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The eg(g)omaniac behind the egg

A young man leaning over three Easter eggs on a table.

What's it like to be the person behind Easter for one of the world's biggest chocolate companies? 

"I remember when I was 8 years old, I cried because my mum didn't get me my favourite Easter egg. And now, I'm here, responsible for thousands of 8-year-olds, doing my best to ensure they don't cry over not receiving their favourite egg. Life really goes full circle sometimes."

Ahead of Easter weekend, families across the nation eagerly anticipate the traditions that bring loved ones together. Among these cherished traditions includes something oval-shaped and chocolate-made. 

Introducing Torin Zieboll, Seasonal Brand Manager for Nestlé Confectionery in the UK and Ireland. Join our conversation into the world of Easter confectionery, where Torin reveals exciting insights into the creative process, how we balance tradition and evolving trends, and the dedication behind crafting an iconic symbol of the Easter season: the egg. 

From apprentice to egg-ecutive

At Nestlé, we have a basketful of products from pet food to soft drinks. Can you take us through your career path? What inspired you to hop into the world of confectionery?

"I joined Nestlé straight out of school as an apprentice, unsure of exactly what I wanted to do with myself. I joined a scheme which rotated through marketing, sales and supply chain, eventually landing a marketing role in our Rowntree's team, which was really exciting and helped me decide my path. By the end of my scheme, I was working with the KitKat team, gaining valuable experience with such a huge brand. Now, I'm in the seasonal team, looking after Christmas and Easter confectionery. It's a lot of fun. If little Torin could see himself now, I think he'd be very happy with himself.

"Chocolate isn't the 'deepest' thing in the world. It's about those small moments of joy and the smiles you create for consumers. Most importantly, working in confectionery means ensuring my friends know I have a really cool job."

Did you ever imagine you would be responsible for around 100 million eggs a year? 

"I wouldn't ever have imagined it, but it's worth noting that there's an entire team involved, my colleagues in marketing, the team in the factory, the packaging specialists, project managers, and literally hundreds of people beyond what I'm even aware of, to get these products on the shelf. Their importance cannot be understated. They produce really incredible products... that being said, it is mainly me though."

Torin clarified post interview that this comment was indeed a joke. 

The imagination to creation journey

Can you walk us through the process of hatching new Easter products? 

"Generally the process is quite fun! So, we start off by doing what we call an innovation safari where we try lots of different foods and experiences to immerse ourselves in a creative and innovative space. Then we hold ideation sessions, a combination of going through our thoughts and inspirations, which results in ideas which we need to refine. What makes this idea exciting? What fits the market best? What's feasible in the factory? What levels of investment do we need behind it? With all these ideas you need to think of its long-term success and formulate a plan which ultimately fits what the consumer needs and wants. 

"After we do our ideation sessions, we take these ideas and get sketches created to visualise them. Then we survey consumers and ask them to rank these ideas. Does it excite them? Does it fit with the brand? What price point fits best? Sometimes the reason we think an idea is good is different to why consumers think so. We also have sensory panels take place when we're developing the product so we can determine the best taste. What a job that is."

What's cracking in the world of sustainability in Easter? 

"Lots of work has gone into making Easter more sustainable over the last decade, so much so that sustainability in Easter almost isn't a hot topic anymore. It's as much about sustainability of the product you can hold in your hands - how we source the ingredients with sustainability in mind, move the eggs from A to B, or how we can make the factory more efficient - as it is the packaging that's used to protect and transport this precious cargo. We're always working on ways we can make our Easter range more sustainable. 

"If you look back ten years or so, most Easter eggs used plastic in the packaging. We've worked very hard with our production teams to remove this across our Easter range. Now, we have the egg in a cardboard holder and a cardboard box, so the external packaging is really easy to recycle at home.

"The foil, of course, around the egg is the one thing which isn't cardboard. It's so important to have this to protect the product's freshness and taste. While the foil is recyclable, small pieces can be lost in recycling centres, so if there's one tip which I can give you it's to scrunch all your foil into one big snowball and then pretend that the recycling bin is the face of your enemy."

Hopping into the Easter egg market

We're on the hunt for market insights into the Easter market; what can you tell us? 

"Well, at Nestlé, we have 29 different Easter eggs being produced this season. In the Easter egg market, we divide our eggs into tiers. You've got an entry-level egg which is the most affordable, then you have medium-large eggs, then you have giant, premium eggs, which at Nestlé we call the Incredible Egg range.

"About 70% of eggs sold are these smaller entry-level eggs, our most popular egg is the Smarties entry-level egg. But we're seeing a split with shoppers either going towards that affordable price point or treating themselves and their family to these premium eggs which offer new flavours, new textures and new shapes."

If you could create a wild flavour or unique feature for an Easter egg, what would it be? 

"We've been doing some work with flavour houses, and I've found some interesting combinations. Consumers in the UK and Ireland enjoy foundational flavours such as orange and caramel. But a cool way to innovate on top of these foundational flavours, which everyone likes, is to add a new or upcoming flavour, a bit of a twist. So, instead of caramel, you could have caramel and passionfruit for example. I think fruit-flavoured chocolate, particularly Easter eggs, are a bit of an untapped market. It's a lighter feel, a smoothie-blend flavour. But the one flavour I tried which I loved is mango and passionfruit... it tastes a little like cheese."

Eggs and elves: the wonderland of confectionery

Have you ever sprung into any challenges in the seasonal confectionery business? 

"I usually work most days in the office, so I get a lot of the sales team coming up to me, saying things like 'Hey Torin, I'm really hungry right now, can we do anything about that?'

"It's always, 'How are your Easter eggs coming along?' and never a simple 'How are you?'

"Sometimes, I just wish people remembered that behind every Brand Manager is a real person who just wants to connect with you while they drink an Iced-Mocha-Frappa-Chai-Chino."

What's the most surprising thing you've learned in the Easter confectionery world? 

"Before I joined the seasonal team, I didn't think too much about the seasonal aspect of confectionery. But the seasons are very important to the confectionery business. People who don't buy chocolate in general are probably going to buy an egg for their family at Easter or a chocolate treat at Christmas. 

"The purchasing of Easter eggs is a weird anomaly in the world of FMCG. When most consumers do their weekly shop, they look at about three words on average, they spend about 12 seconds in an aisle on average. They know what they're getting, and they might make some impulsive decisions, but in general we understand quite clearly how consumers behave in supermarkets. 

"Easter is a weird exception because compared to everything else in the supermarket, people spend a lot of time just looking at Easter eggs. The average dwell time is around 1 minute and 20 seconds in the Easter aisle, compared to around 12 seconds in a standard aisle.

"Despite how we conventionally behave when we shop, suddenly for this one event of the year, we intentionally go out of our way to explore every single option so that we know we are purchasing the right Easter egg for our family and friends. We inspect the product, the packaging, in a much more in-depth way than standard products. We inspect numerous brands, different manufacturers, in much more scrutiny. Even the back of pack needs to be perfect."

Let's wrap up the interview, in foil

Before we bounce away, any final words? 

"The last thing I want to say is, I know that somewhere out there, there is someone in my position in a competitor company. I just want you to know that I haven't looked at your LinkedIn yet but just know that I reckon my eggs are better than yours. I rep' my business. 

"This is a very cool job and I'm very lucky to be in this position. I can look at Easter eggs on the shelf and know I've had a part in their creation. But it's really easy to forget in the day-to-day, it's like being nose blind, and to someone on the outside of the confectionery world that is just ridiculous. 

"This interview has been helpful because it reminds me of all the great things which I get the opportunity to be a part of and it's all because I cried over an Easter egg when I was 8."

Young man holding a KitKat Easter egg in his arms.
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