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The Ultimate KitKat

KitKat steps out and goes upmarket to offer a more indulgent break
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The word on the street this January was KitKat. More precisely, a new, premium KitKat made of ruby chocolate.

What makes ruby chocolate special is its intense taste and color, which comes from ‘ruby’ cocoa beans grown in Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador and Brazil, without using any flavors or colorings. KitKat is proud to be the first major brand to feature this exciting new chocolate.

In January 2018, we launched KitKat made with Ruby chocolate in our 'KitKat Chocolatory' boutiques in Japan and South Korea, as well as online with delivery to selected international countries. In the boutiques, the new bar sold out every morning during launch week, within 30 minutes of going on sale.

The launch is part of a premiumization strategy that saw KitKat’s innovation team glide smoothly through the gears – from ideation to store shelf in just four months. After this huge success in Asia, we unveiled KitKat Ruby in Europe in April 2018, to meet similar demand among chocolate lovers there who enjoy experimenting with new trends.

Rapid-fire innovation

KitKat Ruby shows the brand’s ability, since its 1930s birth, to reinvent itself and reshape the idea of the 'break'. It’s all part of KitKat’s global innovation journey to "delight consumers through more indulgent and unexpected breaks around the world," Florence Audoyer, KitKat’s Global Strategic Marketing & Communications Lead, explains.

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"When people enjoy a break today, they don't just want a chocolate bar," she adds. "They want an uplifted and upgraded brand experience that moves beyond the moment of consumption."

The brand’s 'KitKat Chocolatory' platform delivers this premiumization, and growth for the overall brand, through boutiques in Japan, Australia and Malaysia, and through successful 'pop-up' stores in other markets.

Design your own KitKat

In our 'KitKat Chocolatory' boutiques you can 'create your break' with milk, white or dark chocolate, select from three premium ingredients, then design your own packaging personalized with your name. You can do this using in-store touchscreens, then watch a skilled chocolatier craft it. Or design your bar online, then 'click and collect' it in store.

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Other premium launches are driving success for KitKat too. Take KitKat Gold in Australia or KitKat Senses in Europe, a 'pop-open' sharing box with bite-sized treats.

In March 2019 we launched KitKat Everyday Nuts and Cranberry, which combines ruby chocolate with nuts and dried cranberries, to mark the first anniversary of ruby chocolate. It is a flavor combination championed by pâtissier chef Yasumasa Takagi.

All these launches create a buzz that also drive sales for the original 'red' KitKat brand, which we improved in 2017 with a new recipe containing more milk and cocoa.

From Tokyo to Toronto, both online and offline, KitKat is reinventing itself as an upmarket chocolate experience with millennial brand buzz, whilst staying true to its roots.

The word on the street is still KitKat !