Sweet as, bro: Kiwi chocolate saves day
A GOLD Coast supermarket has taken to shipping in cases of New Zealand confectionery to satisfy chocoholics looking for a caramel-flavoured fix.
Fans of Cadbury Caramilk left hungry after the limitededition bar sold out in stores across the northern suburbs have instead turned to its Kiwi equivalent, Whittaker’s West Coast Buttermilk Caramelised White Chocolate.
Woolworths Coomera West has now ordered 12,500 blocks of the chocolate to cater for the huge demand.
Assistant store manager Ryan O’Neil said customers went crazy for Caramilk, but the Whittaker’s chocolate was proving just as popular.
“We know Whittaker’s chocolate is extremely popular across the ditch and we’re delighted to see how our local customers are responding to the product,” he said.
“To satisfy our customers’ Whittaker’s cravings we have more stock arriving in the store on Saturday.”
Woolworths customer Jim Walker tasted a sample of the Whittaker’s buttermilk chocolate in-store and said as a New Zealand native, he had missed Kiwi sweets.
“I would support Whittaker’s over Cadbury any day, it’s delicious,” he said.
Melina Kuipersmith from Beechmont agreed, saying it was “really nice”.
The demand for Whittaker’s spiked after Cadbury issued a recall for a “limited number” of Caramilk earlier this month.
According to the company’s recall notice, blocks of the chocolate were found to contain “small, flexible pieces of food-grade plastic as a result of a machinery fault during the manufacturing process”, which if swallowed could cause “minor injury”.
Fans of the chocolate have since been paying up to $20 for blocks on Ebay, while a ‘Caramilk Hunters Club’ was set up on Facebook and now boasts close to 500 members.
Caramilk fan Shellie Templar from Pimpama said she had driven to Nerang on Sunday to buy six blocks of the chocolate from Coles.
She tasted the Whittaker’s chocolate and said it was “even better” than Caramilk.
“I’ve driven around everywhere looking for it (Caramilk),” she said. “This Whittaker’s is nicer, it’s more smooth and nicer to eat, I am going to buy a block actually.”
Coles Upper Coomera store manager Michael Armstrong was expecting a delivery of Caramilk this week.
“No lie, we will put the chocolate on display early in the morning and it will all be sold out by 11am,” he said.
Woolworths Oxenford long life manager Paul Bradshaw said stores were under pressure from customers to secure new stocks of Caramilk following the recall.
“I made an order for 40 cartons today but it won’t be for another few days until they get here,” he said.