Did you know that the milk chocolate of everyone's dreams does exist? Over a million milk chocolate lovers’ most delicious desires were curated with the power of artificial intelligence to create chocolate to please all. To fulfill people’s needs and respond to growing health challenges, the milk chocolate of the future was created by a unique milk powder solution.“The Bar'' is a milk chocolate landscape that has 30% less sugar but no change in the sweet taste or texture.
Milk being the core ingredient of chocolate, a Finnish dairy and food company Valio harnessed artificial intelligence to showcase the taste of the future. A new milk chocolate piece titled “The Bar” is designed by humans, and its recipe is based on AI analysis of milk chocolate lovers’ thoughts, cravings, and tastes around the world. The Bar is a proof of concept of what the dairy company's milk powder solution can do and how the future of milk chocolate could look like. 100 unlimited pieces of The Bar were produced by local chocolate artists of Kultasuklaa.
The creative partner behind the idea is TBWA\Helsinki.
“The chocolate industry has attempted to solve the challenges regarding sugar reduction with no real success. At least one of the main reasons is that although people claim to want healthier options, they’re not considered as tasty. The Bar is an ultimate proof of concept that not only tells but shows with its AI research what the future of milk chocolate could look like,” says Laura Paikkari, Creative Director at TBWA\Helsinki.
Responses to health challenges in confectionery field
The 30% sugar reduction of The Bar’s milk chocolate is achieved without changing the sweet taste or texture of the milk chocolate by using Valio Bettersweet™ solution in the recipe. The solution enables natural sugar reduction in any milk chocolate product by using the proteins in milk, reducing the need for added sugar. Utilizing the solution chocolate manufacturers can fully dispense with artificial sweeteners. The 30% sugar reduction is just the beginning, as Valio already has solutions under development that can eliminate the amount of added sugar completely.
“The needs and preferences of global milk chocolate fans are changing. Growing awareness of health challenges affect the confectionery industry with governments around the world already starting to regulate sugar use and consumption. With our Valio Bettersweet™ solution the taste remains the same even though the amount of sugar is reduced,” says Valio’s Senior Vice President Timo Pajari.
1.5 million cravings analyzed by AI
Last spring Valio analyzed with artificial intelligence over 1.5 million public milk chocolate related social media discussions around the world and surveyed hundreds of people about their preferences regarding chocolate. The AI analysis was produced by the Finnish company Aiwo Digital in cooperation with Valio’s consumer insight team and TBWA\Helsinki.
The results showed silent signals and emerging milk chocolate trends with two main conclusions. First, there is no single favorite chocolate taste, filling, or size as consumers want to enjoy different kinds of milk chocolate in different situations. Second, people want to indulge in milk chocolate with good conscience. The taste and sweetness are very important but at the same time consumers want milk chocolate to be healthier and natural with less sugar.
The recipe for a healthier dream chocolate, The Bar was based on AI’s findings: five different chocolates with less sugar. Each chocolate has a different taste and texture designed to fit a different use case: impulse, craving, delight, hunger and relaxation. From bite to bite new sensations get discovered and gradually build upon each other.
Topographic five layered design
The Bar was designed by TBWA\Helsinki. Its topographic five layered design allows the layers to be easily separated for enjoyment at the suitable time. The flavors, some enhanced with nuts and cookie crumbs, form a new kind of alternative to the traditional chocolate box, where different chocolate flavors are combined together instead of being separated.
“The Bar offers an unusual user experience because the idea is that it pleases all the main chocolate cravings people might have. You get to travel through the entire landscape if you wish, or just to nibble on a specific layer to satisfy the one craving you have at that particular moment. I love the experimental feel to this project and I hope it will inspire people,“ Paikkari says.
