Named for it’s pink hue, Ruby chocolate is not artificially flavoured or coloured, the colour instead is a result of a different style of cocoa bean processing which has been kept secret by Belgian-Swiss cocoa company Barry Callebaut.

The company’s Martin Black said the company had been keen to source Ruby chocolate for months, but an exclusive deal with a café chain had meant no stocks were going to be available for boutique manufacturers until early 2019. 

He said the company had managed to secure one of only two shipments of the highly prized Ruby prior to Christmas. 

“For 80 years we’ve managed to survive with just three varieties of chocolate – white, milk and dark – but now Ruby adds a new dimension,” Mr Black said.

“It is an exciting time in the world of chocolate and based on the feedback we’ve been getting, people are very keen to give it a try.”

The chocolate has a distinctive texture, colour and taste which has been described by fans as ‘sweet, yet sour’, and has already been seen on shelves in Europe, Japan and Korea in the form of KitKat bars.

The Margaret River Chocolate Company has released a range of Ruby chocolate products including Ruby Road, Ruby bars and pastelles which are available from their factories in Margaret River and the Swan Valley as well as online.

Margaret River Mail