Lab-grown cocoa is coming soon from Switzerland  

A new generation of foods is being developed in the laboratory of a Swiss start-up. The founders of Food Brewer want to revolutionise cocoa and coffee production. They see a future in which food, sustainability and tradition coexist. But what are the ethical, cultural and environmental implications of novel foods?

What does lab-grown chocolate taste like? It is good – surprisingly good. At first, it resists between the teeth, just by the right amount, before breaking into many pieces. It then releases its classic pleasant aromas on the tongue, in a balanced harmony of sweetness and bitterness.  

Finally, once partially melted, the chocolate leaves a symphony of flavours in the mouth that evoke faraway places.  

This sensory experience may conjure up images of a traditional chocolate-maker’s workshop. Instead, we are in the aseptic, sterile and colourless environment of the pilot production site of the start-up Food BrewerExternal link. On the work surfaces are the instruments of scientific research: pipettes, test tubes, tongs, spatulas, thermometers and scales. All around are people in lab coats, working on the front lines of biology and cell engineering

“We harvest cells from a cocoa bean,” explains Noemi Weiss, a biotechnologist and project leader. “These are placed on a nutrient gel, where they start to regenerate and form a callus, a kind of repair tissue. After two weeks, thanks to microscopic analysis and the help of artificial intelligence, we choose the right cells. These are then put in a bioreactor with a nutrient solution rich in sugars, vitamins, minerals and other substances.”  

This process lasts several weeks, during which the biomass grows until it is ready for the first harvest. “The next step is drying, which enables us to obtain cocoa powder,” Weiss continues. “Once roasted, the powder is ready to be made into chocolate.” (See diagramExternal link in the Swiss research magazine Horizons).  

Described like this, the process might look easy, but behind it lie two years of work by researchers at Food Brewer. The start-up, which was founded in 2021 and is based in Horgen on the shores of Lake Zurich, aims to revolutionise cocoa and coffee production.  

“I was immediately fascinated by the idea of cell culture,” the company’s CEO and co-founder Christian Schaub says. “This production has the potential to revolutionise cocoa and coffee cultivation, making it more environmentally sustainable and fairer for people.” 

Cell-based chocolate on the market by 2026 

Industrial farming practices have led to the degradation of soil, water contamination and the destruction of ecosystems. Climate change, with rising temperatures and increasingly frequent extreme weather events, further compounds food production. All of this together has resulted in a significant decrease in cocoa bean output in West Africa, the world’s leading production region, in recent years. In 2024 chocolate prices soared.  

This situation has worked in Food Brewer’s favour. “Many producers have contacted us recently,” Schaub says. “They are interested in this technology, which has the advantage of not being influenced by weather conditions or the presence of pests – factors that can compromise crop quality and quantity.”  

Food Brewer began testing in 2022, with a handful of employees. After just two years, the start-up now employs around 20 people from all over the world. In February 2024, it also raised over CHF5 million ($5.6 million) in a first round of fundraising. Partners include Max Felchlin AG, one of Switzerland’s leading chocolate manufacturers, which, according to Food Brewer, sees this technology as an opportunity to diversify and ensure the stability of supplies.

“By 2026, together with our partners, we want to bring cell-based chocolate onto the market,” says Food Brewer’s co-founders. “In the first half of next year, we shall submit our application to the US Food and Drug Administration. It should be approved in 2026.”  

Inside Food Brewer’s manufacturing facility in Horgen, voices echo against the walls. But soon dozens of stainless-steel tanks, similar to those used in beer production, will be installed. The goal is to produce tens of thousands of tonnes of cocoa a year by 2035.  

“Locally produced, zero-kilometre cocoa could satisfy 20% of the demand of a large chocolate manufacturer like Ferrero Rocher,” Schaub explains. “Our cocoa powder will no longer be a niche product, but a key component for the food industry.” 

Obstacles on the road to novel foods 

Cocoa production is under pressure. Conventional cultivation, which is concentrated in countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast and Ecuador, is being put to the test by the effects of intensive land use, increased contamination by pesticides and heavy metals, biodiversity loss and climate change.  

“By 2050, the world’s population will have hit 10 billion,” says Tilo Hühn, a professor at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAWExternal link) and an inventor, together with Regine Eibl and Dieter Eibl, of lab-grown chocolate. “Continuing to produce food as we do today will not be sustainable. Cellular production offers an alternative.” 

The scientist also points to the environmental benefits of this technology: “Returning land to nature, regenerating ecosystems and creating spaces for biodiversity is one of the most exciting opportunities.”  

Hühn, a farmer’s son who grew up in the bosom of nature, speaks enthusiastically of the “silver revolution”, referring to the stainless-steel tanks used in laboratories. “New technologies, such as metasynthesis, in which microbes transform CO2 into proteins, could be a turning point in addressing global food challenges, especially in desert or urban regions where conventional production is difficult.” 

Despite their revolutionary potential, these innovative solutions face many obstacles before they can become a reality on a global scale. One of the main challenges is the lengthy approval process for novel foods in both Europe and the United States. “There is also a risk that food production will end up in the hands of a few large companies, exacerbating global inequalities and creating new forms of food insecurity, especially in less developed regions,” the professor cautions. 

Key to success is taste 

Convincing consumers to buy lab-grown food is another challenge, perhaps the main one. “According to a GDI survey, the acceptance of many innovative foods in Switzerland is very low,” says Christine Schäfer, a researcher at the Gottlieb Duttweiler InstituteExternal link (GDI). The food and consumer expert points to an inherent limitation of these surveys. “We ask people to express an opinion on products they have never tried, because they are not yet available on the market.” 

According to Schäfer, the key to success is taste. “Consumers must see the product as equivalent to or better than the one they are used to.” Rational arguments such as sustainability only come into play if people are won over by the taste of the new product.  

“Lab-grown chocolate can be both enjoyable and good for people and the planet,” the researcher sums up. However, as a recent GDI studyExternal link shows, this is not enough. The new product must also respect local food culture and strike the right balance between tradition and innovation. For chocolate, this goal should not be difficult to achieve, or so Food Brewer hopes.  

“I can imagine a world in which lab-grown chocolate will be synonymous with quality, sustainability and progress, in keeping with the best traditions of Swiss master chocolate-makers,” the company’s co-founder says.