Ruby Chocolate: The New Trend of Exquisite Pink Chocolate

After humankind’s nearly 4,000 years of cultivating and consuming chocolate, a new type, ruby chocolate has been discovered! In September of 2017, Swiss-Belgian chocolatier Barry Callebaut introduced this new, fourth kind of chocolate to the world, to massive appeal and fanfare. This constitutes perhaps the biggest innovation in chocolate in over 80 years since white chocolate was first produced by Nestle in 1936.

So, what is ruby chocolate?

Ruby chocolate has a distinct, pink color and it comes with a uniquely fruity, berry-like flavor. According to the inventors at Barry Callebaut, this chocolate is made from “ruby cacao beans” which grow in the unique climate conditions of Brazil, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast of West Africa.

Equating cocoa beans to grapes that are grown to make fine wine, Barry Callebaut explains that these ruby cocoa pods’ distinct flavor profiles are influenced by the territory they are grown in. Though this pink chocolate may look, smell and taste like it has color and flavors added, the manufacturer asserts that it does not.

With its beautiful pastel “millennial pink” color and distinct berry flavors, ruby chocolate offers one of the most fascinating innovations to the world of confections, cakes, cookies, ice creams and other types of desserts in recent memory. Confections that are made from ruby chocolate are infinitely Instagramable! Ruby chocolate has also been very popular in treats made especially for wedding celebrations.

How is ruby chocolate made and why is it different from the other three main types of chocolate?

All chocolate begins with the fruit from the Theobroma cacao tree. This tree produces pods which are filled with cocoa beans, which are then extracted, fermented, roasted and ground into chocolate liquor. This is a liquid that is typically mixed with other components, such as sugar and milk powder to create commercial products, such as milk, white and dark chocolate.

While the company who invented ruby chocolate has kept the details of how it’s made a closely guarded secret, they have shared some information on the production process to the public. The key to ruby chocolate’s pink color and fresh berry taste comes sometime during the fermentation process.

This presumably took the chocolatier quite a long time to perfect. Barry Callebaut had announced in 2004 that it had discovered a new type of cocoa bean, however the company didn’t launch this new product until over 13 years later in 2017. Much of this time was apparently spent perfecting their recipe for ruby chocolate.

Again, much of the details of their production process have been patented and remain proprietary knowledge – as they are undoubtedly protected by numerous non-disclosure agreements. However, some insights can be gleaned from simply reading the ingredients list. The ingredients include: sugar, cocoa butter, skimmed milk powder, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, emulsifier; soya lecithin, citric acid and natural vanilla flavoring. Ruby chocolate also contains a 47.3% minimum of cocoa solids.

While many of these ingredients are somewhat similar to other forms of chocolate, there’s one ingredient isn’t typical: citric acid. According to Cacao Magazine, some speculation surfaced around the time of the product’s launch that may hold part of the secret of how it is made. Some journalists and industry experts have ascertained that the fermentation process may be cut short, while the cocoa nibs are still a deep red color, then they are treated with an acidification process to retain their distinctive pink coloring.

The technique of making this kind of chocolate may continue to be somewhat of a mystery, but the end product, which is a wonderfully one-of-a-kind confection, is the delicious result of this process.

Ruby chocolate is characterized by its sweet, tart, and fruity flavor. It has a consistency and melting point that is quite comparable to that of white chocolate making it a great addition to baking and other types of confections. Any person who loves chocolate should make it a point to sample this pink chocolate with its creamy, velvety texture.

Redstone Foods is proud to offer Chocolove Ruby Chocolate Bars!

If all this talk of chocolate has you yearning to try it for yourself, then you’re in luck! Chocolove has two bars that feature ruby cocoa beans in a deliciously creative way!

First up is the Chocolove Ruby Chocolate Bar that features a 34% cocoa content made exclusively from ruby cacao beans. Of course there is no food coloring or berry flavoring added. This chocolate bar is also gluten-free.

The second bar by Chocolove is the perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s Day. The Raspberry Rose Ruby Chocolate Bar takes their love for chocolate to a whole new level. Featuring their 34% ruby cocoa, this creamy pink chocolate bar adds raspberries and just a hint of actual rose flower petals to create an addictive new take on ruby chocolate. This bar is a limited time offering that will surely sell-out fast, so order yours today!

We hope to have at least sparked some interest in your mind for the new candy craze that is ruby chocolate. At Redstone Foods, we’re always on the lookout for the latest trends and hot items in the candy business. We are constantly monitoring social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube to see what the next big products are going to be.

We’ve been in the candy business since 1966, so we have seen many fads come and go over the years. We’ve also witnessed many products that, at the time were written-off as a passing fad, but now have grown to become household names in the candy industry. We believe that ruby chocolate will be around for a long, long time and we’re just witnessing the beginning of a whole new market for ruby chocolate products.

If you’re curious about these new chocolate products, or you’re interested in becoming our customer, we would love to hear from you! With over 55 years of experience in the candy industry, we have a deep, long-held understanding that our business depends on your candy store’s success. We are here to help you every step of the way, and we look forward to hearing from you! Sign up for an account with us online, or give us a call:

1-800-444-3520