Mitigating cocoa challenges: Nestlé develops new method that uses 30% more cocoa fruit

Nestlé has developed a patented technique that uses up to 30% more of the cocoa fruit to make chocolate, aiming to reduce waste and increase value for cocoa farmers. The method is currently at the pilot stage.

Traditional chocolate production uses only cocoa beans, while much of the fruit — including pulp, placenta, and pod husk — goes unused.

Nestlé’s researchers created a process that collects the entire fruit as a wet mass, which naturally ferments before being ground, roasted, and dried into chocolate flakes.

“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 the UK.

Nestlé says the technique could expand usable cocoa material and allow farmers more time for agricultural practices that improve yields, such as pruning.