For chocolate lovers around the world, a new invention by Nestle cuts out added sugar so that customers can enjoy its 70% dark chocolate with less guilt.
The Swiss company's new "Cacao Fruit Chocolate" will be made wholly from cacao fruit with white cacao pulp as a natural sweetener. The cacao pulp, which was once partially used and discarded, will now be used to create a more sustainable, health-conscious option for consumers.
In a press release on Tuesday, Nestle described the new chocolate as having a "natural sweetness and acidity," which comes from the use of the cocoa beans and pulp.
"It is an innovation that focuses on the fact that cacao is originally a fruit and provides the full taste of cacao," said Yasumasa Takagi, the chef owner of Le Patissier Takagi, who worked with KitKat on the products.
The new chocolate will launch in Japan during the fall and then expand in 2020 to a global audience. The company said it will be available in eight chocolate shops: three in Tokyo, three in Osaka, one in Kawasaki, and one in Hiroshima.
A new cacao fruit juice with lime granita, which also features the cacao pulp, will be available even earlier, on July 18, at the KitKat Chocolatory Ginza store.
The cacao fruit chocolate will be priced at 400 yen ($3.70) while the cacao fruit juice will cost 750 yen ($6.93).
Nestle said it is applying for a patent for the process it uses to dry, grind and incorporating the pulp mixture into their chocolate. The process allows 31% of the pod to be used rather than 22% now, generating less waste."
In 2016, Nestle first announced that its researchers had found a way to change sugar's structure with only natural ingredients, CNBC reported. In March 2018, the company released Milkybar Wowsomes in Ireland and the United Kingdom — its first chocolate bar to use "new sugar reduction technology," which advertised 30% less sugar.
In the U.S., Nestle sold its candy business to Ferrero, the maker of Nutella, for $2.8 billion last year.