SWITZERLAND – Chocolate and cocoa giant Barry Callebaut has reinvented chocolate production from farm to roasting, accommodating the “mindful consumption” movement where consumers want to indulge in chocolate that has less sugar, is sustainably produced, and factors in provenance.
Ushering the new era of innovation with the reveal of its second-generation chocolate in Venice, Italy, produced under the new concept- known as the Cocoa Cultivation & Craft (CCC) principle- will use around 50% less sugar than traditional chocolate.
This is thanks to a new way of cultivating, fermenting, and roasting cocoa beans that reduces their bitter taste and is set to drive an industry shift in how cocoa is produced and facilitate the symbiotic lifestyle consumers increasingly seek.
The new era concept was compared to the processes developed by Venetian glass blowers and gondolier makers which have been developed over centuries, to demonstrate how production evolves and is refined over time.
The world’s biggest chocolatier said the product characterized by putting ‘cocoa first, sugar last’, will also use about 60-80% more cocoa and less sugar to make dark chocolate, and only milk, cocoa, and sugar to make milk chocolate.
The company said its new chocolate produced under the CCC principle has been tested by the independent global research agency MMR in the United States, Britain, and China, and found to have high consumer appeal.
The new formula of the chocolate, according to Barry Callebaut, is likely to appeal to more health-conscious consumers and get ahead of laws expected to limit sugar consumption in the future.
It is also aimed to inspire and support brands and artisans in defining the next generation of confectionery, bakery, pastry, desserts, and ice cream.
The company gained new insight from a long-term research program, dating back to the early 2000s, in collaboration with Jacobs University Bremen, Germany. Advanced detection technologies, combined with new sensory methods, enable the identification of unique characteristics in cocoa beans.
The company has also refined the amount of time between harvesting the cocoa beans to delivering them to the factory for processing to a maximum of eight hours to achieve a pure flavor extracted.
Peter Boone, CEO of Barry Callebaut Group said: “The second generation of chocolate addresses perfectly the changing consumer preferences and consumers’ desire to indulge more mindfully.”
“It will inspire and support brands and artisans to craft their next-generation chocolate creations and is a testament to our leadership in shaping the future of chocolate indulgence.”
Considering that World’s cocoa prices are more than four times that of sugar and this chocolate takes in more cocoa ratio, they are more expensive to produce and might be priced slightly higher than regular chocolate, a Barry Callebaut spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also noted that the products could be sold in smaller bar sizes and are ultimately not aimed at upmarket consumers.
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