The New Miracle Chocolate

by Spence Cooper on 20/07/09 at 11:12 am

God does work in mysterious ways. In this case through man to produce what can only be described as a miracle chocolate called “Vulcano” — chocolate that doesn’t melt and is low in calories.

Swiss chocolate manufacturer, Barry Callebaut, whose annual output of over 1.1 million tons of cocoa and chocolate products makes it the world’s largest producer of chocolate, says ABC News reporter Alice Chalupny.

Callebaust claims to have developed a type of chocolate with completely new properties. According to the company’s head developer, Hans Vriens, the chocolate has up to 90 percent fewer calories than regular chocolate, and can withstand tempatures up to 55 degrees Celsius, or 131 degrees Fahrenheit. For chocolate-tech layman, traditional chocolate begins melting at around 30 degrees Celsius.

Vulcano will be available in bar and cookie form, and Callebaut hopes to attract interest in a declining chocolate market where in the past year the eight largest western European countries experienced a two percent consumption drop in chocolate, with an eight percent loss in the US. “Thanks to its ability to withstand high temperatures,” writes Chalupny, “Vulcano has a realistic chance of making a dent in the market in warmer parts of the world…As things currently stand, marketing a heat-sensitive product in such regions without setting up expensive ‘cold chains,’ as temperature-controlled supply chains are known, is almost impossible. A chocolate product that could withstand high temperatures would solve this problem. According to Vriens, the company wants to start by targeting India, China and southern Europe.”

“The idea sounds intriguing” says Daniel Bürki, a financial analyst at the Zurich Cantonal Bank. [But] “Past experience has shown that melt-proof chocolate cannot compete with traditional products when it comes to taste….” Nevertheless, says Bürki, “they [investors] love these kinds of stories.”

Barry Callebaut’s attempt at miracle chocolate is not the first, Hershey’s tried making melt-proof chocolate for the US Army during World War II, but failed. Hershey’s refined it’s approach through the years, “but none of the heat-proof chocolate bars ever made it into commercial production.” I wonder why that is?

What’s worth mentioning is that none of Callebaut’s main competitors, Cargill, Blommer and ADM, seem interested in developing “a comparable, saleable product” — even the Swiss chocolate company Lindt & Sprüngli has dismissed the idea.”

What’s especially revealing — at least to me — is that only 20 percent of Callebaut’s production is for their own chocolate brands, the rest is dedicated to other manufacturers, namely Nestlé, Hershey’s and Cadbury Schweppes? Who would have guessed Nestlé, Hershey’s and Cadbury Schweppes do not even make their own chocolate? In the meantime, I guess we’ll all be eating calorie-laden, melted chocolate for the next two years while we wait for the low-cal chocolate miracle to occur.