French premium chocolate manufacturer Valrhona and Koa Switzerland are tapping into the trend of using upcycled ingredients. The companies have co-created Oabika, a new cocoa fruit juice concentrate for chefs and gastronomy professionals. The ingredient will be launched this month in Europe, Asia, the US and the Middle East.

According to the companies, Oabika touts a “new experience with a smooth texture and a unique taste.”

It is suitable for many applications, including ganache, jellies, mousses, toppings, sauces, glazes, creams, ice creams, sorbets, and beverages. 

Following several months of R&D, Oabika was developed. It is the first cocoa fruit juice concentrate at 72° Brix which is created especially for the foodservice sectors. 

Oabika can elevate many applications, including ganache, jellies, mousses, toppings, sauces, glazes, creams, ice creams, sorbets and beverages.It has the highest concentration on the foodservice market, according to the companies, providing a silky consistency and an amber-colored appearance. Besides its fruity and tangy flavor, Oabika also has candied, honey-like notes.

A “magical” ingredient 
Frédéric Bau, pastry explorer at Maison Valrhona, and Victor Delpierre, drink expert and gastronomy consultant, describe Oabika as a “complete and playful experience.” 

They both say that Oabika is “a magical ingredient that highlights, enhances and balances tastes.”

After Koa’s success with their cocoa fruit juice and dried cocoa fruit, the new concentrate elaborated by Valrhona and Koa is an innovation that complements the range of cocoa fruit ingredients. 

Upcycling the cocoa fruit to increase farmers’ income
The availability of cocoa fruit concentrate for chefs and other gastronomy professionals signifies a milestone for cocoa fruit valorization and cocoa farmers. As the demand for cocoa fruit ingredients proliferates, the chances to create a positive impact in the cocoa-growing countries increases at the same time. 

Until recently, the pulp surrounding the cocoa beans couldn’t be processed in cocoa-growing countries due to a lack of infrastructure and technology. In conventional cocoa processing, only a small part of the white pulp was used for fermentation. Koa has found a novel way to gently process the cocoa fruit in close cooperation with 1,600 smallholder farmers. 

“As we make use of the cocoa pulp, we provide smallholders with an additional income, and at the same time, we create jobs for the young population in rural Ghana,” explains Daniel Otu, operations director at Koa in Ghana.

For Koa, its cooperation with Valrhona is pegged as a success. 

Co-founder and managing director Anian Schreiber says: “As a start-up, we’re proud to be cooperating with a highly reputable and well-established chocolate brand as Valrhona who shares our mission of taking responsibility in cocoa-growing countries to the next level.”

With the launch of Oabika, we demonstrate how indulgence and responsibility for people and the planet go hand in hand. We encourage others to seek such partnerships to tackle some of the food system’s most pressing challenges together.”

Sustainability in focusValrhona has launched the cocoa fruit ingredient in cooperation with Swiss-Ghanaian start-up Koa.
Ethical and sustainable chocolate sourcing is a crucial driver for purchases across the confectionery and chocolate sectors. 

This ties in with Innova Market Insights’ Top Trend for 2021: “Transparency Triumphs.” The market researcher emphasizes that increasing transparency to meet evolving ethical, environmental and clean label consumer demands is vital. 

In this space, major chocolate players, including Nestlé and Mondelēz, recently signed up to the EU’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Business and Marketing Practices, which sets out actions to make healthy and sustainable food choices more accessible.

This year’s World Chocolate Day – celebrated on July 7 – also brought sourcing challenges to the forefront of debate.

Recent launches that tap into demands for sustainable chocolate include Nestlé’s vegan KitKat and Barry Callebaut’s WholeFruit upcycled couverture.