Barry Callebaut introduces Ruby chocolate for Belgian artisan chocolatiers, pastry chefs

Global introduction of Callebaut RB1 will be gradual, company says.

Barry Callebaut has developed a Ruby chocolate product under its Callebaut brand for artisan chocolatiers and pastry chefs.

Billed as the fourth variety of chocolate after milk, dark and white, the Ruby chocolate product — Callebaut RB1 — will be available in Belgium in April. Availability in other countries will follow, but Barry Callebaut did not specify a timeline.

In celebration of the imminent Belgian launch, a handful of chocolatiers got a sneak preview today of Callebaut RB1, which sold out immediately. Products made with RB1 will be available at the Salon du Chocolat, set for March 2-4 in Brussels.

“Without exaggerating: Ruby is the most exciting thing to happen in the chocolate industry in decades,” master chocolatier Marijn Coertjens said. “With ruby, you need to unlearn what you would traditionally do with dark, milk or white chocolate. This chocolate opens up a host of new ideas.”

Research shows that Ruby chocolate resonates strongly with a new generation of consumers — mainly Millennials (18–35 years old) who balance a healthy lifestyle with the quest for extreme pleasure.

“With ruby chocolate you haven’t seen anything yet,” says Mathieu Brunfaut, global group brand leader, Callebaut. “Its salient colour and unique taste profile calls for new pairing options in both sweet and savoury delights. Now, offering ruby chocolate to artisans and chefs will unleash a wave of creativity that will lead to exciting new products and concepts for people to enjoy.”

Discovered more than a decade ago, Ruby chocolate was the work of Barry Callebaut’s global R&D centers in Belgium and France and the Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. Researchers found Ruby chocolate was linked to precursors in a specific type of bean — the Ruby cocoa bean.

RB1 owes its color and taste solely to the expert selection and meticulous processing of the Ruby beans — no fruit flavoring or colorants are added to the chocolate. For every bag of RB1, Callebaut sources sustainably grown beans and supports cocoa farmers in cocoa farming communities.

In January, Nestlé Japan launched the limited-edition KitKat Chocolatory Sublime Ruby, the world’s first item made with Ruby chocolate. Nestlé said 5,000 bars were available in South Korea and Japan, where KitKat flavor innovation is at its peak.

Alyse Thompson has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry Magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served as managing editor of Cannabis Products Magazine since March 2019. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.