No truce for cocoa prices. The new rise in prices that began two months ago continues. Prices have increased by 30% since the beginning of December, an increase fueled by the overly dry weather conditions at the end of the year in West Africa which have raised fears of a poorer harvest than expected. To respond to these high prices, but also simply to diversify, manufacturers are increasing their search for alternatives.
Manufacturers did not wait for the latest price increase to focus on research: supply fears are not new and are not going to fade anytime soon. Between economic factors and those linked to the general state of the cocoa sector, the risks of production disruption and price increases are increasing.
There is also growing pressure on producers and manufacturers to market more sustainable cocoa, enough reason to accelerate the search for new alternatives.
Also readCocoa prices are rising again amid concerns about production
Laboratory cocoa
Mondelez, the famous manufacturer of Oreo cookies, has invested in a start-up that works on laboratory cocoa. According to the general director of Celleste Bio, the Israeli company created in 2022, cited by the Financial Timeswith this innovation, the industry “ will no longer need to depend on nature ».
This is not the first initiative of its kind. In Switzerland, a company, Food Brewer, working to bring to market in 2026 chocolate from the culture of cells taken from plantations, a type of cocoa in vitro who has also been working for the teams of a Finnish confectioner for two years. This company based in Helsinki (Fazer) has already distinguished itself with an innovative product based on malted rye and coconut oil.
In the same vein, a German company, Planet A Foods, has developed an alternative made from fermented and roasted sunflower seedscalled ChoViva. Grape seeds are also found in the spreads of another American start-up, Voyage Foods, associated with Cargill, one of the largest cocoa bean grinders.
A drop in the ocean on the global market
According to European regulations, most of these new products cannot be called chocolate, but they are aimed at those who consume them and all lovers of new taste experiences.
The production of these variants, however, represents, for the moment, epsilon on the market, compared to the approximately 5 million tonnes of cocoa consumed each year in the world.
To listen in C’est pas du ventSustainable cocoa: realistic goal or mirage?
Business
