In the interview, Josef Meyer (CEO of Oro de Cacao) tells the story of Oro de Cacao, the company’s mission to revolutionise chocolate and the how the company envisions to inspire the rest of the cocoa sector.
Can you briefly describe the history of Oro de Cacao? How did you get started in chocolate production?
The technology underlying Oro de Cacao’s chocolates was developed at the ZHAW in Wädenswil starting in 2010. The artist and entrepreneur Dieter Meier recognised the advantages and opportunities of the process and took over the patents in 2015. In 2017, the Oro de Cacao chocolate was launched on the market and quickly found recognition and approval among consumers and experts. At the end of 2021, the new production facility in Freienbach was put into operation and the chocolate produced here has since started its journey around the world.
Oro de Cacao talks about having revolutionised chocolate making – how so?
Oro de Cacao's goal is to redefine chocolate as a pleasure product according to the simple formula: More of the good. With our patented cold extraction process, we make the unique and natural taste variety of the cocoa bean tangible for the consumer – chocolate with a high cocoa content of guaranteed origin, without bitterness, without acid peaks, without artificial additives, with less sugar and authentic unadulterated aroma.
Your products include dark chocolate with cocoa from Ghana (82 % cocoa content), the Dominican Republic (80 % cocoa content) and Peru (78 % cocoa content). What aspects are important to Oro de Cacao when sourcing cocoa? Are there regional differences?
In our sourcing, there are two main requirements for the cocoa. It must have an aromatically interesting profile and come from fair, sustainable sources. All three types of cocoa beans which we process are organic and Fairtrade certified. Our value chains with the cocoa beans from Ghana and the Dominican Republic are fully traceable. Unfortunately, full traceability is not yet possible for Peru. These three origins are the basis for our cocoa products and chocolates. The gentle process makes it possible to preserve the aromas of the different regions and to incorporate them into our cocoa products and chocolates.
What does Oro de Cacao expect from a membership in the Cocoa Platform? Where would you like to get involved?
Oro de Cacao acts responsibly and wants to contribute to a sustainable future. The cocoa / chocolate industry is a complex value chain and there are many actors involved. It is difficult to change the world on your own and we consider the approach of the Cocoa Platform, where all stakeholders work towards a common goal, to be important and right. As a young company, we follow our self-imposed values and are equally committed to fair and sustainable production as we are to full traceability in trade and processing. The Cocoa Platform network is designed to help identify opportunities and strengthen partnerships.
Where do you see Oro de Cacao's greatest potential to contribute to the Roadmap goals of improving sustainability in the cocoa value chain?
Our guiding values include innovation and transparency. Innovation is at the heart of Oro de Cacao. We have already revolutionised cocoa processing and chocolate manufacturing. We can imagine that we will also contribute to innovation in cocoa production. In addition to innovation, transparency and traceability are an important pillar of our business philosophy. We want to create transparency in our supply chains. This should help to ensure that the right actors in the value chain are rewarded for their extra effort.