Companies Are Crafting New Ways To Grow Cocoa, And Chocolate Alternatives, To Keep Up With Demand – CoffeeTalk

Climate change is causing stress in rainforests where the highly sensitive cocoa bean grows, but chocolate lovers need not despair. Companies are researching ways to grow cocoa and develop cocoa substitutes to meet demand. California Cultured, a plant cell culture company, is growing cocoa from cell cultures at a facility in West Sacramento, California, with plans to start selling its products next year. The process requires less water and arduous labor, and the demand for chocolate is outstripping what is available.

Cocoa trees grow about 20 degrees north and south of the equator in regions with warm weather and abundant rain, including West Africa and South America. Climate change is expected to dry out the land under the additional heat, so scientists, entrepreneurs, and chocolate-lovers are coming up with ways to grow cocoa and make the crop more resilient and resistant to pests. Companies are looking at either bolstering the supply with cell-based cocoa or offering alternatives made from products ranging from oats to carob that are roasted and flavored to produce a chocolatey taste for chips or filling.

The price of cocoa soared earlier this year due to demand and troubles with the crop in West Africa due to plant disease and changes in weather. The region produces the bulk of the world’s cocoa. The innovation is largely driven by demand for chocolate in the U.S. and Europe, as only 4% of the world’s cocoa is grown in West and Central Africa.

Planet A Foods in Planegg, Germany, contends that the taste of mass market chocolate is derived largely from the fermentation and roasting in making it, not the cocoa bean itself. They settled on a mix of oats and sunflower seeds as the best tasting chocolate alternative, called “ChoViva,” which can be subbed into baked goods.

While some are seeking to create alternative cocoa sources and substitutes, others are trying to bolster the supply of cocoa where it naturally grows. Mars, which makes M&Ms and Snickers, has a research facility at the University of California, Davis aimed at making cocoa plants more resilient. The facility hosts a living collection of cocoa trees so scientists can study what makes them disease-resistant to help farmers in producing countries and ensure a stable supply of beans.

In Israel, efforts to expand the supply of cocoa are also under way. Celleste Bio is taking cocoa bean cells and growing them indoors to produce cocoa powder and cocoa butter. In a few years, the company expects to be able to produce cocoa regardless of the impact of climate change and disease.

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