The European Candy Kettle Club (ECKC) announced that this year's award recipient is Luigi Zàini, president and CEO, Luigi Zàini Company. The award ceremony will take place in October in Milan.

Each year, the ECKC looks at companies that have outstanding product quality, development in production, research and technology, performance in sales and marketing, and international cooperation, it says.

Zàini states: "The European Candy Kettle Award has supported the development of innovation in the confectionery sector for over 50 years. We are honored that Zàini has received this coveted award, in recognition of our ability to interpret change while remaining faithful to our tradition of Italian chocolate, now distributed in 80 countries worldwide."  

The Italian chocolatier was founded in Milan, Italy in 1913. The reasons why Luigi Zàini was chosen for this year's award, according to the ECKC, include:

• It has innovative and high-quality chocolate and confectionery products
• It's a young, inspiring, and progressing company   
• It thinks about chocolate in a complete different and sustainable way  
• It represents Italian confectionery in a modern and sustainable way  
• It is continuing the path of tradition and innovation   

The ECKC has a 50+ year history. Founded in 1973 by Guy Urbain, editor-in-chief, Chocolat et Confiserie magazine in Paris, the ECKC's purpose is to support the development of great and innovative sweets and confectionery all over Europe. Consisting of 30 machinery and ingredient suppliers from different European countries, the club awards the prestigious European Candy Kettle Award to a company in Europe every year.  

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