Barry Callebaut has announced the expansion of its Bensdorp range to include Bensdorp Clean Brown and Bensdorp Clean Red, which it describes as “traditional cocoa color and flavor, now with a cleaner label.” The new additions to the Bensdorp brand, made with baking soda instead of other alkalizing agents will be presented at SupplySide West next week.

“We are proud to offer a sophisticated solution to meet increasing demand for recognizable ingredients on-pack,” says Leanne de Muijnck, Global Director of Cocoa R&D. “Bensdorp Clean provides truly rich colors and flavors while being processed with baking soda, a consumer-friendly ingredient. The new powders provide all of the traditional benefits of alkalized Bensdorp powders but with a cleaner label.”

Clean label targeted
The new product is certainly aimed at the clean label consumer. “Today’s consumers desire clean labels – familiar ingredients with names they can understand and pronounce,” the Barry Callebaut press release states. “Bensdorp Clean is a new product from Barry Callebaut that rises to the challenge.”

Bensdorp Clean cocoa powders are thus processed with baking soda instead of other alkalizing agents. Barry Callebaut points out that this allows companies to declare Bensdorp Clean cocoa powders on ingredients labels as “cocoa processed with baking soda” instead of “cocoa processed with alkali.”

The product launch comes as clean label ice cream is becoming more popular in the US, according to the company. This purchase behavior “confirms the notion that consumers will gravitate toward products with ingredients they trust and can easily understand, even when they’re seeking an indulgence.”

Barry Callebaut also cites its own statistics to show a positive reaction to cocoa processed with baking soda instead of an alkali. It points out that 60 percent say they would prefer to purchase a product with baking soda, 50 percent think it’s more premium and 60 percent agree that it’s an improvement.

Around 40 percent of consumers would pay more for a product that contains cocoa powder processed with baking soda instead of cocoa processed with alkali, the company adds.

Bensdorp Clean still delivers the rich cocoa color and flavor expected from an alkalized powder but provides a clean label alternative. The product is listed as coming in two varieties: Bensdorp Clean Brown, which is described as “subtle roasted and bitter notes for a mild cocoa flavor,” and Bensdorp Clean Red, which is described as “intense flavor with subtle bitter and more robust roasted notes.”

The product’s potential applications include baked goods, ice creams, beverages and any application wher a company would use an alkalized cocoa, the company concludes.