Snow-Melt is the company’s newest product developed for gourmet customers in Singapore and across the Asia Pacific region. It is a fast-melting chocolate filling with a firm texture that can be used in various chocolate applications such as pralines.
Barry Callebaut is among the world’s largest cocoa producers and grinders, with an average annual production of 1.7 million tonnes of cocoa.
Pastry and bakery shops can use the fast-melting chocolate for products with filings or inclusions, which will provide consumers with an interesting eating experience.
According to a recent report by market research and insight agency Kadence Singapore, preferences for chocolate vary across Asia. Taste represents about half of what people in Singapore look for in chocolates (48 per cent). Chocolate texture was also a key parameter behind taste, for example Singaporeans prefer their chocolates to have nuts to add a bit of crunch in them (24 per cent).
Quality of chocolates is also important for Singapore (10 per cent), and Singaporeans are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are on the look-out for gourmet chocolate offerings. Gourmet chocolates represent a considerable market share in Singapore because consumers are more willing to spend on premium quality confectionery products as compared to the past. This upward trend has led to the resurgence of chocolate boutiques or cafés in Singapore.
Barry Callebaut also recently refurbished its Chocolate Academy centre in its facility in Singapore. The centre was the first of its kind in Singapore when it was introduced in 1997 as formal chocolate training in Asia was rare in the late 1990s. The company have also established similar chocolate training centres in Mumbai, Shanghai and Tokyo.
In addition to manufacture, the company undertakes research into chocolate recipes for example, in recent years, it has launched tooth-friendly chocolate, probiotic chocolate, chocolate with a high level of antioxidants (sold under the brand name ACTICOA), and “rebalanced” chocolate, which has an improved nutritional profile. These improvements are based under Callebaut’s innovation strategy of Health and wellness, experience and indulgence, and convenience.