Trendlines Group announced the establishment of Celleste Bio, a new company which will focus on producing high value cocoa ingredients using cell culture methods – eliminating the need for cultivation of cocoa trees. The technology will ensure cocoa yield supply is invariable and will resolve issues around climate change, as the harvests are dependent on the weather condition.
In addition to this, the worldwide cultivation of cocoa can lead to issues around sustainability including the risk of deforestation, child labour and higher carbon emissions than other food sources. New technologies that enable the production of cocoa ingredients without these risks can help ensure a more sustainable supply of cocoa ingredients and appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers who want to invest in more environmentally friendly food sources.
Celleste will be producing cocoa ingredients from naturally occurring cocoa cells without genetic modification or manipulation. The company received their seed investment from The Trendlines Group, an investment company focused in the agrifood technologies and medtech sectors, Mondelēz International, Barrel Ventures and Regba Group. Celleste was founded by four entrepreneurs bringing their experience into the agrifood sector from the cellular biology field: Hanne Volpin, Avishai Levy, Orna Harel and Daphna Michaeli.
“We want to offer people the pleasure and health that high quality cocoa products provide, while eliminating the challenges of sustainable production that we face in cocoa production today,” explained Hanne Volpin, Co-Founder and CTO of Celleste.
“Trendlines believes that the global need for more sustainable cocoa ingredients today and in the future, represents a tremendous opportunity for all stakeholders,” added Nitza Kardish, CEO of Trendlines Agrifood Fund.
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