Learn about the Science of Chocolate in Our Interview with Kate Wilson

 Today is National Food Science Day and the 2024 theme is "Water is Life, Water is Food" which meshes well with a brand we've been honored to test out in 2023 and just last weekend. Join The Chocolate Cult today for our interview with Kate Wilson from the Calowry Inc, a brand who is shaking up the idea of low-calorie chocolate in a new and possibly revolutionary way. 

Let's begin with just the basics. What is your position at Calowry Inc?

Hello! I am the Lead R&D and project coordinator at Calowry.

How long have you been interested in working with chocolate?

Chocolate was always a mystery to me until Pastry School where I learned the magic behind the beans. However, working on Calowry's chocolate project for the last couple years has really piqued my interest in chocolate and exploring the ways we bend the traditional chocolate rules to create something new and exciting.

Would you say that you are a chocolate lover outside of work?

I definitely have a sweet tooth and enjoy many chocolate treats outside of work.

The most important question for this blog is do you prefer Dark, Milk, or White chocolate?

I'm on team Dark chocolate for sure, but wouldn't pass up Milk or White chocolate if it came my way.

Let's get back to Calowry Inc. Who created the company and why?

Hal Chouinard created Calowry twelve and a half years ago! Hal has been passionate about creating calorie reduced products for everyone to enjoy but also open products to people with calorie restrictive diets to be able to enjoy - that still tastes great!

Why target the sugar content of chocolate to make it lower calorie versus reducing the fat content?

Calowry's technology reduces both sugar and fat content in its chocolate products. We replace a portion of the chocolate with our fiber or fiber and water technology to be able to maintain taste and temper in the chocolate.

It is a common warning when working with chocolate to make sure not to introduce any water into the chocolate itself, yet that is the secret ingredient to helping make Calowry lower in calories. How did the brand come up with that idea and how long did it take to figure out?

I, too, thought Hal was crazy when he came to me and said "Let's put water in chocolate" but what I've learned at Calowry is anything is possible. Taking the technology and knowledge we have of our calorie reduced bread products we dove head first into using our technology in chocolate. It only took a few months to develop a technique of incorporating the water/fiber into the chocolate and creating a solid product but over the last year and a half we've been polishing and testing ourselves with truffles, coatings, and other chocolate creations!

Could the same process be used to make lower calorie milk or white chocolate?

Milk and White chocolates do pose extra challenges than Dark chocolate, we've been successful with Milk and White samples but our highest calorie reduction so far is with Dark chocolate - which has been the focus since we're trying to reduce calories.

The sample chocolate we received, tested, and wrote about in February of 2023, had a more fudge-like texture, it didn't make a snap when you break it or chew it as darker chocolate naturally does. Did you consider sound as an important part of the chocolate experience when the product was being developed? If not, why not?

You received a fairly early lab chocolate sample and since the granting of our chocolate process patent in January of this year we have significantly improved the "shine and snap" aspect. This chocolate may never be identical in those regards as conventional chocolate as many consumers may agree that a slight loss of overall organoleptic profile is worth the drastic calorie and carbohydrate reductions at a level never achieved in any previous chocolate product.

Note: If you read our article last Saturday, you'll note that we can confirm the improvements to Calowry creations.

When do you predict that your products will be on sale to a wider market?

We are currently in negotiations with major international food conglomerates who are very interested in the special qualities of our chocolate process as well as the considerably reduced ingredient costs: A major factor at a time when the cost of cocoa has quadrupled and looks to keep on going up, up, and up. Therefore: we anticipate that consumers all over the world will soon be enjoying Calowry ingredient chocolate products.

Does Calowry Inc plan to introduce any new types of chocolate in the future?

We are always working on new products in our Calowry labs so keep a lookout!

Thank you, Kate, for talking with The Chocolate Cult today.

Readers, if you have any other questions, leave comment and perhaps Kate will come back to answer them for you.

For now, check out this video featuring Kate and Calowry.