Barry Callebaut Launches Terra Cacao Chocolate Range At ISM 2011: A Giant Leap Forward In Superior Tasting Chocolate

Cologne – Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, announces the launch of the Terra Cacao range: an exciting new innovation in superior tasting chocolate. Based on revolutionary new cocoa cultivation and fermentation methods developed by Barry Callebaut in collaboration with local growers, the Terra Cacao range represents a giant leap forward in terms of both quality and sustainability. Thanks mostly to improvements in the fermentation of the raw cocoa beans, the cocoa used to make Terra Cacao has virtually zero defects or off flavors, resulting in a 100% natural chocolate with an unprecedented harmony of pure tastes and rich aromas.

The Terra Cacao range covers several milk and dark chocolate references varying from 33.5% to 70.5% cocoa mass. The range, shaped as callets, is available for industrial customers worldwide and packed in 10kg bags.

Enhanced Fermentation
The innovation in Terra Cacao is applied after the harvest, during the critical initial fermentation of the cocoa beans at the plantations. Years of painstaking research into the intricacies of this complex process have yielded important insights into how flavor precursors are developed during fermentation. Barry Callebaut has developed a revolutionary technique to naturally enhance this process and promote the growth of the right ferment cultures to awaken even the most delicate and refined flavor precursors in the cocoa beans.

Superior Selection
Terra Cacao is very much a product of Barry Callebaut’s long-standing commitment to fostering sustainability in the cocoa industry through forging close ties with local farming organizations. The process begins with the careful selection of cocoa varieties and growing conditions to ensure the best possible stock. Barry Callebaut seeks out the most favorable altitudes and flavor-enhancing terroirs in equatorial regions where the soil is fertile and farmers tend the trees with patience and respect. Only the best fruits are picked by hand at precisely the right moment, ensuring a maximum of latent flavors and aromas in the bean.

Genuine Craftsmanship
Because the new, advanced fermentation method and sun-drying process produce cocoa beans with virtually zero defects or off-flavors, Barry Callebaut’s master craftsmen can go to work with the very finest ingredients to produce potentially the finest chocolate the world has ever seen or tasted. Mild roasting and patient conching produce a truly exquisite chocolate whose texture, aroma, taste and flavors are blended to perfection.

Nicholas Camu, Fermentation Innovation Manager, Barry Callebaut: “We are extremely proud of the achievement Terra Cacao represents. Years of research, experimentation, trial and error have gone into perfecting the fermentation process to generate vastly superior quality cocoa beans in a 100% natural way. Most importantly, Terra Cacao is helping to build a more sustainable future for the cocoa industry. By improving over all quality, local farmers are able to earn better incomes and thus a better livelihood for themselves and their communities.”

Visitors to the Barry Callebaut booth at ISM 2011 in Cologne will be able to witness the sheer pleasure of Terra Cacao chocolate with their own eyes and taste buds. Come and taste the future of chocolate with Barry Callebaut.

ISM, Colgne 30/01 – 02/02/2011 – Hall 10.2, Aisle C No: 010Aisle D No: 019

For more information: www.terracacao.com

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Barry Callebaut

With annual sales of about CHF 5.2 billion / EUR 3.6 billion / USD 4.9 billion for fiscal year 2009/10, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate – from the cocoa bean to the finest finished product. Barry Callebaut is present in 26 countries, operates more than 40 production facilities and employs about 7,500 people. The company serves the entire food industry, from food manufacturers to professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), to global retailers. Barry Callebaut is the global leader in cocoa and chocolate innovations and provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing. The company is actively engaged in initiatives and projects that contribute to a more sustainable cocoa supply chain.

Source: Barry Callebaut