A chocolate firm says its created a fourth type of chocolate after milk, dark and white - the first new type in 80 years.
Swiss chocolate giant Barry Callebaut says it
used the ruby cocoa bean to create a confectionery with “berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness”.
The new chocolate, named Ruby after its characteristic red hue, is only the fourth type to be created since the white version in the 1930s - according to the firm - and it hopes it will be a hit among chocoholics and foodie millennials alike.
Said to have an “intense sensorial delight” the sweet treat offers a “totally new taste experience, which is not bitter, milky or sweet.”
And, by unlocking the attributes of the ruby cocoa bean over the course of several years, its flavours and colouring are natural with no berries or berry flavour added.
“Ruby chocolate is very different and clever stuff. It’s refreshing and has a light, creamy texture,” said Angus Kennedy, a chocolate expert and the editor of the industry bible, Kennedy’s Confection.
“It tastes so light and fruity you don’t really realise you’re gobbling up one chocolate after another, so it means consumers will be able to eat more of it than other types of conventional chocolate.
“Whether this a good or bad thing depends on your point of view.”
Industry analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy told the Financial Times that it could be a hit with millennials, because what they want is “definitely natural”.
“They want to get natural ingredients and traceability of the product origin, which is easy with chocolate. They want some indulgence and like different tastes and colours.”
While it remains to be seen whether this is just a marketing gimmick or heralds a new type of chocolate as widespread as the others, the fact that it is made by the largest manufacturer of both chocolate and cocoa products is encouraging.
“Consumer research in very different markets confirms that Ruby chocolate not only satisfies a new consumer need found among millennials - hedonistic indulgence - but also high purchase intent at different price points,” said Peter Boone, of Barry Callebaut’s chief innovation and quality office.