More Chocolate Per Cocoa Pod: Nestle Is Battling Price Rise With Patented Technique

A farmer reaches up to gather ripe cocoa pods from a tree. Until now, only a fraction of what lies inside those pods made it into any of your regular chocolate bars. But that could soon change, as per Nestlé's latest breakthrough.

Nestlé has unveiled a patented technique that uses up to 30% more of the cocoa fruit to make chocolate, all without compromising taste, according to information published on Nestlé's website. The approach, which is still in pilot stage, aims to reduce waste as well as increase yield.

Traditionally, chocolate production relies only on the beans extracted from the cocoa pod. Once harvested, the beans are fermented, dried, roasted, and ground into liquor, which becomes the base for chocolate. The rest of the fruit including its pulp, placenta, and pod husk have largely gone unused.

Nestlé’s novel method involves collecting everything inside the pod as a wet mass. Left to ferment naturally, the mass develops the essential chocolate flavor. It is then ground, roasted, and dried into chocolate flakes, ready to be made into bars and confectionery.

"With climate change increasingly affecting cocoa yields around the world, we are exploring innovative solutions that could help cocoa farmers maximize the potential of their harvests," says Louise Barrett, Head of Nestlé's Research and Development Center for Confectionery in York, UK. "This groundbreaking technique utilises more of the fruit, while enabling us to provide delicious chocolate to our consumers."

The company sees this shift as having potential to create ripple effects for farmers. By streamlining the extraction process, growers may be able to save time and reinvest it in practices like pruning, which have been shown to further improve yields.

Nestle's innovation comes amid the sharp rise seen in cocoa rates over the past couple of years. Cocoa futures have seen a sharp advance of 80% from January 2024. In recent months, the price saw a moderate easing, with rates falling 30% in the year-to-date period. As of 9:15 p.m. IST on Wednesday, the price of cocoa futures stood at $7,863 per tonne.