Ruby chocolate to debut in China

CHOCOLATIERS and chefs in China caught a glimpse of Callebaut Finest Belgian Chocolate ruby RB1 at the Bakery China fair (May 9-12). According to manufacturer Barry Callebaut, the ruby chocolate will be available in China beginning September of this year.

"Ruby is the most exciting thing to happen in the chocolate industry in decades," said Barry Callebaut's Vice President for Global Gourmet, Pascale Meulemeester. "We are proud to offer this fourth category of chocolate –  after milk, dark and white – under the Callebaut brand and our Finest Belgian Chocolate range. Offering ruby chocolate to artisans and chefs in China will unleash a wave of creativity that will lead to exciting new products and concepts for people to enjoy."

Callebaut Finest Belgian Chocolate ruby RB1 is pure chocolate, with no added fruit flavouring or colourants 

Denis Convert, Barry Callebaut's Vice President for Gourmet in Asia Pacific, said, "During the past decade, we have been working with chocolate manufacturers and food service companies to deliver high-quality chocolate to the Chinese consumers. Ruby chocolate fuels our excitement about the future of chocolate in China which we believe has the potential to become one of the biggest chocolate markets in the world."

Research conducted in several countries including China shows that ruby chocolate resonates strongly with a new generation of consumers ages 18 - 35 years who balance a healthy lifestyle with the quest for extreme pleasure.

Researchers also found out that ruby chocolate was linked to specific precursors for taste and colour, naturally present in the "ruby" cocoa bean. Identifying these ruby cocoa beans, which hold plenty of these precursors, and finding the best way to process the beans during the chocolate-making process has taken many years of research. RB1 owes its colour and specific taste solely to the expert selection and meticulous processing of the ruby beans -- no fruit flavouring or colourants are added to the chocolate.

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