KANSAS CITY, Missouri, March 25, 2005
Does Easter Candy 'Cross' Line?
Some Religious Officials Upset By Chocolate Crosses
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Russell Stover's caramel filled chocolate cross is seen in the foreground with solid white and milk chocolate crosses, Thurs. March 24, 2005, in Overland Park, Kansas. (AP)
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Pangburn, which Russell Stover bought in 1999, has long had a hold in that market. The milk chocolate cross is about 6 inches high, adorned with a floral bouquet and filled with caramel made of goat's milk, popular in Mexico and Latin America. Its packaging features Spanish more prominently than English.
Russell Stover President Tom Ward doesn't expect the chocolate cross to overtake the chocolate bunny, but he does expect it to bring in new customers who "wouldn't buy rabbits."
"I think it's a market that's potentially overlooked," said chocolate expert Clay Gordon, who runs the chocolate Web site Chocophile.com.
Ward said Russell Stover considered making other traditional images out of chocolate but eventually opted not to.
"A molded Jesus, for example, would not be a good call and a cross with Jesus on it wouldn't be a good idea either," Ward said.
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