For millions of consumers, coffee and chocolate are daily pleasures. But the climate threatens their crops, pushing Israeli start-ups to look for alternatives.
According to scientists, more than half of the land currently devoted to cocoa cultivation could become unsuitable for its production by 2050 due to rising temperatures and climate change. A situation which worries the entire sector, while almost 80% of the world’s cocoa is today produced in West Africa.
Faced with this challenge, several Israeli start-ups have chosen to focus on cellular agriculture to produce cocoa and coffee without depending entirely on traditional crops.
One of these companies is developing technology to directly cultivate cocoa cells in the laboratory.
The objective is to free ourselves from traditional agricultural constraints. Where a cocoa tree takes six to seven years before producing its first beans, researchers directly cultivate the plant cells responsible for the properties of cocoa.
“We no longer need to wait several years for a tree to grow and ultimately use only a small part of its production,” explains one of the project managers.
Thanks to bioreactors reproducing natural growth conditions, cells are fed with nutrient-rich solutions and develop in a fully controlled environment.
According to the promoters of this technology, production could be carried out practically anywhere in the world, near food factories, without depending on the tropical zones located around the equator.
Coffee is not immune to the difficulties linked to climate change.
The increase in global demand, the scarcity of certain growing areas and extreme weather phenomena are putting increasing pressure on the market. Coffee prices have risen sharply in recent years, while the volatility of supplies is increasing.
To meet these challenges, Israeli researchers are now applying the same cell culture principles to coffee production.
The process would significantly reduce the consumption of natural resources. Specialists point out that a simple espresso indirectly requires nearly 140 liters of water throughout the traditional cultivation process.
“Our solution makes it possible to produce coffee by circumventing many of the constraints that agriculture faces today,” explain the researchers.
Once cultivated, the cells are processed into powder, then roasted using methods similar to those used for conventional coffee.
Industry players, however, insist that these technologies are not intended to replace farmers.
According to them, cellular agriculture must be considered as a complementary tool to secure global supply chains and reduce the risks linked to climatic hazards.
The first tasting tests also show encouraging results. Some consumers describe a coffee that is slightly milder and sweeter, while still retaining the usual aromatic characteristics.
As climate change transforms global agriculture, innovations developed in Israel could help ensure access to iconic products like coffee and chocolate for future generations.
