The wellness megatrend is posing a challenge to the global confectionery industry. People increasingly recognise the negative impacts of excessive sugar consumption and are looking to cut down their sugar intake. Current low-sugar solutions haven't managed to convince chocolate lovers and the issue remains unsolved.

Valio has developed a solution called Bettersweet that allows chocolate manufacturers to reduce sugar contents of their products by up to 30% without impacting what matters the most: taste and texture. Valio as a global leader in dairy innovations wanted to tackle the issue with the Bettersweet solution and create a treat that treats us better.

The objective was to show chocolate manufacturers and chocolate lovers around the world that the issue can be solved and that everything they know and love about their favorite treat will remain as a part of the chocolate of the future.

Valio Bettersweet is a product that emerged from the cross-section of customer needs and Valio's data processing capabilities. Utilizing AI's capability to process millions of data points allowed us to understand consumer needs and combine them with Valio's sugar reduction solutions. End-result is a treat that the confectionary industry has attempted and failed to create. We gave AI a meaningful role in solving critical issues such as childhood obesity and diabetes that are fueled by the confectionary industry. Valio Bettersweet is a treat that treats us better. A true chocolate of the future.

Social data was gathered with the help of social listening tools. Main source of our text-based data came from Twitter(X). The data set consisted of over 1,5 million tweets posted within six months. The text was then fed to an AI-system focused on analysing text and distilling the key insights used in the development of the final recipe. The social insights were then combined with numerous variables impacting the final recipe such as optimal temperature, weight, ingredients, and quantities. Over 3 million variables were processed.

The AI was the main interpreter of the data and did the majority of the heavy lifting in the creation of the recipe producing multiple variants. The final touches were done with traditional human intelligence of Valio’s expert chocolatiers.

The final product was then packaged in a special edition box-set and sent to ten biggest chocolate manufacturers around the world to try.

In order to show the effectiveness of Bettersweet and develop the recipe for the chocolate of the future, we decided to study what people really love about their favourite treats. To do this we needed to study the opinions of millions of people around the world. The data was already all over the internet in the form of millions of social media posts.

Until now, the processing of this amount of text-based data was impossible, but with the help of AI, we could distill the key insights that resulted in the first AI generated chocolate recipe. End-result was the chocolate of the future: a five layered chocolate treat with 30% less sugar and displaying various flavors, fillings and consistencies desired by chocolate lovers around the world. Different layers were developed to be consumed in various use occasions whether it be a quick snack or a mood-booster during the work day.

Valio Bettersweet put hope back in further sugar reduction attempts and got the category to talk about the topic again. All the while making Valio and the Bettersweet milk powder a top candidate as a partner for global brands to develop new healthier treats. The case reminds potential partners about Valio’s capability to produce world-changing innovations.

Global reach: 125 million people.

Earned media value: 1,5 million euros

+ 200% in sales leads.