Nestlé launches cocoa pulp-sweetened chocolate in Europe

Swiss food company Nestlé has launched Incoa, a chocolate made with cocoa fruit under its Les Recettes de L’Atelier brand.

Incoa is a 70% dark chocolate bar that has been sweetened with cocoa pulp. It has initially been launched in France and the Netherlands with other European markets to follow.

The company claims that the new chocolate bar is made entirely from cocoa fruit and free from refined sugar.

Nestlé York Confectionery Product Technology Center head Louise Barrett said: “We are proud to be able to develop and produce a chocolate at-scale using only the cocoa fruit.

“This breakthrough innovation allows us to deliver a great-tasting dark chocolate while also integrating agricultural side-streams into our value chain, a key priority for our sustainability agenda.”

For producing Incoa, Nestlé sourced cocoa beans from its Nestlé Cocoa Plan farms in West Africa, which are certified by Rainforest Alliance.

Cocoa pulp is sourced from farms in Brazil, which are part of the Nestlé Cocoa Plan.

The Swiss firm added that it is working on expanding the global sourcing of the pulp across Cocoa Plan farms.

Nestlé Confectionery head Alexander von Maillot said: “Incoa is an authentic, pure cocoa experience. People are looking for something that little bit different and more sustainable from their chocolate.

“The fact that Incoa is made from the cocoa fruit and nothing else means it cuts waste and brings additional value to the cocoa sector.”

In another development, Nestlé said that it is now using only cage-free eggs in all its food products in Europe to meet its pledge made in 2017.

As part of this initiative, the company said that it is partnering with Compassion in World Farming and major food companies to urge EU policymakers to phase out the use of cages in animal farming, starting with laying hens.