Olam Cocoa has launched Olam Cocoa for Professionals, a new venture which will make its deZaan cocoa powders available to restaurants, caterers and patisseries for the first time.   

The move is a response to rising demand from professional chefs and bakers for high-quality cocoa ingredients that give them greater control over their final creations, and growing dissatisfaction with what is currently available on the market. 

In the past, deZaan cocoa powder has been sold in tons, not kilos. A range of six Dutch-processed cocoa and natural cocoa powders in different colors and flavors will be made available in 1 kg and 5 kg bags, giving chefs and bakers access to specialist cocoa ingredients. 

“We know there is a growing demand among professional chefs and bakers for high-quality cocoa ingredients. Over half (53 percent) of all professionals, and 70 percent of restaurant chefs, say they have changed their cocoa powder brand in the last year, and they gave taste as their number one reason for switching,” Simon Brayn-Smith, business head of Olam Cocoa for Professionals, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.  

“We hope this new range helps meet that growing demand and inspires professionals to think again about how they use cocoa in their kitchens.”

Change in demand for cocoa ingredients 
Meanwhile, the company has noted a rise in the need for plant-based foods. 

“We recently found one in five consumers have consumed more plant-based products since the start of lockdown, with health concerns (45 percent) being the number one reason for this, followed by the environment (42 percent),” Brayn-Smith explains. 

While lockdown restrictions have heavily impacted the food and hospitality sector, he urges promising signs for the industry. “Our research found a third of consumers (29 percent) say they are now seeking out artisanal food and drink, and a similar number (28 percent) plan to visit professional bakeries, patisseries and restaurants more often than they did before lockdown.”

With this in mind, Olam Cocoa thinks it’s a great time for chefs to start experimenting more with cocoa. 

“Previously, a lot of energy has gone into developing chocolate-based recipes, but chefs can be just as innovative and creative with cocoa. By bringing chefs a range of colors and flavors, from red to dark and fruity to nuttier, we’re hoping we can help inspire professionals to think again about how cocoa can be used in their creations,” Brayn-Smith adds. 

“Cocoa is a vital ingredient across so many bakery, confectionery and patisserie recipes. Yet professional chefs have had to make do with limited options, and we want to change that,” he urges. 

“Olam Cocoa’s deZaan powders are incredibly versatile and made only with the finest cocoa beans and processing techniques. We hope that we can help inspire professionals to think again about how cocoa can be used in their creations by making these available. Especially now, as professional chefs can get back into their kitchens.” 

As well as being of the highest quality and flavor, the new range is sourced responsibly through Cocoa Compass, Olam Cocoa’s sustainability ambition for the future of the cocoa sector. 

Cocoa Compass aims to support smallholder farmers, their families and communities, and the environment. It makes a commitment to help farmers achieve a living income, eliminate child labor and protect forests through a net increase in tree carbon stock, all by 2030.