Barry Callebaut starts selling 'game-changing' heat-resistant chocolate

Chocolatiers’ struggle to sell in warm climates may become a thing of the past if one Swiss firm’s latest innovation catches on.

Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest maker of chocolate and cocoa products by volume, has begun selling “heat-resistant” chocolate that won’t melt before it reaches consumers and tastes the same as traditional recipes.

Its new boss, former Unilever executive Antoine de Saint-Affrique, told the Financial Times in an interview that the new products, designed to withstand temperatures of up to 38 degrees centigrade, could “fundamentally change the game”.

Saint-Affrique is hoping they will help the company, which provides products for chefs, food manufacturers and consumers, in its expansion beyond the mature markets like Europe and the US.

The launch comes against a backdrop of declining chocolate sales worldwide. A corruption crackdown in China has seen sales there soften, while a move towards healthier snacks has hit demand in Western markets.