Barry Callebaut partnership produces high-flavanol chocolate

Barry Callebaut has revealed a partnership with FlavaNaturals to produce chocolate containing high levels of cocoa flavanol in the US.

The announcement follows three years of collaboration on the development of FlavaBars, a line of chocolate containing five times the cocoa flavanol content of a typical dark chocolate bar.

FlavaBars are said to leverage over a decade of development by Barry Callebaut on high-flavanol chocolate. The company said that although flavanols are naturally occurring in cocoa beans, they are significantly reduced during the traditional chocolate production process. Requiring no additives or fortification, this chocolate retains flavanols through “optimised cocoa sourcing and processing”.

Peter Boone, CEO of Barry Callebaut Americas, said: “Consumers today are constantly trying to achieve balance in their diet. Our proprietary sourcing and processing methods allow us to better preserve the naturally existing flavanols in cocoa. Working with FlavaNaturals, we are able to provide a new chocolate experience for US consumers.”

FlavaNaturals CEO Alan Frost added: “FlavaNaturals is proud to partner with Barry Callebaut, a world leader in cocoa innovation and sustainability. Our ultimate vision is to change the way people think about consuming chocolate. Chocolate may have been your weakness, but with FlavaBar, it becomes your strength.”

The bars which are available in six flavours – roasted almond, Himalayan pink salt, blueberry and green tea matcha, pure cocoa nibs, espresso ground coffee, and crystallised ginger – are now sold online, with expansion to retail planned in spring 2018.