SBR 66: Terry’s goes beyond orange. But should they?

Few confectionery brands inspire as much affection as Terry’s Chocolate Orange. With around nine million UK households buying one each year (source: Confectionery News), it’s a firm Christmas classic. But with that love also comes a problem: how do you grow a brand that’s so tightly tied to one flavour and one season?

Over the past few years, Terry’s has been on a mission to go “beyond orange.” The brand kicked off its NPD journey in 2023 with a Mint Ball, which sold out mid-season and was hailed as the best-performing Christmas launch in its category (source: Food Bev/Marketing Week). That was followed by a Milk Ball in 2024 and, most recently, a Caramel Ball for 2025.

The ambition is clear: drive broader appeal and relevance beyond Christmas. But not all innovation lands the same way.

Take the Milk Ball. It’s a logical step for many chocolate brands to go into plain milk but perhaps not for Terry’s. The brand is built on flavour twists, and for some consumers the plain milk variant simply doesn’t taste special enough. As one accidental purchaser discovered (me!), it lacked the rich chocolatey flavour you’d expect from competitor brands like Cadbury’s Dairy Milk or Tony’s Chocolonely.

Where Terry’s does shine is when it celebrates flavour or seasonality. Earlier this year, the brand launched a trio of Easter treats: from a Chocolate Orange Cream Egg to an XL Mint Egg, showcasing its versatility beyond the festive season.

And perhaps its smartest move yet is the recent Baileys x Terry’s Chocolate Orange collaboration. A partnership between two brands synonymous with Christmas, it’s a perfect match in both flavour and timing. (Last year, Baileys noted that more than two bottles of its liqueur and two Terry’s Chocolate Oranges were sold every second during Christmas according to NGA and NIQ data)

If Terry’s can continue to innovate in ways that amplify its iconic flavour rather than dilute it, the brand might finally find a way to grow beyond Christmas, without losing what made it special in the first place. So the answer is yes they should go beyond orange, but be choiceful in the flavours or variants they go for.

(the Terry’s Baileys is very nice btw!)