Ruby chocolate will become available to chocolatiers, chefs in China this fall

Callebaut RB1 product unveiled May 9 at baking, confectionery show Bakery China.

Belgian chocolate brand Callebaut will make its Ruby RB1 product available to chocolatiers and chefs in China this September.

The brand, part of the Barry Callebaut Group, unveiled RB1 for the first time in the Asia-Pacific region this week at Bakery China, one of the biggest bakery and confectionery events in the country.

"Ruby is the most exciting thing to happen in the chocolate industry in decades," said Pascale Meulemeester, Barry Callebaut v.p. for global gourmet. "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."

Ruby chocolate isn’t new to Asia Pacific, however. Barry Callebaut first unveiled the innovation in China in September 2017, and Nestlé launched limited-edition KitKat products in Japan and South Korea in January and in Australia this month.

Introducing Ruby RB1 in China reaffirms Callebaut’s market growth and commitment to meet the needs of professional chocolate users in China. Barry Callebaut’s Chinese gourmet business has doubled in volume over the last five years.

On a larger scale, Euromonitor estimates the chocolate confectionery category in China will grow from $2.8 billion today to approximately $3.9 billion by 2021.

"During the past decade, we have been working with chocolate manufacturers and food service companies to deliver high-quality chocolate to the Chinese consumers,” said Denis Convert, Barry Callebaut v.p. for gourmet in Asia Pacific. “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’s rosy color and unique flavor resonate strongly with a new generation of consumers, mainly Millennials (18 - 35 years old) who balance a healthy lifestyle with the quest for extreme pleasure.

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.