Meet the company committed to impacting Global Food Waste
As figures show that the average American family wastes nearly $2,000 worth of food a year*, Cabosse Naturals - the global expert in cacaofruit - has started upcycling this largely undiscovered fruit, creating a range of 100% natural ingredients to be used in food manufacture from its waste.
The US is one of the top 10 chocolate-consuming countries in the world, with the average American consuming approximately 4.5 kg of chocolate annually.**
However, many Americans do not realise that our favourite confectionery comes from the cacaofruit, 70% of which is wasted once the beans have been harvested - as much as 10 million tonnes a year.
Cabosse Naturals has unlocked a new food and drink category with its cacaofruit juice, pulp, concentrate and powder, which can be used in a variety of ways in food and drink manufacture.
Sylvie Woltering-Valat, head of marketing at Cabosse Naturals, said: “In line with the goals of Stop Food Waste Day, we are playing our part in igniting change. We are helping brands and artisans create new products which contain upcycled cacaofruit ingredients and that empower consumers to make a positive impact with their everyday purchases. This prevents many thousands of tonnes from going to waste.”
Some pioneering US brands have already seized the trend, including BevCacao, which is made with Cabosse Naturals upcycled cacaofruit and sold online at Walmart. BevCacao is a functional beverage squeezed from the pulp of the cacaofruit, jam-packed with flavour and nutrients. Caboose Naturals predicts more new products containing ingredients from upcycled cacaofruit will soon launch in the US.
Cabosse Naturals, a brand by Barry Callebaut, is speaking in the run up to Stop Food Waste Day - the largest single day in the global fight against food waste.
Food waste is central to some of the key challenges facing the world today, including hunger and poverty, climate change, health and wellbeing, and the sustainability of agriculture and oceans. Wasting food is also a waste of the energy to grow, harvest, process and cook. Food waste in landfill can cause methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas (Source: World Food Programme).
Traditionally, the cacaofruit has been harvested for its seeds to use in the manufacture of chocolate. However, the seeds represent only about 30% of the fruit, meaning that 70% - its pulp and peel - has been discarded.
Explained Woltering-Valat: “Just like an apple or orange, the cacaofruit has its own uniquely fruity taste, but few people know anything about it, let alone have tasted it.
“We have worked on an innovative and unprecedented upcycling supply chain for years to harness the natural richness of this delicious but largely unknown fruit.”
The cacaofruit’s zesty signature flavor is deliciously refreshing and brings complex notes and natural sweetness to ingredients, which are very versatile and can be used in a number of ways, including in drinks, ice cream, dairy products, confectionery and snacks.
Woltering-Valat added: “We believe that reducing food waste is the single greatest way of fighting climate change. It is also a key contributor to the rise in the food upcycling trend.”
Around the world, about 30% of all food, 50% of all fruit and vegetables and 70% of all cacaofruit goes to waste yearly
If all harvested cacaofruit was used to its fullest, it would reduce the same amount of CO2 as planting 3.5 billion trees per year. That’s an area bigger than Texas and Kansas combined
Annually, about 14 million tonnes of cacaofruit are harvested around the world
Up to 70% of the cacaofruit was previously thrown away - that’s as much as 10 million tonnes
Preventing food waste is the single most effective solution to prevent global warming and cacaofruit is the most impactful fruit to fully upcycle
The journey of the cacaofruit starts in farms in the tropical regions around the Equator. Once ripe, the cacaofruit is harvested by hand, cleaned and opened to remove the seeds from the fresh pulp.
The cacaofruit pulp has a clean, fresh white colour and a sweet scent of honey. With its pleasant zesty fruity flavour, it has a uniquely refreshing signature taste that brings natural sweetness and refreshing fruity notes when used in drinks and snacks.
Once the cacaofruit is opened, its pulp is immediately pressed into juice to preserve its fresh aromas, then filtered, gently pasteurised and concentrated to obtain the cacaofruit juice concentrate.
The juice has a unique zesty fruitiness, making it a refreshing fruit base for a large range of beverages, including functional beverages, ready to drink teas, coffees and even beers and kombuchas. It has a light yellow colour with a fruity scent and naturally contains magnesium, potassium and antioxidants. It brings a deliciously exotic flavour to drinks.
Characterised by its golden brown colour and a fruity honey scent, the concentrate is 100% pure and free from sweeteners, additives and preservatives. It adds an intense fruity sweetness and a unique signature flavour wherever used.
It also caters to growing consumer demand for products and ingredients which are kinder to the environment.
Notes to editors:
*source: U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey
**source: World Population Review
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Based on our UK release: