Le whiff
by: Lionel Laurent
As sweet as chocolate as light as air.
When David Edwards first unveiled an inhaler which puffs micro-particles of chocolate into your mouth he never expected the initial production run of his "Le Whif" to sell out in less than a month.
"We did not imagine the reaction that we got at the end of the spring," said the 48-year-old Paris-based design entrepreneur. "We made 25,000 in April and they were all sold out before the first week of May."
The unusual chocolate experience has struck a chord, women in particular appreciate the Whif's convenient, handbag-friendly size, as well as the novelty of offering Whifs to guests after parties.
Now the challenge for Edwards and his design team, who work on the Rue du Bouloi as the "Labo Group," is to transform Le Whif from a niche design concept into a global brand. Le Whif will have to convince the Galeries' visitors to spend 5.95 Euros (R67) for a pack of three Whifs or 32 Euros (R362) for a pack of 18.
Challenges ahead
It won't be easy. Le Whif still needs work: sucking too hard on the inhaler can lead to a mouth full of powder.
There is also the danger it will be dismissed as a fad abroad, according to Louise Thomas, a London-based chocolate expert who runs tasting events and advises retailers.
"I don't know if somebody would buy it more than once," said Thomas. "At the end of the day, you're not actually eating anything." She added that marketing Le Whif as a calorie-free alternative to chocolate was "really sad."
"Chocolate shouldn't be about calories or that it's bad for you," said Thomas.
The prolonged recession in Britain may also not favour Le Whif, as traditional chocolate continues to enjoy sales growth as the ultimate comfort food.
Edwards dismisses the idea that Le Whif is a fad. He says that distributor reaction in London has been "positive" so far, and claims to have sold 6,000 Whifs at the Salon du Chocolat industry convention in Paris in October.
He did not want to say how much it will cost to launch Le Whif internationally, but he says he has so far invested 3 million Euros of his own money into Labo Group since he founded it in October. The company aims to be profitable in early 2010.
Edwards' ultimate aim is to one day float Labo Group on the stock market, or to sell specific brands such as Le Whif to bigger industry specialists.
Sources: www.lewhif.com
- Reuters