Ruby chocolate arrives in the US

Posted 14 May, 2019

Chocolatier Barry Callebaut has launched the fourth type of chocolate – Ruby – in the US and Canada.

Barry Callebaut’s ruby has a new and unique sensory profile – a fusion between fresh berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness – unlocked from pure cocoa beans that are specially chosen for their ruby properties, without adding berry flavours or colours. Ruby satisfies a different consumer need than dark, milk and white chocolate, providing chefs, artisans and chocolatiers unlimited product pairing opportunities, including bars and tablets, bonbons, pastries, desserts and more.

“Fueled by the overwhelming consumer response around the globe, Barry Callebaut collaborated with a small group of pioneering artisans over the last six months to soft launch ruby in the US marketplace. The sales of those consumer products have been very strong. As a result, to help ensure that our business partners have access to the product, we feel that now is the time to take the next step in our global roll-out campaign, and introduce ruby to the entire North American market,” said Peter Boone, CEO & President, Barry Callebaut Americas.

Ruby will be launched in the US as Callebaut RB1 Couverture, and will be spotlighted at the National Confectioners Association’s (NCA’s) Sweets and Snacks Expo.

Bas Smit, global vice president marketing of the Barry Callebaut Group, said: “Given the fact that ruby satisfies an unmet consumer need, we decided not to trademark ruby chocolate across the world, as no one should “own” ruby. We aim for category growth and to have ruby accepted as the fourth type of chocolate.”

This innovation, which has been in the making for more than 10 years, was crafted by leveraging the knowledge of Barry Callebaut’s global network of 28 R&D centers, Jacobs University Bremen (Germany), and over 175 years of expertise in sourcing and manufacturing. According to many experts, ruby is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the world of chocolate in the past 80 years.