Meet Ruby Callebaut: a newborn baby in Belgium with chocolate DNA in her veins

Meet Ruby Callebaut: a newborn baby in Belgium with chocolate DNA in her veins

It is a world première. A baby named after the biggest innovation in the chocolate industry in the last 80 years with a last name referring to the family name of the Finest Belgian Chocolate brand Callebaut.

Ruby Callebaut - measuring 36cm and weighing 1.2kg - was born on 2 October 2019. The first child of proud parents Dieter Callebaut and Stefanie Van Reybrouck. Little did they know that the birth of their newborn just wrote chocolate history. Obviously, the family was overjoyed over the birth but for the past few weeks, the key priority has been Ruby’s health, as she was born 12 weeks too early and only weighed 1.2 kg. Meanwhile Ruby is doing great, weighs 2,5 kg, ​ and soon she will be able to go home for the first time. 

Home is the city of Blankenberge, on the Flemish seaside. Her mother, Stefanie, is a bank administrator while her father, Dieter, is a safety engineer for a window company. With Dieter’s last name being Callebaut, ​ we were curious whether there was a relation with the brand. “My family is originally from the Dendermonde region. We know that the Wieze factory is near the area, so there may have been some links to the roots of your company and brand”, explains father Dieter Callebaut. Nevertheless, the couple never intended to name their newborn baby the name of our new chocolate innovation. “I have always loved the name Ruby. So when I knew I was expecting a baby, my choice was made", says mother Stefanie. “It was only in the maternity ward when a nurse mentioned to us that this was the name of the newest Callebaut innovation”. 

We were alerted of the birth by the aunt of Ruby via a social media. She asked whether we could send over a gift or a wish card but, as usual, we went the extra mile. Last Monday, we visited Ruby Callebaut in the maternity ward in a hospital in Bruges. Our Global Creative Lead Chef, Davide Comaschi, made a 100% Ruby chocolate creation. We were able to explain the uniqueness of Ruby chocolate while tasting our delicious treats", says Frederic Janssens, Global Brand Manager Callebaut. “The Callebaut family was really surprised and we were very happy we could welcome Ruby Callebaut as part of our rich Callebaut history. Her picture will get a place at the ‘Wall of Fame’ at the Chocolate Academy in Wieze”. 

The future looks… pink… or ruby for Ruby Callebaut. With Octaaf as founding father of the Callebaut family, Frederic and Davide have been casually hinting at the name of a boy in case Stefanie and Dieter would expect a boy in the future.

Korneel WARLOP
Korneel WARLOP Corporate Communication Director EMEA - Spokesperson

 

About Callebaut

About Callebaut® (www.callebaut.com):
For more than 100 years already, Callebaut® has been producing chocolate at the very heart of Belgium. The company is still one of those rare chocolate producers that selects its own cocoa beans, and roasts and grinds them into their very own secret and exclusive cocoa mass, the most important ingredient for coating chocolate. Callebaut® was founded in Belgium in 1850, initially as a family brewery. Grandson Octaaf Callebaut started producing his first chocolate bars in 1911, and shortly after that he launched into the production of coating chocolate for Belgian chocolatiers. In 1950, Callebaut® started exporting its finest Belgian chocolates. It now forms part of the Barry Callebaut Group, the world’s leading producer of the finest cocoa and chocolate products. 

Callebaut
Aalstersestraat 122
9280 LEBBEKE-WIEZE