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Koa took the next step to scale its impact in the cocoa sector. On 25 August 2023, the Ghanaian-Swiss start-up inaugurated its second cocoa fruit factory in Ghana, together with 600 guests, the Ministry of Trade & Industry, and the Embassy of Switzerland. The new facility will allow Koa to scale its production capabilities tenfold and thereby allow the company to cooperate with an additional 10,000 cocoa smallholders in Ghana.

Koa is transforming the cocoa industry through its innovative upcycling of cocoa fruits. The independent Ghanaian-Swiss company is the first company in West Africa to have unlocked a new value chain around the overlooked cocoa pulp. Working closely with cocoa smallholders, Koa utilises more parts of the cocoa fruit and increases cocoa farmers’ income while, at the same time, creating innovative and sustainable ingredients for chocolate, confectionery, ice cream, and beverages.

Since its foundation in 2017, Koa has upcycled 800 tonnes of cocoa fruit that was, until that day, overlooked in the cocoa industry. 2,200 cocoa farmers benefitted within the first five years, earning a total of GHS 2.3 million (USD 300,000). To scale its business and meet the demand for cocoa fruit products, the company built a second factory, located in Akim Achiase in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Daniel Otu, Production & Operations Director at Koa, explained that “the new factory will allow the company to grow in line with the demand from our customers. The factory will generate 250 new jobs in rural Ghana and we will extend our cocoa fruit upcycling to an additional 10,000 cocoa farmers.”

The inauguration of the cocoa fruit factory on Friday, 25 August 2023, marked the beginning of a new era for Koa. It highlights the contribution of the company towards sustainable growth in Ghana and making a positive impact on the cocoa industry. In his welcome address during the event, Koa’s Managing Director and Co-Founder, Anian Schreiber, highlighted how the new factory serves as a milestone in the company’s ambition to positively transform the cocoa value chain. “By supplying products for both the Ghanaian and international market, we will add value to the farmers, the communities, and all people who work around here. This factory will connect Achiase and Ghana to the world,” Anian Schreiber said.

Inaugurating the factory on behalf of Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Kobina T. Hammond, noted, “as a government, we believe that prosperity for all is achievable through industrial transformation that is inclusive and sustainable that also ensures the highest standards of food safety to guarantee significant market access for products wholly or substantially produced in Ghana.”

Dr. Simone Haeberli, Deputy Head of Mission & Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland in Ghana, Togo and Benin, called Koa “a leader on this journey” and concluded: “What Koa is doing here is exactly what we were hoping to see. This makes us proud.”

About Koa
The Swiss-Ghanaian start-up Koa transforms the cocoa industry by upcycling parts of the cocoa fruit that are usually overlooked. With a mission to empower farmers to earn an additional income and make a positive impact on the planet, Koa is redefining sustainability and social responsibility in the industry. As a certified B Corp, the company integrates its mission into all business activities, focusing on the Triple Bottom Line: ‘People, Planet and Profit’. Today, 100 employees in Ghana and Switzerland dedicate themselves to making an impact by creating ingredients for gastronomy and the food and beverage industry. www.koa-impact.com

The leading trade show for the global fresh produce business renews its support for data-driven supply chains, artificial intelligence, robotic automation, smart agri, and other advanced systems that unlock new commercial opportunities.

New technologies that can transform the business are waiting to be discovered from 8 to 10 February 2023 at FRUIT LOGISTICA in Berlin. “Fruit and veg suppliers across the world are under enormous pressure to cut costs and reduce their environmental impact,” says Kai Mangelberger, director of FRUIT LOGISTICA. “Digital technologies on display at Fruit Logistica offer them a chance to make their production and their supply chains more efficient and more sustainable.”

In Hall 3.1, innovative companies will present a range of digital solutions in the Smart Agri area, which made its debut at last year’s FRUIT LOGISTICA. These include AI-enabled robotic harvesters (IAV), precision spray drones (ABZ Innovation), advanced watering concepts (Irriot and Topraq), and autonomous field vehicles (Ant Robotics).

And on 10 February, under the theme Disrupt Agriculture, FRUIT LOGISTICA’s fourth Start-up Day turns Hall 2.1 into a networking hub for groundbreaking innovations. 20 of the most innovative tech start-ups from around the world will show their products, projects and ideas in the Start-up Area. Hall 2.1 is also home to the Start-up Stage, where start-ups and smart agri companies will present their forward-looking business ideas, technologies, and visions for the future on the third day of the show.

Among the technologies on display will be AI-powered platforms that can help predict shelf-life (Freshsens), warn of food safety risks (iComplai), and promote collaboration across supply chains (Obortech). In addition, companies such as 7Sense Agritech, Bluetentacles and Smart Watering Solutions will present intelligent irrigation technologies, each with the potential to reduce water and energy consumption dramatically.

More information about the FRUIT LOGISTICA Smart Agri area, Start-up Day and Start-up Stage as well as profiles of all start-ups and exhibitors, can be found at FRUIT LOGISTICA Online as well as on the website of FRUIT LOGISTICA.

SIG turns innovative food and beverage ideas into commercial reality

SIG is delighted to announce that the first of three application rounds in 2021 is now open for their SIGCUBATOR program. Food and drink start-ups and small companies eager for an amazing no-strings attached opportunity can apply at no-costs until February 28th at www.sigcubator.com.

SIGCUBATOR is SIG’s accelerator program for new businesses who need just the right spark to ignite the next novel food or drink innovation.

Anna Rabanus, Global Category Manager at SIG, explains the program: “We understand that getting a product off the ground is often a challenge for start-ups. The SIGCUBATOR program supports entrepreneurs with the production facilities, the knowledge and connections in the food and beverage industry. Our team of experts will be there to guide start-ups through the most crucial period of their innovation: from testing prototypes in SIG’s combiLab in Germany through to a final product and package concept that’s ready for consumers.”

SIG is keen to identify and engage with entrepreneurs at an early stage and attract potential like-minded partners who share the same vision for delivering nutritious food and beverages which excite and improve peoples’ lives in a sustainably packaged way. Forward-thinking food and beverage start-ups are one key to driving industry innovation and value creation. SIG will evaluate concepts based on their innovativeness within the space, their market entry strategy as well as principles of future acceleration in the market with co-manufacturing partners.

One new start-up business which has already successfully launched its exciting range of shakes to market via SIGCUBATOR is UK-based GROUNDED. Filling two SKUs in SIG’s combiLab, GROUNDED recently launched its innovative plant-based protein shakes in SIG’s unique carton bottle combidome. Products are now available online and in retailers such as Selfridges and Planet Organic – a UK based organic supermarket chain where they already are #1 selling protein drink range within 3 months of launching.

Gabriel Bean, Founder at GROUNDED: “Just one small idea can change an entire industry and we identified a gap in the market for a clean, genuinely natural, plant-based shake – with no compromise on natural ingredients and packaging. The team and people at SIG were just as aligned on values, and we couldn’t have found a better partner with which to launch these products. They supported us all the way, from our first contact with their UK team, through to their exceptional combiLab operation in Germany. We look forward to continuing our partnership with such professionals in their field.”

Enterprising partnership gives food companies a head start in technology

DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences is accelerating its open innovation strategy to prepare food and beverage manufacturers for fast-developing trends and disruptive change. DuPont is a partner with global innovation platform Plug and Play’s Food & Beverage program in the Silicon Valley, California. In early 2021, Plug and Play will open a new location in Chicago, Illinois and DuPont will be a founding partner of the new office with direct access to the emerging technologies that will keep food and beverage companies ahead in the future.

The source of these new technologies is talented entrepreneurial start-ups that look for support from larger corporate partners to develop and scale their business. By acting as an investor and mentor, DuPont will both accelerate their development and bring their innovative capabilities to market faster.

A technological win-win

Birgitte Borch, global marketing leader, Food & Beverage, DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, expects the expansion of the Plug and Play partnership to be a true win-win.

“In recent years in particular, we have seen how disruptive change can take the established food industry by surprise. Plant-based meat and dairy offerings have proliferated fueled by new innovations driven by start-ups that are closing the gaps with traditional products. said Borch.

“Through our partnership with Plug and Play, we were able to influence the technology focus and tap into enterprising start-ups, bringing the latest innovative technology in plant-based proteins, functional ingredients and consumer testing. As a founding partner of their program in Chicago, we will be able to expand our focus into innovative technologies in biotechnology, personalized nutrition, food safety, functional ingredients, sustainability and market analytics.”

Strong track record

Plug and Play has a strong track record as an innovation ecosystem. An early investor in Google, PayPal and Dropbox, it operates more than 60 accelerator programs worldwide and in 2019 supported in excess of 1,450 start-ups. Plug and Play’s Food & Beverage program was launched in 2017.

“We use our trend insights and market forecasts to identify the technologies that will be business critical to the food industry moving forward. Plug and Play then provides a shortlist of promising enterprises within those technology areas. The most promising candidates are invited to pitch their technologies to our business and technology teams, and discussions about potential collaboration will begin,” added Borch.

The shortlist of talented start-ups for 2021 has already been drawn up. By the middle of next year, DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences Food & Beverage platform expects to have established open innovation agreements for unlocking the future of food.

About Plug and Play
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 400 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, and PayPal.

Delivery Hero SE and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH are partnering with BIO-LUTIONS International AG by investing in the international expansion of the company.

BIO-LUTIONS International AG, the Hamburg-based manufacturer of ecological packaging and disposable tableware made from agricultural residues, announced that they have secured €8.3M with Delivery Hero SE and the KfW subsidiary DEG among the key investors.

Following the successful establishment of a production plant in India, BIO-LUTIONS has seen a surge in demand for its sustainable products, including the interest of large global retailers. The green tech start-up plans to use the new funds to kick-start its global expansion, first by increasing production in India and second by building new production facilities in Europe and Asia.

BIO-LUTIONS was founded in 2017 by Eduardo Gordillo and Stefan W. Dircks and has
co-developed a patented technology that makes it possible to produce packaging and disposable tableware from a variety of agricultural residues without the need for additional binding agents or chemicals. The use of agricultural residues – which are globally available and until now have mostly been disposed of for a fee as waste products – significantly reduces raw material costs. This, for the first time, enables a sustainable product to compete with disposable plastic products in terms of price.

In addition to this, BIO-LUTIONS acts according to a model of positive social and ecological impact in India, by sourcing its raw materials such as sugar cane leaves and banana stems from local smallholders. This offers farmers an additional source of income and thus helps to reduce poverty among the rural population. The use of agricultural residues also reduces air pollution by providing an alternative to the incineration of crop residues.

BIO-LUTIONS Founder and CEO Eduardo Gordillo stated: „A partnership with two internationally operating firms such as Delivery Hero and the DEG, makes it possible for a young company like BIO-LUTIONS to realise their expansion strategy. This important step enables BIO-LUTIONS to sustainably build our team, our production sites and our customer portfolio. It is an honour and a privilege to work with these renowned companies moving forward.”

Christiane Laibach, spokeswoman for DEG’s management commented: “We are delighted to continue to support BIO-LUTIONS, a young, innovative company on its way. Our investment today follows our initial investment into the company in form of our Up-scaling programme. We see great promise in the production of alternatives to plastic packaging made from plant residues”.

Emmanuel Thomassin, Chief Financial Officer at Delivery Hero added: “Participating in the financing of BIO-LUTIONS helps us to further implement our long-term strategy – with BIO-LUTIONS we have a new and important addition to our portfolio which has high social and ecological value.”