demand for innovative and high-quality products, and the Israeli consumer plays an important role in this growth, with a high consumption of these products and a preference for well-known, high-quality brands. The market trends indicate the continued growth and development of this field, with an emphasis on natural and healthier products.
In the cookie market in Israel, most sales are concentrated in a small number of leading brands, which dominate the market in a significant way. The leading cookie in recent decades is the chocolate chip cookie by the Maraba company. These cookies have become a household name in Israel thanks to their high-quality taste and attractive packaging, and they are considered the most favorite cookies among consumers.
In addition, there are a number of other brands that dominate the market, including Elite's Ad Chatzot and Reva Lesheva. These brands offer a wide variety of cookies in different flavors and are intended for diverse target audiences, making them a popular choice among consumers.
International brands also play an important role in the Israeli cookie market. Oreo and Lotus cookies are considered very successful international brands in the local market, and are very popular thanks to their unique taste and the innovation of their products.
In addition, Petit-Beurre cookies of the Osam company make up a significant part of the sales. These cookies, which have been part of Israeli culture for many years, are used as a basis for many recipes and are known in almost every home in Israel.
Don't go on the private label
In the cookie and waffle products market, you can find a wide variety of products under the private brands of the various marketing chains. These products are often identical in their ingredients to the well-known brands, but are offered at lower prices. When checking products under the private label of the Carrefour chain, price differences of up to 150% were found.
For example, a 200 gram gardena waffle of the Luaker brand is sold at a price of NIS 15.90, while the corresponding product of the private label is sold in Karpur for only NIS 5.90. A product under the Mahane Yehuda brand, which corresponds to Elite's Reva Lesheva series, was recently launched in the market warehouse chain at a price of exactly five shekels - a difference of more than 150% from the well-known brand. The Razit company launched a series of products similar to Elite's Reva Lesheva products, waffle rolls filled with dawn chocolate cream offered to the consumer for about 50% less than the well-known brand.
The differences between the products from chain to chain may also be significant. Osem's chocolate-flavored cookie sheets (300 grams) were priced at eight shekels in Shufersal Deal chain - a difference of 66.25% compared to the price in Tiv Taam chain (NIS 13.30). Chocolate-flavored Petit-Beurre with Osem's vanilla treat cream filling (220 grams) were sold at the Yohannoff chain for NIS 8, and for NIS 12.90 at Shufersal Deal (61.25%). The same price gap was recorded between the two chains also in the Petit-Beurre chocolate coated fingers product, also from Osem (180 grams). Whereas the difference between the price of a biscuit until midnight in milk chocolate (200 grams) is 50.42% - NIS 11.90 in Victory, in Super Alonit - NIS 17.90.
In conclusion, the wide variety of private products presents fair products and solutions for the consumer in the category. However, over time the Israeli consumer continues to be loyal to the well-known and more expensive brands, despite the discounted and high-quality solutions offered under the private brands. This loyalty probably stems from the trust the consumer has in the quality and reputation of the leading brands in the market.