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. Valio created the futuristic concept together with local chocolate artists of Kultasuklaa company, meaning that Valio itself has not switched to chocolate manufacturing. 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.
“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.
Pioneering in the dairy industry requires constant learning on how technology can be utilized in product development of dairy ingredients. Last spring the company analyzed with artificial intelligence over 1.5 million public milk chocolate related social media discussions around the world and surveyed hundreds of people of their preferences regarding chocolate. The AI analysis was produced by the Finnish company Aiwo Digital in cooperation with Valio’s consumer insight team.
“We wanted to unravel the most delicious and hidden desires of milk chocolate fans. By connecting the capabilities of AI, human craftsmanship and design with our milk powder know-how we were able to create the chocolate of the future. Observing and curating conversations on social media enabled us to draw conclusions of authentic consumer preferences,” says Pajari.
