Chocolate Maker Meiji Recycles Cacao Bean Husks for its New Lifestyle Brand

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Japan's leading chocolate manufacturer, Meiji Co Ltd, announced the launch of a new brand on June 28. It is promoting a lifestyle based on upcycling. In this case, Meiji is recycling the cacao bean husks discarded in the chocolate manufacturing process. The husks are thereafter upcycled into high-value-added products. 

It is Meiji's first time to launch a brand other than food products. 

The company is marketing products derived from cacao husks in collaboration with several other firms. Ultimately, Meiji aims to reduce waste by reusing the husks while creating a new demand for cacao. 

Upcycling a Range of Products

Their new brand name is "CACAO STYLE." They hope to increase the ways people enjoy the aroma of chocolate. To achieve this, they are incorporating crushed cacao husks into raw materials used to make furniture and other products. 

Eight products created through Meiji's collaboration with firms specializing in traditional crafts and sundries have been on sale since June 28. These items, including accessory cases and vases, are available through the online shopping sites of Meiji's partner companies. 

In Pursuit of New Values of Cacao 

At the brand launch in Tokyo, Meiji showcased a room adorned with upcycled wall materials and furniture exuding a subtle cacao fragrance. It was promoting the new lifestyle using cacao products. Meiji President Katsunari Matsuda, wearing a jacket also made of fiber kneaded with cacao husks, expressed enthusiasm for expanding the brand. "We are discovering new ways to showcase the hidden values of cacao," he stated.

Only 10 percent of the total mass of cacao beans is currently used. Gobally, approximately 500,000 tons of cacao husks are wasted every year, according to estimates. In addition, about 5,000 tons are also wasted annually in Japan. Previously, cacao husks have been mainly used for animal feed and fuel. That is because the fibrous husks contain a high density of oil and are hard to grind.

Creative New Cacao Products

With technological advances in recent years, several companies are actively creating a range of products by upcycling cacao husks. Since January 2023, Lotte Co Ltd, another major confectionery company, has been marketing Cacao Gin, with cacao husks as a botanical ingredient. It has also been selling ties dyed with cacao husks since January. 

Others are using cacao husks to season black tea and rice crackers with the aroma of cacao. Their uses are steadily diversifying.

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