Limited release
Ruby ready: Bahlsen brings first ruby biscuit to US – for two months only
Officially called 'CHOCO LEIBNIZ presents Ruby,' the doused-in-pink biscuits will be available in a standard 4.4oz sleeve for an RRP of $4.99 at select US retailers, including Stop & Shop, ShopRite and World Market.
Bahlsen introduced the cookie in Italy and Belgium in April.
For this limited edition version in the US, the 'Cookies for a Cause' will benefit PLAY for P.I.N.K., a nonprofit supporting speedy diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer through sporting and other lifestyle events. Raising nearly $5m every year, the organization donates 100% of its fundraising to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
But there’s a catch: Bahlsen will sell them only for the months of September and October, the latter being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Hanover-based company told us the limited-edition nature stems from the ‘relatively unknown and new’ flavor profile of ruby cacao. “Their exclusivity creates a very premium product,” a spokesperson said, noting the product could return next year depending on the success of this autumn’s launch.
Making the first ruby cookie
The Bahlsen family began making buttery biscuits in Hanover in 1889. Through a spirit of quality and innovation, the company created the Leibniz Keks – or Choco Leibniz – just two years later. By 1904, it had developed perhaps the first moisture-resistant packaging for biscuits, retaining a ‘fresh-out-of-the-oven’ taste long after production.
The company told us its R&D team worked on the ruby biscuit for about a year. Because the cookie is more chocolate than biscuit, the innovation team allowed the ‘latest developments in the chocolate market’ lead the way, said Bahlsen.
Researchers toyed with several products before landing on its bestselling item as the optimal delivery vehicle for the new flavor and color profile of ruby.
Barry Callebaut officially introduced its ruby cacao to the US and Canada in May, just before the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago. Thus far, chocolate bonbons have received the most ruby love (especially KitKats), but the supplier told us at the time that it expected to see more styles of products hit shelves throughout 2019.
“For our R&D team, it has been quite exciting to work with this new cocoa bean and its special taste profile,” the spokesperson said. “We also included the factories at a very early stage during the development process, since the perfect integration of this new ingredient with its different taste and color was key for us.”
Over the years, Bahlsen has added several new flavors to its chocolate-covered lineup, including Leibniz coated with milk, dark or caramel-filled chocolate. It also recently added a milk chocolate-covered wafer cookie to complement its existing dark chocolate version, as well as a ‘collection’ box featuring those two favorites plus Waffeletten, its rolled wafer cookies dipped in chocolate.
