Utilising the power of cacao for confectionery excellence
Over the past two years, Barry Callebaut brand Cabosse Naturals has gone about delivering a major shift in how cacaofruit is used within the sector. As editor Neill Barston found speaking to sales director William Angleys, its latest powder-based solution holds the keys to major confectionery breakthroughs.
Delivering a genuinely game-changing innovation with the cocoa sector is something that is a relatively rare occurrence in such a well-established international industry. Yet a global commercial-scale first has recently been claimed by Barry Callebaut subsidiary brand Cabosse Naturals, devising a 100 per cent pure cacaofruit powder.
The subsidiary’s latest offering has been designed to replace refined sugar in an array of applications including confectionery and ice cream, and is seemingly causing something of a stir within the sector. Notably, the series, which has been refined in its development over the past couple of years, comes in addition to an existing ingredient range of pulp, juice and concentrate, its launch has come in The power of cacao Over the past two years, Barry Callebaut brand Cabosse Naturals has gone about delivering a major shift in how cacaofruit is used within the sector.
As editor Neill Barston found speaking to sales director William Angleys, its latest powder-based solution holds the keys to major confectionery breakthroughs response to heightened demand for lower sugar, environmentally mindful product ranges.
As the company noted, by using Cabosse Naturals’ upcycled cacaofruit ingredients in their applications, artisans and brands are also able to apply for an Upcycled Certified mark on packaging – the world’s first mark certifying upcycled food in products, enabling consumers to make an impact-informed purchase and help prevent food waste. Confectionery Production has previously covered Cabosse launches – which have highlighted the fact that 70 per cent of each cacaofruit had typically been wasted until now. Consequently, it has been labelled as ‘the most discarded fruit on the planet,’ which brands including Cabosse are now aiming to address this through making full use of the fruit’s nutritious pulp, which surrounds its beans that are core chocolate ingredients. The cacaofruit’s zesty signature flavour has been developed to offer a refreshing taste, offering complex notes and natural sweetness to ingredients, which are very versatile and can be used in a number of other ways beyond confectionery including dairy products and snacks.
As previously reported, the extended use of cacaofruit has been explored in recent years by other manufacturers, but this is believed by the company to be the first offered in powder form in large-scale production form. Confectionery Production attended last year’s Choco Tec event in Cologne, at which Cabosse presented its existing range of products (below, right), which the business confirmed had met with enthusiasm from consumers and the wider industry alike. William Angleys, sales director at Cabosse Naturals, commented: “This new powder brings the characteristic fresh fruitiness of the cacaofruit pulp to new creations and, thanks to its fruity taste and natural sweetness, it can replace refined sugar in fat-based fillings in confectionery and ice cream.
It also brings a lovely taste and it is upcycled,” explained the Zurich-based specialist, whose work sits within Barry Callebaut’s operations within the Swiss city. The new powder is set for release later this year, after Waitrose became the first supermarket to feature the brand’s WholeFruit Special Edition Bar, which uses the pulp of the fruit which gives it a bright unique citrus taste to chocolate bar. Product development Speaking to Confectionery Production on the new series’ creation, the sales director believed there had been an encouraging initial reception from its existing market, and noted the considerable potential for the new series. He said: “We have been on the market for two years now for our cacao fruit ingredients that was available in liquid form, but we were always missing one product area and that was the dry application, which we now have, creating a bridge to the confectionery world.
“So, it’s an important development for us as we can promote that right across Barry Callebaut and it fits well within the company, offering a natural solution for artisans and snacking sectors, as well as within the ice cream and bakery markets,” revealed the specialist, who felt there was a good deal of anticipation within the business in terms of creating an expanded landscape of product applications.
As he noted, initial tests have proved significantly encouraging, with a recent visit to colleagues at a Barry Callebaut chocolate academy in Poland, saw its chefs create a wide range of products from the Cabosse series, including its latest powders, including forging cacao fruit-based toppings.
According to Angleys, there are several critical factors in the new powder’s favour. Firstly, he explained that there was a ‘triple play’ of benefits, including the cacaofruit’s distinctive taste profiles that have been retained in its latest powder format, as well as the health aspects of the product in terms of using it as a sugar replacement, making it a ‘clean-label’ ingredient. Finally, he noted the third pilar was its sustainability credentials, based on the notion of ‘being good for people as well as the planet,’ through having a lower CO2 impact through its processing in making full use of the cacao pulp, much of which was previously discarded. Crucially, as he added, another significant element of its development is that Barry Callebaut is now not just simply buying beans from farmers, it’s the wider cacaofruit pulps, given their potential for use with this latest generation of alternative products. “Being able to buy the beans as well as the pulp from farmers is having a positive effect in those communities, whether it is through increasing the salary of farmers, or through creating new jobs,” noted the specialist, who felt that the latest generation of products now being created moved the industry on from centuries of tradition, and on to a more sustainable footing.
“Though we are working on this as a mass market product, it will bring innovations for all, from the small to the big players in the sector, which is down to the integrated supply chains of Barry Callebaut, and its quality systems that helps these ingredients reach different markets. “For those who are artisan chocolatiers, they are creating something new in terms of flavours and also through their storytelling, which cacaofruit is able to bring this different aspects including its positive impact and innovation potential,” added Angleys, who felt that the response from both those in the restaurant sector and the wholesale market has so far been notably positive in terms of their feedback of this much-anticipated ingredient series.
