Cultivated Food Labs turns faba bean waste into cocoa alternative

Vancouver-based Cultivated Food Labs is advancing the development of a cocoa alternative made from faba bean hulls, with the company preparing commercial-scale samples as it explores partnerships, licensing agreements and potential direct business-to-business ingredient sales, according to AgFunderNews.

The food innovation and commercialization specialist is developing the ingredient from side streams generated during legume processing, particularly faba bean hulls, which currently have limited economic value. The project is one of the company's most advanced in-house ingredient concepts.

Cultivated Food Labs president Joel Gfeller said the company has spent the past two years incubating its own ingredient concepts alongside its work supporting other food businesses, from early-stage product development through large-scale manufacturing.

The cocoa alternative is being developed as a single-ingredient product, with the company aiming to demonstrate its potential through commercial-scale samples before determining the best route to market.

Gfeller did not disclose the specific details of the production process, but said the company has developed a proprietary method combining yeasts and enzymatic treatments to transform the faba bean hulls into a cocoa alternative.

The approach seeks to create additional value from a material that is largely considered a low-value byproduct of legume processing. By using faba bean hulls as the primary raw material, the company is also exploring a potential alternative source for ingredients traditionally associated with cocoa.

According to AgFunderNews, Cultivated Food Labs is currently evaluating several commercial models. These include working with strategic partners, licensing its technology and potentially selling the ingredient directly to food manufacturers on a B2B basis.

The company's next step is to produce samples at a commercial scale that can be evaluated by potential partners and customers. This stage could help determine how the ingredient performs in food applications and which market opportunities offer the greatest potential.

The development comes as food companies and ingredient innovators continue to search for new alternatives to conventional cocoa, driven by supply chain challenges, raw material costs and growing interest in more diversified ingredient sources.

For Cultivated Food Labs, the project also reflects a broader strategy of turning underutilized agricultural side streams into higher-value food ingredients. Faba bean hulls are generated during the processing of legumes but have traditionally had limited applications compared with the main edible portion of the crop.

The company has not yet disclosed detailed information about the taste, nutritional profile, formulation or specific food applications of its cocoa alternative. Those characteristics are expected to become clearer as commercial-scale samples are produced and tested with potential partners.

Gfeller said the company's objective is to establish supply chains for these new ingredients and then work with strategic partners to bring them to market.

The development positions Cultivated Food Labs within the growing food technology sector focused on alternative ingredients and the valorization of agricultural byproducts, while offering a potential new use for faba bean processing streams that currently have relatively low value.