What is Barry Callebaut 2nd Generation Chocolate?

Editor’s note: There are many reasons to travel, and according to contributor Elizabeth Karmel, chocolate is definitely one of them. She was invited to travel to Venice for the industry unveiling of Barry Callebaut’s latest chocolate announcement in October of 2022 .She’s partial to Callebaut callets and loves using them whole in recipes like Anthony’s Perfect 10-Year Chocolate Chip Cookies, so we reached out to get her report.

Venice launch of 2nd Barry Callebaut generation chocolate photo courtesy Barry Callebaut

Barry Callebaut is the largest chocolate producer in the world. They have 66 factories all over the world and more than 13,000 employees. They also have 26 global chocolate academies where pastry chefs and artisans go for special demos, classes and to create and learn new chocolate techniques. The company chose Venice as the venue for their most recent major announcement. Both the city of Venice and Barry Callebaut are undergoing major changes with the goal of becoming more sustainable. The theme uniting the two was reinvention of a classic.

Barry Callebaut’s Business

Even if you don’t think you’ve tasted Barry Callebaut’s chocolate, you have, as the majority of their business is supplying well-known consumer chocolate companies with ingredients for their candy. Barry Callebaut supplies chocolate to all the big brands including Nestle, Mondelez, and Harrod’s who take the base chocolate and make their own confections with it. 

Chocolate wafers photo credit Barry Callebaut

Callebaut branded chocolate is sold to chocolatiers and pastry chefs around the world in 5kg blocks or “callets” which are small round coins or wafers. 

Innovation at Barry Callebaut

Before announcing the 2nd Generation Chocolate this fall, Barry Callebaut introduced both whole-fruit chocolate and ruby chocolate. If you’ve tasted the rosy-pink chocolate in any form, from any manufacturer, you’ve tasted their chocolate. 

Today, they are referring to chocolate as we know it as 1st Generation Chocolate because of their introduction of the 2nd Generation Chocolate, launched in Venice. 

The company shares, “More than 140 years after the emergence of the first generation, discover the second generation of chocolate: a range of dark and milk chocolates that address the changing consumer preferences and consumers’ desire to indulge more mindfully.”

The CEO of Barry Callebaut Group, Peter Boone, said that the second generation of chocolate “addresses the consumers’ desire to indulge more mindfully…by reducing sugar and focusing on the natural flavors of cocoa.” 

2nd Generation Chocolate is Many Things

Overview of 2nd generation chocolate. Courtesy of Barry Callebaut

So, what exactly does that mean? The “2nd Generation Chocolate” is chocolate that is processed with only 2-3 ingredients. Cocoa comes first and the emphasis is on “the purity of cocoa flavors.” 

Barry Callebaut’s Cocoa Cultivation & Craft principle which they refer to as CCC, is aimed at recognizing the special qualities of each cocoa bean and coaxing the nuances of flavor. 

The sourcing of the cocoa beans, the fermenting and roasting are all part of the new CCC. The cocoa beans for second generation chocolate are sourced from the Cocoa Horizons, a non-profit that Barry Callebaut and created to support cocoa farmers, in Ecuador. The beans are processed within 8 hours of being picked. 

Typically starter cultures are added during a fermenting process but Frank Keidel the head of media relations shares that in 2nd generation chocolate, “While no starter culture is added, the beans are placed in wooden boxes and ferment in their own sweet pulp, temperature is checked thoroughly, following a clear protocol.” 

Keidel adds “Roasting practices are adapted to the unique character of the cocoa beans, with carefully defined temperature phases during the process. We stimulate unwanted volatiles to evaporate while awakening the desired bean flavors.” 

Firsthand Review of 2nd Generation Chocolate 

2nd generation chocolate ingredients. Courtesy of Barry Callebaut

The first ingredient in 2nd generation chocolate is cocoa, the second ingredient is sugar, and milk is added only to make milk chocolate. This has never been done on an industrial scale. It is a big deal because most chocolate has other ingredients such as lecithin, additional cocoa butter, and vanillin. In response to the mindful objective, the new 2nd Generation Chocolate has 50% less sugar than 80% of the chocolate made and consumed in the world. But you wouldn’t know that by tasting it. 

When I tasted the chocolate, I found the texture to be smooth as silk. It has none of the chalkiness or bitterness that some—especially dark chocolate—has. The chocolate melts easily on the tongue and the dark chocolate has a more vibrant fruity and floral flavor. The milk chocolate is less sweet and has a deep caramel note. And, the “milky” milk chocolate favored by some chocolatiers is soft and subtle. It tastes like the best pure milk chocolate without the aftertaste of too much sugar which I find happens with a lot of today’s milk chocolate. 

As a chocolate consumer and baker, I can say that it does taste like “pure” chocolate. I can’t wait to play with it because it was the best chocolate that I have tasted in years—maybe ever!