Barry Callebaut launches Gold because ‘consumers are prepared to pay more’ for caramel chocolate

The product is created with a composition of caramelized sugar and milk, and is made with sustainably sourced cocoa beans from West Africa, according to the chocolate and cocoa provider.

It is now available to chefs and artisans worldwide to use in various applications, such as chocolate tablets, bark, pralines, mousse, glazes and ice cream, said Barry Callebaut.

‘Gold is as caramel as it gets…’

“Gold is as caramel as it gets: it features an appealing, warm color and intense, yet well balanced taste with rich notes of toffee, butter, cream and an exciting dash of salt,”​ said Miriam Madrigal, Barry Callebaut’s marketing manager.

“For years, caramel has been a popular element in the ranges of chocolatiers, bakers and pastry chefs and on the menus of many restaurants,”​ she added.

“Market research shows that consumers globally see caramel chocolate as an indispensable taste in the chocolate counter… consumers are prepared to pay more for it than for traditional chocolate flavor,” ​said Madrigal.

“We believe Gold has strong potential in confectionery, due to its in-demand color and flavor, and we are already seeing interest from chefs in the HORECA (a syllabic abbreviation used in Scandinavia, Benelux and France for the food service industry) and ice cream segments.”​

How is it different from Hershey’s Gold?

Hershey also launched a gold candy​​ last year, and it said the peanut and pretzel flavored product is the first permanent flavor variant for its namesake brand since Cookies ‘n Crème in 1995, ConfectioneryNews previously reported.

However, Hershey's gold is not a chocolate product and is called caramelized crème, while Barry Callebaut's Gold is Belgian chocolate. 

Business development

Innovation has been on Barry Callebaut’s radar for quite some time and it drove the company’s half-year (2017/18) net profit growth by 37.5%​​, according to this site.

Prior to launching Gold, the company unveiled a fourth type of chocolate, Ruby​​, in China last year, and it later collaborated with Nestlé to introduce Ruby chocolate-made KitKat​​ to Japan, South Korea and the UK.

“Ruby chocolate will be the next big launch for Barry Callebaut in the United States in early 2019,”​ said Madrigal.