Barry Callebaut launches ‘ruby chocolate’

In a breakthrough that expands the chocolate industry's hues beyond just dark, milk and white, a Swiss manufacturer has produced the world's first pink chocolate.

Chocolateur Barry Callebaut AG, the world's largest cocoa processor, has introduced the first new natural colour for chocolate since Nestle SA started making bars of white chocolate over 80 years ago. While it has a pinkish tint and a fruity flavour, the Zurich-based company refers to it as ''ruby chocolate.''

According to chief executive officer Antoine de Saint-Affrique, the innovation, based on a special type of cocoa bean, comes after about a decade of development. The chocolate, which launched in Shanghai yesterday, comes with a natural berry flavour that is sour yet sweet, according to the Zurich-based company, which works behind the scenes to produce chocolate sold by all the major producers including Hershey Co. and Cadbury.

"It's natural, it's colorful, it's hedonistic, there's an indulgence aspect to it, but it keeps the authenticity of chocolate," the CEO said in a telephone interview. "It has a nice balance that speaks a lot to millennials," Reuters reported.

The new product may also appeal to Chinese consumers, according to De Saint-Affrique. The company conducted tests on the product in the UK, US, Chinese and Japanese markets through independent consumer research carried out by Haystack and Ipsos.

The new type of chocolate, launched yesterday in China, was created at the company's research and development centers in Belgium and France as also at Jacobs University in Germany.

The company described the taste as "not bitter, milky or sweet, but a tension between berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness." It said no berry flavour or colours are added.

The announcement comes as the chocolate industry is being forced to adjust to changing tastes and more health-conscious consumers.