Barry Callebaut launches nonpremium dairy-free chocolate line

Dive Brief:

• Barry Callebaut launched a complete portfolio of dairy-free chocolate compound, expanding the company’s plant-based options. These new options are 100% plant-based and are processed in segregated facilities where no dairy is present.
• The new line includes dairy-free EZ Melt Compound, Compound Chip/Chunk, Compound Soft Chunk, Compound Soft Shaped Chunks and Bulk Liquid for different applications.
• This line complements Barry Callebaut’s Plantcraft chocolate range, which was first introduced in early 2020. That higher-end line has dairy-free chocolates, nuts, cocoa powders and cacaofruit ingredients.

Dive Insight:

As plant-based everything gets more popular, it makes sense for confections to go that route as well. Chocolate makers have found varying degrees of success in creating plant-based bars that all consumers enjoy.

With its huge footprint in all things chocolate, Barry Callebaut brings an added degree of expertise to creating fully plant-based confections. With this compound, which is chocolate made with less cocoa butter and more plant-based fats from other sources, the company aims to make quality dairy-free chocolate more accessible to nonpremium products and recipes. The products under the new line can be used to create chocolate coatings, implemented as ingredients in cookies, trail mixes and ice cream, and be molded into bars or shapes.

The dairy-free chocolate segment as a whole has been getting more popular. According to Abillion, a plant-based online community, plant-based chocolate represents 40% of the world’s vegan confectionery market and is currently worth $1 billion. There’s also a lot of room to grow. Food AI company Spoonshot said only 5.6% of all chocolate products in the U.S., U.K. and Australia carry vegan label claims.

There’s huge opportunity here, as well as a relatively low bar for success. Early efforts at plant-based chocolate from big confectioners have been panned by reviewers. And while many European chocolate makers are announcing high-profile planned launches of plant-based bars — including Mondelēz-owned Cadbury, Germany’s Ritter Sport and France’s Valrhona — the field in the United States is wide open. The only major confectioner to test out a plant-based bar is Hershey with its Oat Made. However, Barry Callebaut’s new compound line may actually be powering several of these coming launches, and it could be behind many more.

Aside from just candy bars, there is a whole host of products in which chocolate is a key ingredient, from granola bars to cereal to trail mix to yogurt. This compound has the potential to help manufacturers make dairy-free versions of products in their lineups that rely on a chocolate drizzle or pieces to add a bit of indulgence. Plant-based versions of favorite CPG brands could eventually appear on shelves, boasting a similar appearance and taste profile to the original. And plant-based desserts could become much more indulgent with chocolate inclusions and coatings.

One thing is certain: Consumers across the spectrum are interested in eating more plant-based foods. According to a OnePoll survey, six out of 10 U.S. consumers have started eating more of a plant-based diet since the pandemic began.