After our engagement in MassChallenge Switzerland 2020, a global startup accelerator for innovators working to solve big challenges, Barry Callebaut decided to set out on a promising journey with Bloom Biorenewables Ltd.

Bloom, a small organization of scientists founded by the two chemists Dr. Remy Buser and Dr. Florent Héroguel from the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), is dedicated to establishing biomass as a mainstream alternative to fossil materials in order to mitigate climate change. Their technology converts plant material—which is rich in carbon captured from the atmosphere while growing—into molecules that replace current fossil solutions and have a wide range of uses.

Converting chocolate production side streams into useful resources

Barry Callebaut joined forces with Bloom to investigate the potential for converting its chocolate and cocoa production side streams into reusable material. 

Together with La Morella Nuts, its global specialty nut brand, Bloom discovered that hazelnuts shells have promising biomass potential: thanks to a groundbreaking process, nutshells can be efficiently converted into flavoring agents, such as vanillin—the main element in vanilla flavoring—which can be used in chocolate. For Barry Callebaut, this represents an exciting opportunity to “close the loop” in chocolate production. And transforming nutshells into vanillin is only the first of many possibilities that will be evaluated together with Bloom.

Joining forces to build sustainable supply chains

Barry Callebaut is always interested in innovative initiatives to scale and drive impact around Forever Chocolate, its plan to make sustainable chocolate the norm. As a founding partner of MassChallenge Switzerland, Barry Callebaut continues to build its track record of collaborating with high-impact startups to tackle big challenges. 

Connecting the dots with high impact startups

MassChallenge is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting global innovation and entrepreneurship through collaboration and development. Since 2016, MassChallenge Switzerland has helped to connect startups across multiple industries with the resources, partnerships, and communities they need to successfully launch, grow and scale. Barry Callebaut is a founding partner of MassChallenge Switzerland.