GENEVA: Nestle has developed a groundbreaking method to produce chocolate using up to 30% more of the cocoa fruit as climate change continues to diminish farmers’ yields worldwide.
The Swiss food giant announced this innovative approach on Wednesday, addressing the growing challenges facing cocoa production.
Traditional chocolate manufacturing uses only cocoa beans from inside the pod, leaving much of the fruit including pulp, placenta and pod husk largely unused according to company researchers.
The newly developed patented technique leverages all parts of the fruit inside the cocoa pod through a comprehensive processing method.
Everything inside the pod gets collected as a wet mass that then undergoes natural fermentation, which Nestle says unlocks the key chocolate flavour essential for quality production.
This fermented mass then gets ground, roasted and dried into chocolate flakes that can be used to make chocolate without compromising the taste that consumers expect from premium products.
This innovative approach significantly reduces waste while simultaneously helping farmers achieve greater yield and value from their harvests.
Louise Barrett, head of the Nestle research and development centre for confectionery in York, England, explained the importance of this development given current agricultural challenges.
“With climate change increasingly affecting cocoa yields around the world, we are exploring innovative solutions that could help cocoa farmers maximise the potential of their harvests,“ she stated regarding the company’s commitment to sustainable cocoa production.
“While this project is still at a pilot stage, we are currently exploring how to apply this innovation at a larger scale,“ Barrett added, indicating the potential for broader implementation across Nestle’s global supply chain.
The timing of this innovation coincides with unprecedented volatility in cocoa markets that began in early 2023 after nearly a decade of price stability.
Cocoa prices on the London commodities market have experienced dramatic fluctuations, starting at £1,900 per tonne in January 2023 before skyrocketing to £3,800 a year later and reaching an astonishing high of over £9,000 last December.
This price surge resulted primarily from poor harvests in leading producers Ivory Coast and Ghana, where unusually heavy rains, cocoa pod disease outbreaks and subsequent drought took their toll on production volumes.
A February study by the Climate Central research group confirmed that excessive heat contributes significantly to reduced harvest quantity and quality for cocoa growers.
The report calculated that climate change has added an extra three weeks of temperatures above 32C in Ivory Coast and Ghana during the main growing season from October to March over the last decade, exceeding optimal levels for cacao trees.
The price surge eventually dampened demand while encouraging farmers to devote more resources to cocoa cultivation, leading to recent price easing as reserves built up for the first time in four years.
Since the beginning of 2025, prices have declined significantly, with a tonne trading at around £5,600 on Wednesday as market conditions continue evolving amid these production challenges and innovations. – AFP