SWITZERLAND – Barry Callebaut, a chocolate and cocoa giant, is set to launch a Plant Craft range of vegan and dairy-free indulgent chocolate, cocoa and nut products for food and beverage manufacturers to keep pace with increasing consumer demand for healthy and indulgent products.

Earlier this year Barry Callebaut launched a 100 percent dairy-free milk chocolate coined “M_lk Chocolate” as part of Plant Craft, which has been developed to satisfy the growing demand for plant-based indulgence, particularly among Millennials and Gen-Z’s.

It is part of a wider portfolio of Plant Craft products ranging from chocolate, cocoa, nuts, and fillings to decorations.

“Plant-based products are definitely fitting the needs of the younger generation – the Centennials. They look for products that are good for them and good for the planet. Good for them from a nutritional point of view, but most importantly good in taste,” Camille Lannoy, brand development manager at Barry Callebaut, said.

“To make this complex matter simpler, as part of Plant Craft, Barry Callebaut developed a range of dairy-free products that do not contain any detectable dairy.”

Camille Lannoy – brand development manager, Barry Callebaut

“Barry Callebaut developed the new 100 percent Dairy-free m_lk chocolate, a chocolate with the milk chocolate taste consumers love, made from plants only,” she explains.

“Consumers do not necessarily understand why the ‘may contain milk’ statement is present on the pack of vegan products, and that for retailers, the fewer allergens on pack, the better. To make this complex matter simpler, as part of Plant Craft, Barry Callebaut developed a range of dairy-free products that do not contain any detectable dairy.”

Launches of plant-based products have significantly increased across all sweet categories. This comes as the growing interest in plant-based ingredients pushes plant-based eating from trend to food revolution status.

Iconic indulgent brands like Magnum (2019) or Galaxy (2020) have introduced new plant-based products with indulgence at heart. This is growing the category from its niche into the mainstream.

Barry Callebaut recently revealed its collaboration with local chocolate manufacturers, artisans, retailers and wholesalers such as Morinaga, Yuraku Confectionery and J.Maeda to “make sustainable chocolate the norm for the Japanese market.”

The commitment comes as more chocolate manufacturers in Japan are turning to sustainability programs to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers, eradicate child labor and protect nature.

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