Compound Foods, a US startup, has extended its innovative platform to assist food companies in substituting vulnerable commodities like coffee and chocolate with bean-free alternatives. These two beloved commodities are facing challenges due to their high greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change impacts on their production.
The coffee and cocoa industries have been grappling with crop failures, low harvests, and price hikes, making it imperative for food companies to seek sustainable alternatives. For instance, Barry Callebaut, a leading chocolate supplier, has ventured into cocoa-free options amidst supply uncertainties and rising prices.
Recognizing the long-term threats posed by climate change, startups like Compound Foods have emerged with bean-free solutions. Compound Foods, based in San Francisco, has introduced its Minus Coffee range, offering beanless brews such as functional instant oat milk lattes tailored for women’s wellness.
Expanding its offerings to cater to food businesses facing supply chain challenges, Compound Foods utilizes its tech platform to replicate the sensory and functional properties of cocoa and coffee. By leveraging agricultural byproducts and underutilized ingredients like seeds and cereals, the company reconstructs these flavors using innovative formulation and processing methods.
In response to the cocoa supply crisis, Compound Foods accelerated the development of a cocoa-free alternative, ensuring comparable taste and functionality at a stable cost. Its B2B platform seamlessly integrates into existing manufacturing processes, enabling companies to adopt sustainable, beanless ingredients without major reformulations.
Beanless coffee and cocoa products not only offer environmental benefits but also appeal to consumers’ taste preferences. Compound Foods’ blind taste tests have shown that their beanless coffee is preferred by 60% of participants over premium brands, signaling a potential shift towards sustainable alternatives in the industry.
Amidst global challenges faced by the coffee and chocolate sectors, Compound Foods’ bean-free solutions offer a promising pathway towards sustainability and resilience. By reducing land use, water consumption, and carbon emissions, these alternatives address critical environmental concerns while meeting the evolving demands of conscious consumers.
As the food industry embraces innovation to combat climate change and resource scarcity, initiatives like Compound Foods pave the way for a more sustainable future, where traditional commodities can be replaced with eco-friendly alternatives without compromising on taste or quality.