Chapter 7: Innovation and Sustainability in the Cocoa Sector: The Example of a Swiss-Ghanian Start-Up

Chocolate is a delight, enjoyed by people in various parts of the world, and the chocolate market size has grown steadily in recent years and will continue to increase from $189.01 billion in 2024 to an estimated $198.56 billion in 2025. However, the future of conventional chocolate production and the availability of the required cocoa beans are threatened. Climate change and diseases on plantations in African countries like the Ivory Coast and Ghana, where around 60% of the world’s cocoa beans are grown, resulted in a shortage of raw material for the third year running and a subsequent price increase on the global markets. Facing this complicated situation, solutions have to be found. As illustration of how the food supply chain can be reconsidered, this paper will use the example of the Swiss-Ghanaian cocoa upcycling start-up Koa, created in 2017. It is inductive research following the principle of theoretical sampling. The study was carried out between October 2024 and March 2025. Koa’s achievements may be an important step for future sustainable cocoa production and processing: Not only by increasing the volume of the available raw material for chocolate production (by using the cocoa fruit and the endocarp, in addition to cocoa beans) and the reduction of food waste but also by improving the income and well-being of cocoa farmers and by supplying sustainable and healthier ingredients for industry and gastronomy.