Oberweis KOA'O dessert;
Credit: copyright Oberweis
On Friday 5 March 2021, Oberweis held an online press tasting to celebrate their new KOA'O range of chocolates and desserts made possible from a new approach to responsible agriculture.
Anian Schreiber - whose LinkedIn profile has as an introduction "Empowering people to contribute to a responsible way of doing business and thus shaping brighter future for all of us and our planet" - from the KOA Group based in Switzerland presented the Koa brand which they have developed with cocoa farmers in West Africa to utilise more of the cocoa pods (fruits) - normally only 25% is used; by using the pulp they can increase volume by 30%. 50% of cocoa production comes from smallholder farms in African rainforests with around 1.5-2 hectares of land; in this way, they can increase revenues by 30%. They aggregate the cocoa beans and the cocoa pulp, with the latter the base for new food production: cocoa juice from the white pulps surrounding the cocoa beans. The first phase of production (in Ghana, their first market) is a mobile processing unit using solar panels to harness solar energy, then to the factory which adopts strict hygiene products.
The project began in 2017 and has already established partnerships with more than 1,600 farmers in 35 areas in Ghana with over 35 local staff members on-site in the KOA team. The employment it has created in the production sector and delivery chain as well as on-site investments provides long-term added value.
The result is a liquid, with a fruity aroma which is 100% natural, 100% vegan. This responsible agriculture product is then used by Oberweis for a new range of culinary produce, KOA'O, for macarons, truffles and various desserts, as presented by Jeff Oberweis. He explained that he started this journey around a year ago and came up with "something that has never been seen or tasted before". He also stated "this exotic juice has countless qualities", one of which is essential to bakers, i.e. the flavour which strikes the perfect balance between the fruit’s sweetness and acidity with a delicate bitter hint: "Most importantly, you can’t try to make comparisons. It’s like nothing else. It’s an exceptional flavour". He also explained "Because fermentation begins a few hours after the cacao husk is open so you have to be fast".
The presentation/tasting included the KOA'O Macaron (with a chocolate ganache), the KOA'O Croc Choc (a pastry with pralines and caramel), the KOA'O Truffe (caramel truffle), the KOA'O cake (with olive oil, caramel, chocolate) and the Saveur KOA'O dessert.
Oberweis also produces a new range of ice cream and sorbet based on KOA too.
The KOA Group in Switzerland has first started to work with Oberweis and has plans for the Japanese market as well as to work with Lindt.
When scanned, the QR code on the side of the Koa bottle takes one to the region where the Koa has been produced with additional information about the farms, etc.
