Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

ECOLATE is an innovative brand. It is innovative in the way of how it converted wasted parts of cacao trees, which are usually discarded in the process of producing cacao, into new sustainable food. LIFULL built an ecosystem which remedied the poverty of cacao farmers. We can now take part in solving the issue through a simple and basic act in our lives, which is “eating”. The more people buy ECOLATE, the more cacao waste is consumed, which becomes the sustainable solution of providing financial income to the farmers who need help.

Background

“Cacao Farms in Poverty” Demand for chocolate has significantly grown and expanded the global market size by 35% over the past decade. The COVID-19 pandemic further has increased the demand. On the other hand, cacao, the material for chocolate, has been marking its lowest price. Attempts to supply low-priced cacao at large volume have resulted in cutting labor wages of cacao farmers, putting them in serious poverty. As demand surged, the need for expanded production areas arose, which triggered illegal logging, farmland conversion and tropical deforestation, and other social issues such as child labor. The cacao-producing environment is now in facing serious challenges and there is a potential risk of chocolate shortage in 30 years. In order to solve the situation, LIFULL introduced a project to tackle the root cause; the poverty of cacao farmers.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Instead of using common ingredient of chocolate, cacao mass and cocoa butter, ECOLATE uses cacao bean shells, branches and leaves which are usually discarded without being consumed. We worked with cacao producers, researchers and chefs and co-developed a sustainable ecosystem to support production and online sales of the new chocolate. This sales have provided financial help to the cacao farms.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We leveraged unused parts of cacao material which are usually discarded in the production process and turned them into a sustainable food ingredient. The main ingredient of regular chocolate is cacao mass which is made of cacao beans in cacao pods harvested from cacao trees. After cacao mass is taken out from the plant, it leaves more than 70% of cacao material which is usually wasted. We made a new chocolate that uses cacao waste for 20-50% of its ingredient. The more our customers buy and eat ECOLATE, the more we can help the cacao farms financially and environmentally in a sustainable manner.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

“ECOLATE” Instead of using common ingredient of chocolate, cacao mass and cocoa butter, ECOLATE uses cacao bean shells, branches and leaves which are usually discarded without being consumed. We worked with cacao producers, researchers and chefs and co-developed a sustainable ecosystem to support production and online sales of the new chocolate. Three innovations of the project: Technology innovation - Collaborated with cacao farms and collected unused cacao material. Cleaned, dried and grounded the cacao waste and turned it into edible powder. Top patissier alliance - Worked with renowned pastry chefs who designed the new chocolate which became recognized for its high quality and attracted a lot of press coverage by TV shows and lifestyle media. Sustainable solution: Continous effort to roll out the project's second phase after online sales which will be a food event with a full-course of sweets made of cacao waste.

List the results (30% of vote)

Wasted cacao material of more than approximately 141 cacao trees a year is consumed as food. Equivalent to conserving the natural environment of over 1,400 m2. Revenue earned from the project is shared with cacao farms. “ECOLATE” was introduced to the market in April 2021. The project has been covered in various media both at home and abroad, contributing to raising social awareness of the poverty of cacao farmers. It is notable that the types of media featuring the news is not limited to those specialized in environmental assistance but ranges across culturally oriented publishers including VOGUE.