KitKat Ruby: Nestle Chocolates Colored Pink Ahead Of Valentine’s Day

It’s not yet Valentine’s Day, but Nestle is already selling pink KitKat chocolate bars later this week. The food and drink company is launching ruby-chocolate KitKats thanks to a deal it made with Zurich-based Barry Callebaut AG, the developer of ruby chocolates.

Nestle is using Barry Callebaut’s “Ruby” to color its chocolate-coated wafer bars pink. This is said to be the first new type of natural color for the foodstuff that Nestle is using for its famous chocolate since it unveiled white chocolate eight decades ago, Korea Herald has learned.

Barry Callebaut maintained what it said last September when it introduced its ruby chocolate that the “Ruby” for the new KitKats does not have berries and artificial berry flavors and colors. It is simply a naturally pink substance from a special type of cocoa bean found in Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Brazil.

KitKat Ruby will exclusively go on sale at online and offline stores in Japan and South Korea this Friday. Speaking on why Nestle chose Japan as one of first markets for the new pink-colored KitKats, Nestle’s global head of confectionery Sandra Martinez said, “Japan is the market that has made KitKat so iconic in terms of all the different flavors they’ve developed.”

True enough, the Japanese people’s penchant for eccentric flavors and colors has paved the way for Nestle to introduce different versions of its KitKat bars in the country. For instance, Japan has wasabi and Hokkaido melon KitKats that attract not only locals, but also tourists who are craving to try something different.

“This makes Japan the ideal market to go with this news, and KitKat is a brand that’s modern and connects well with millennials, so it’s the right brand to put the first ruby chocolate in the world,” Martinez told Bloomberg in an interview.

Meanwhile, Nestle Korea CEO Erwan Vilfeu has commented on why the company chose South Korea as the other market who would first get a taste of KitKat Ruby. "Today is a historic day for Nestle and all the chocolate industry. Given the degree of sophistication of Korean consumers, we are delighted to announce that Nestle has decided to launch, for the first time in the world, KitKat Ruby in South Korea and Japan," Vilfeu said during a press conference in Seoul.

Head of marketing in Asia Pacific Racheal Toh also addressed why Barrey Callebaut collaborated with Nestle for this product. “We decided to collaborate with Nestle to create more influence and synergy, considering Nestle was the one who developed white chocolate,” Toh said. The deal also makes sense since the two companies are neighbors: Barrey Callebaut is based in Zurich, while Nestle has its headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland.

Nestle is bringing its sublime pink KitKats to Australia in the second quarter. It is also planning to launch the new chocolate bars in Latin America by the end of the year. Other markets can expect KitKat Ruby to arrive sometime next year.