Cabosse Naturals, the global cacaofruit expert, is partnering with Cacao Barry, the leading artisan chocolate brand since 1842, to celebrate the zesty, fruity taste of the cacaofruit. The global rollout of new WholeFruit chocolate has officially started. At the same time, the 100% pure cacaofruit ingredients behind the next-gen food and drink segment have been introduced in snacks, drinks, and ice cream.

WholeFruit chocolate will hit the menus of fine dining restaurants, high-end hotels and top chocolate and bakery shops in the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Japan through the artisan and chef network of Cacao Barry. The leading artisan chocolate brand also plans to introduce another expression of WholeFruit chocolate in 2022. 

Herwig Bernaert, managing director of Cabosse Naturals: “We are proud to see that our innovative supply chain offers us a solid foundation to partner with iconic brands such as Cacao Barry and other food and drink producers across the world to craft and introduce delicious-tasting cacaofruit experiences.”

Over the past two years, Cabosse Naturals, a brand by Barry Callebaut, has mastered the supply chain to create a high-quality range of 100% pure cacaofruit ingredients. The range literally unleashes the full power of the cacaofruit by making use of its beans, its nutrient-dense peel and its fresh and fruity pulp and juice. It is the most delicious solution to climate change, since it upcycles 70% of the delicious cacaofruit – one of the most harvested fruits around the globe – that used to be discarded as waste.

Since the first introduction of the next-gen food and drink segment, Cabosse Naturals has also partnered with CaPao, a Mondelez brand, to offer cacaofruit snacks and Rogelfrut, a high-quality fruit processing brand, with which it introduced a new cacaofruit gelato mix for ice cream parlors in Italy.

Chef’s perspective

In October 2019, along with influential chefs from around the world, Chef Lauren Haas, lead chef of the North American Chocolate Academies, had the privilege of gathering in San Francisco for the first introduction of WholeFruit chocolate. Together with Cacao Barry, the chefs embarked upon a creative journey to refine the taste, texture and workability of WholeFruit Chocolate in preparation for introducing this special chocolate to the world. Over the course of the past months, they shared recipes and findings together, and collaborated on the development of materials to educate chefs on the use of WholeFruit Chocolate.

“At our Chocolate Academies, our chefs conducted trials and developed signature creations that reflect their creative philosophies and bring out the purest flavor of cacao,” Haas says in an exclusive interview with Bake. “For my creation, I hand-carved a cacao pod out of clay, then used the clay form to create a custom snack bar mold at our Chicago Chocolate Academy. The snack bars are filled with a WholeFruit ganache, along with a crisp layer of a cocoa nib sable crunch. I wanted to keep the pure taste of cacao at the forefront of this creation.”

A pastry chef, Haas points out, is one who derives great pleasure from serving others. Pastry chefs are in the business of making people happy with their sweet creations.

“Our creations are ephemeral. They cannot be displayed for posterity,” she says.

Haas is the gourmet lead chef for North America for the Barry Callebaut Group. As a USA Cacao Barry Ambassador for 10 years, she has a long history with Barry Callebaut. Previously, she served as an associate professor at Johnson & Wales University and honed her skills at some of the country’s most esteemed establishments, including the residence at the White House. Lauren’s creations have garnered broad recognition, and in 2018 Bake Magazine named her one of the nation’s Top Educators.

Key advantages

WholeFruit Chocolate is made entirely from 100% pure cacaofruit with no added sugar, vanilla, or lecithin. This unique composition ensures that the pure taste of cacao is at the forefront, allowing for chefs to develop chocolate creations with an unparalleled fresh and fruity cacao taste. Haas explains. Chefs and bakers can feel confident that they are using a sustainably and responsibly sourced chocolate that supports farmers while reducing food waste, she adds.

Through WholeFruit Chocolate, consumers are able to experience the pure taste of cacao like never before. WholeFruit Chocolate is also 100% sustainably sourced, supporting a holistic lifestyle where taste and health go hand in hand. 

WholeFruit Chocolate is distributed in 2.5 kilo bags in pistole™ format. When working with WholeFruit Chocolate, it is important to keep the chocolate below 104°F, and to protect the chocolate from humidity by storing in airtight packaging between 60-64°F, Haas explains.

WholeFruit Chocolate can be tempered using a variety of methods by following the recommended temperature curve. This includes using the tabling method, the seeding method, the microwave method, and tempering with Cacao Barry Mycryo®.

“Cacao Barry is proud to present WholeFruit Chocolate and its first zesty and fruity expression: Evocao, designed by and for chef artisans,” she says. “This new type of chocolate is the very first Cacao Barry couverture chocolate made from 100% pure cacaofruit. It's sustainably sourced and carries a short, clean label: no refined sugars, no lecithin, and no vanilla. This unique identity gives it an unparalleled aromatic profile that unlocks many new flavor possibilities to explore: Evocao being the first signature expression of WholeFruit Chocolate, with others to follow as of 2022.”

In its Education booklet, Cacao Barry chefs outline some of the basic pastry and confectionery uses for Evocao, such as ganache and mousse. More inspirational recipe examples are in the works and will be shared with the world very soon. 

“WholeFruit Chocolate’s distinctive flavor has inspired me to experiment with flavor pairings and recipe formulations that allow for the taste of fresh cacao to shine through,” Haas says. “It also has challenged my thought process around recipe formulation and the use of ingredients and materials, such as using paper made from the upcycled skins of the cacao bean in packaging.”

WholeFruit Chocolate has the ability to pair with a variety of different ingredients, from citrus, to herbs, to tropical fruits, offering endless flavor opportunities. It’s unique taste and flavor release inspires chefs to express their creativity. WholeFruit Chocolate is sustainably sourced and produced, allowing for chefs and business to share their passion for sustainability with their customers.

Environmental benefits

Typically, in cacao production 70% of the cacaofruit goes to waste. In the production of WholeFruit chocolate, 25% more of the cacaofruit is utilized as its sugars come from the excess pulp that is usually discarded, offering farmers an additional revenue stream, Haas explains.

Cabosse Naturals was the first cacaofruit brand to partner with Upcycled Food Association (UFA). In 2020, it led a global campaign in collaboration with UFA to build the upcycled food category. This year, UFA introduced an Upcycled CertifiedTM mark in the US to help consumers identify upcycled products and make an impact with their purchasing decisions. Cabosse Naturals’ partners will be able to enroll a mark on their packaging. Cacao Barry, a Cabosse Naturals partner, aims to be the first chocolate labeled with this mark.

Turner Wyatt, CEO of the Upcycled Food Association: "Products with the Upcycled Certified mark on packaging will empower consumers to prevent food waste every time they enjoy a chocolate. There has never been a more delicious solution to climate change!"

Innovative ingredients

Cabosse Naturals won the “Sustainable Ingredient Award” at the 2021 Sustainable Food Awards on June 10, 2021. This award is given to an ingredient that makes a sustainable difference in terms of its environmental and/or social impact. Cabosse Naturals also was a finalist during the World Innovation Awards 2021 in the category, Most Innovative Ingredient.

Millennials and Centennials, but also older generations earnestly want to live a happy, healthy life, in symbiosis with the world around them. They want chocolate that is tasty, good for them and good for the planet. WholeFruit chocolate responds perfectly to this need: a delicious, fresh fruity taste, 40% less sugar than the most consumed dark chocolates, and made from 100% pure cacaofruit. A fruit of which 70% is normally discarded as waste. 

WholeFruit, the new type of chocolate, reflects a profound change in the way cacaofruit is perceived and used, and also in the way chocolate is made. It brings to life the common desire of farmers, chefs and consumers to leverage nature for completely new and unforgettable taste experiences. 

Dries Roekaerts, global gourmet vice president for Barry Callebaut Group, explains that WholeFruit’s natural acidity and fruity notes, reminiscent of exotic fruits, make it a powerful chocolate without comparison with what is available on the market today. For the first time, consumers can enjoy all the flavors and natural freshness of the cacaofruit.

“At Cacao Barry, we are proud to present WholeFruit chocolate and its first expression: Evocao. This chocolate has been designed for chef artisans, answering perfectly to their expectations and requirements, in terms of values and taste, says Andrea Doucet Donida, global managing director Cacao Barry.

Vegan options

Valrhona marks a milestone in chocolate-making with AMATIKA 46%, the first vegan Grand Cru chocolate available for both pastry chefs and home gourmets. AMATIKA is another unique chocolate in the Valrhona collection – sweet and creamy like a milk chocolate couverture, yet powerful like a single origin chocolate. The result of passionate teamwork between sourcing teams, cocoa producers, innovation and sensory experts and L’École Valrhona’s pastry chefs, AMATIKA 46% gives artisans the opportunity to see vegan pastry as a new source of inspiration, a way to stand out from the crowd and to serve a broader range of customers.

A vegan Grand Cru of single origin from Madagascar, the unique aromatic profile of AMATIKA 46% sets it apart from other milk chocolate. AMATIKA’s melt-in-the-mouth texture reveals notes of cacao, toasted almonds and a hint of acidity, for a sensuous journey to the shade of a Madagascan garden. AMATIKA gives off subtle aromas of orange blossom, Grand Marnier and jasmine. As well as the distinct dry fruits in the ground almonds, there are also tinges of fruits such as banana, peach and lemon zest. The balance between cacao, fat and sugar delivers the perfect texture for all classical pastry making techniques with a vegan twist. It is especially suited to providing an exquisitely creamy addition to ganache and mousse.
AMATIKA 46% combines the sweetness and creaminess of pure ground almonds with the aromatic potency of pure Madagascan cocoa for unparalleled taste and texture to meet the needs and creativity of pastry chefs and artisans the world over. Born at the heart of Madagascar, AMATIKA is the fruit of Valrhona’s long-term partnership with the Millot Plantation, made from cacao beans especially selected for their aromatic intensity. AMATIKA is vegan-certified by the European Vegetarian Union and by Vegan Action in the United States. These certifications guarantee no animal-based products were used as ingredients or in any stage of its production.

"AMATIKA 46% is a bold and expert work of art created by our gourmet engineers. With its truly gourmet appearance, it marries all the sweetness, delicacy, creaminess and warm colors of a milk chocolate … with none of the milk," explains Frédéric Bau, creative director and pastry chef, L’École Valrhona.

Vegan pastry-making is not only aimed at vegetarians and vegans, who as of 2020, made up close to 14% of the world population. It also appeals to the increasing number of flexitarians and people looking to reduce their intake of animal-based products. The new art form also caters to the needs of those with allergies or intolerances to dairy, eggs and gluten, as well as any epicureans seeking to reduce their fat or sugar intake for health reasons. Lastly, it presents a new sensory experience to all inquisitive pastry enthusiasts looking to explore uncharted territories of confection.
If the vegan movement maintains the current rate of growth over the next decade, at least one in ten people will have adopted plant-based diets. However, it still presents a real challenge to pastry chefs, who must rethink their traditional techniques