Last year, when we asked what about the Oompa Loompas, we noted that Hershey was undertaking a huge supply chain and manufacturing project to enhance agility and efficiency in an effort to eventually save 300 Million annually (with 30% savings due to supply chain productivity improvements alone), but noted nothing was said about the Oompa Loompas who wanted to return to the glory days of chocalateering, having endured almost two decades of declining work in the chocolate industry which forced many of them into coding positions at SaaS startups, which usually didn’t work out so well.
We know. We’ve been chronicling their fate since 2007 when they had to get into the desert chocolate business to survive. (That’s not a typo!)
However, as per a recent press release on OpenPR, the chocolate market is on a promising growth trajectory, driven by evolving consumer preferences and innovative product offerings. More specifically, the chocolate market is expected to experience steady growth, reaching a value of $175.52 billion by 2029. This reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7% during the forecast period. Stability and growth is good. This should lead to more positions for the Oompa Loompas, even if they are spending more time programming automated systems to blend chocolate than doing it the old fashioned way (where they can create true confectionary masterpieces) and allow them to use both their new and old skills.
But again, time will tell if this really is good news or not. All I know is that, after the last two decades of hardship and misery, they shouldn’t get their hopes up!