Dark, milk and white chocolate had the category to themselves for roughly eighty years - until a Belgian-Swiss chocolate maker introduced a fourth type with a colour nobody expected from cocoa at all.
The 'fourth type of chocolate'
Barry Callebaut unveiled ruby chocolate in Shanghai in September 2017, describing it at the time as the first genuinely new type of chocolate since white chocolate was developed roughly 80 years earlier. The announcement came after several years of development with the company's own R&D centres and Jacobs University, and the product rolled out first across Asia, Europe and Australia/New Zealand before reaching North America.
Where the colour and flavour come from
The naturally pink colour and berry-tart flavour are both drawn from the ruby cocoa bean itself through how it's processed - Barry Callebaut is explicit that no berries, berry flavouring or added colour are involved. The company describes the taste as a tension between berry-fruitiness and smoothness, deliberately positioned as neither bitter, milky nor conventionally sweet. The product has also been the subject of discussions with the US FDA over its own standard of identity, reflecting how genuinely new the category is considered to be.
What we actually stock right now
We don't currently stock ruby chocolate. If you're after chocolate more generally, our full Chocolate collection covers what's in stock right now.
Frequently asked questions
What actually makes ruby chocolate pink?
The ruby cocoa bean and how it's processed - no added colouring, according to developer Barry Callebaut.
Is ruby chocolate flavoured with real berries?
No - the berry-like tartness comes from the bean itself through processing, with no added berries or flavouring.
Is ruby chocolate new?
Relatively - unveiled by Barry Callebaut in September 2017, the first new chocolate type in around 80 years.
Does Supreme Sweets stock ruby chocolate?
Not currently - browse our Chocolate collection for what's in stock now.