Meet the Winners:
Cacao-Tech

Transforming the Cacao Value Chain in Latin America:
Enhancing Transparency and Quality with NIR Technology
and Whole Pod Automated Processing

“Cacao-Tech improves cacao quality,
introduces tracking/tracing system
and valorises additional products from cacao pods,
while reducing waste.”

About

Overview

We operationalize a circular data-driven model that uses whole cacao pods and valorise waste streams (pulp and husks). We deploy NIR to assess produce quality and establish tacking/tracing system to create a circular value chain (VC) with high quality products. We detect two cacao quality parameters that are important to buyers: sugar content of cacao pulp and the fatty acids of beans. This securely stored quality data are combined with time and geo-location into system that traces the information back to the farmer.  Cacao-Tech will test these technologies in three major cacao-producing regions in Ecuador and is scalable globally through an open-source licensing model. CacaoTech resolves the lack of control over cacao quality and adds incentives for quality separation that has long frustrated the industry. The industry will be able to trace the cacao origins to adhere to the European Deforestation Regulation. Introducing traceability and valorising waste streams creates opportunities across VC. Currently, only 20% (the beans) are used commercially. Utilising the pulp reduces waste by 30% and offers a nutritious ingredient for beverages, while the husks can be converted into organic fertiliser. This circular approach to cacao processing could transform 22Mt of waste into high-value products with a potential commercial value of €302 M.


Cacao-Tech enhances trust and transparency for consumers and the industry, while reducing waste and generating higher quality ingredients. The project valorises products from the whole cacao fruit using NIR technology and traceability to enhance quality of cacao products from traceable farmer origins. NIRS-based technology has been successfully tested on cacao beans in the laboratory, but Cacao-Tech will be the first one attempting its practical use in the field.

Technology & Innovation

Impact & Scalability

Our solution improves cacao bean quality ensuring premium prices and creates value from waste streams. We pilot the technology in Ecuador, the third largest producer that contributes 450,000 Mt of beans annually. Our process uses 80% more of the fruit and reduces waste. Farmers will deliver whole pods of cacao to a Central processing facility receiving about 20-40 percent higher prices for a whole pod, while also benefit from a reduced workload (e.g. cutting pods) in a market with labour shortages. Cacao-Tech solutions will be communicated to target audience and marketing strategy for open-source licensing products will be developed to scale up globally.

Meet the Partners

Czech University
of
Life Sciences

The Czech Republic
University

CZU (Dept. of Information Technologies) has a long-lasting expertise building and innovating commercial cyber-secure data management systems for industries, government, and academia. CZU team has the working expertice of sensors-based technologies used in plant-research and commercial applications and is up to the speed with modern data analytics including trustworthy, ethical utilisation of AI to robustify data systems. CZU will catalyse the interdisciplinary engagement of the Cacao-Tech team for co-designing data-driven, cacao value chain quality assessment and tracking/tracing solution and guide the software specialists to develop commercially viable data system prototype Cacao-Tech will build on CZU’s FAIRdata and cybersecurity initiatives of an international significance.

Pacha
de Cacao
B.V.

The Netherlands
SME

Pacha de Cacao is a female-founded start-up in Amsterdam (a key location in the debate around sustainability and processing) that creates drinks from cacao pulp in Ecuador. It has built its own sustainable supply chain for cacao pulp and is specialised in product commercialisation and research-driven product innovation. With over a decade’s experience across the cacao value chain, its founder has close connections with cacao and chocolate companies in Ecuador, and globally.

Stichting Wageningen Research

The Netherlands
Research Institute

Wageningen Research (WR), as part of Wageningen University and Research, provides integrated multidisciplinary solutions based on state-of-the-art research projects with excellence in cacao. WR carries out applied scientific research for government bodies, companies and other types of organisations. With its mission, WR addresses SDG challenges and bridges the digital divide with its innovation network (smartagrihubs.eu) and living labs established within multiple projects. Using our expertise, unique data models and analyses, and assisted by the (international) partners, we develop new insights and useful tools for our clients and stakeholders. Within this project WR is responsible for the development of the value chain analysis (VCA) and the multi-actor approach (MAA) used for co-designing the Cacao-Tech ecosystem together with its end-users.

Open Call #2 List of Winners

GENIE
Cacao-Tech
PINACLE