FERMENTED INGREDIENTS


Fermtech CEO Andy Clayton


alternatives, but the ambition extends beyond finding a one-for-one substitute for the bean. Planet


A Foods’ ChoViva uses


fermentation and roasting to transform sunflower seeds into a chocolate-like ingredient. Rather than trying to reproduce cocoa as an agricultural commodity, the technology approaches the problem from the other direction: starting with a different raw material and using processing to move it towards the flavour characteristics required by confectionery. It is an important change in mindset.


This changes the question to how to source cocoa more sustainably, but also whether some of the sensory functions of cocoa can be created from different raw materials altogether. Fermtech is taking a different, more


circular approach to the same problem. The UK biotechnology company has developed Koji Cocoa™, a cocoa ingredient made from cocoa shells – a side stream of the crop that would ordinarily have limited value. Its proprietary solid-state fermentation process transforms the fibrous material into an ingredient designed to retain the natural characteristics of cocoa while reducing the quantity of conventional cocoa required in a finished product. In April 2026, Fermtech announced a £2.5 million seed funding round to scale production of Koji Cocoa™, claiming that the


16 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • JULY 2026


ingredient can deliver between 25% and 33% cost savings in chocolate and baked goods, alongside carbon emissions reductions of up to 98%. The company says it can be produced without additional farmland, effectively extracting greater value from crops that have already been grown. That makes the technology particularly relevant at a time when the economics of


cocoa are forcing manufacturers to look much harder at yield. Fermtech’s argument is that manufacturers could use more of what the cocoa plant already provides. Its first commercial product is built around the shell, while the company’s wider fermentation platform is being developed for other agricultural side streams, including oats and wheat.


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