Nestlé’s new KitKat made with Ruby chocolate is due to make its European debut in UK stores later this year, the food manufacturer has announced.

The four-finger chocolate treat will be pink in colour, which is a natural shade derived from the Ruby cocoa beans used to produce the confectionary, the firm explained.

It also has a unique flavour, again as a result of the beans used in its production, with Nestlé noting that it has an “intense berry-fruitiness taste without the addition of any flavour or colour”.

The Sublime Ruby chocolate KitKat was first introduced in Japanese and Korean markets earlier this year, and following its success there the company has taken the decision to roll it out more widely.

A collaboration with Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebat led to the development of this innovative new product, with specially selected cocoa beans going through a “unique process” that results in their unusual flavour and colour when made into chocolate.

Marketing director for Nestlé’s UK confectionery business Alex Gonnella commented: “Ruby chocolate is a big innovation in confectionery and we are very proud that KitKat is the first major brand in the UK to feature this exciting new chocolate.”

It has taken Barry Callebat ten years to develop Ruby chocolate, with the Independent noting that he has kept his process a closely guarded secret. There is speculation, however, that the cacao processor uses unfermented cocoa to get the natural pink colour.

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