It’s safe to say we’re already pretty sold on the concept of chocolate.

In fact, we can be known for gushing our appreciation for the stuff regularly, in all of its different forms: sweet white, bitter dark and creamy milk. And that’s where the list usually ends, right? We’re all familiar with our three core chocolate groups, aren’t we? 

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Well, dear friends, it seems we were very much mistaken.

Brace yourselves, because it has now been announced that a fourth category of chocolate has been created, and our usually russet-hued delicacy has been given a stylish update. Thanks to a Swiss chocolate manufacturer, the ultimate indulgence has had a millennial pink makeover with the introduction of ‘ruby’ chocolate – meaning that as well as getting a whole load more treats on the market, there’ll be Instagram opportunities galore.

And this isn’t just white chocolate with food colouring – it’s a bona-fide new chocolate type with a natural shade.

The invention, which is way overdue, has been brought to us by the visionaries at Barry Callebaut, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of cocoa products.

There’s no fancy food colouring, as the confectionery extraordinaires have created ruby chocolate from the ruby cocoa bean found in Ecuador, Brazil and Ivory Coast, which is known for its reddish colour and intense flavour.

And from the sounds of things, the new kid on the chocolate block isn’t a case of pink style over substance, catering for both our eyes and our taste buds.

The brand describes ruby chocolate’s “intense” taste as a mix of “berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness” and says no berry flavouring has been added, so at least our consciouses are clear on the old artificial additions front.

The makers hope the new chocolate will resonate with millennials in particular, and after consumer testing say they hope for a big market in the Far East, telling bloomberg.com: “We had very good response in the key countries where we tested, but we’ve also had very good response in China, which for chocolate is quite unusual.”

Despite not being availble in the shops yet, Twitter has of course welcomed the pink chocolate with open arms, which is no surprise considering colourful food is very much in vogue – not least the multicolour delights of mermaid-themed cafes and toast taking social media by storm. And don’t even get us started on the Pinterest-worthy unicorn recipes that have been all over our feeds for what feels like forever.

One Twitter user found it hard to contain their excitement at “giving it a go”.

While another simply said what we’re all thinking, “I want to eat it.”

There’s no word on when ruby chocolate will be available for us to get our mitts on, but Peter Boone, Barry Callebaut’s chief innovation and quality officer, said he’s “looking forward to working with our partners on introducing this innovative breakthrough to the market and making the new ruby chocolate category available to chocolate manufacturers and consumers around the world”.

Until then, get your pink fix by filling your boots with blush-coloured gin, pink pineapples or rose flecked unicorn toast

Images: iStock / Barry Callebaut